I've spent most of my life learning how sound moves through a body—how a voice finds its way into a song, how a phrase can hold a story, how listening shapes what comes out.

I'm a vocalist, songwriter, and educator, and my work is rooted in American Classical Music (jazz), deep listening, and the belief that music is something we pass from one person to another—not just information, but a living practice.

I grew up as an informal and formal student of jazz. At Indiana University, I studied classical voice and Jazz Studies, where rigorous technical training met the kind of close listening that taught me voice isn't just an instrument—it's a means of expression, translation, and connection. After graduating, I continued my education for 13 years with a private teacher in New York City, deepening my understanding of technique, musicianship, and pedagogy.

I spent 20 years in New York, where my path took me from intimate clubs to international stages, from traditional forms to experimental collaboration. I've toured and recorded with artists like Sinkane, co-wrote on the critically acclaimed album We Belong (which made the first round of Grammy voting), and performed internationally with projects including The Atomic Bomb! Band, a Luaka Bop–led tribute to William Onyeabor. I've shared stages and studios with David Byrne, Money Mark, Jamie Lidell, Alexis Taylor, Charles Lloyd, and many others whose work I deeply respect.

Beyond performance, I've been invested in creating spaces that honor musical history while inviting contemporary interpretation. I produced and curated Under The Influence, a concert series celebrating artists like Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye through collaborative reinterpretation. I've contributed vocals to visual and mixed-media installations, with artists like Phoebe Collings-James, and to recordings by artists like Kindness (Something Like a War). And I've returned repeatedly to my jazz roots through residencies and small-ensemble work—the kind of close listening that first shaped my foundation.

At the heart of my practice is musical transmission—how songs, styles, and histories are passed from one body to another. I founded The Appreciation Association, an educational initiative centered on musical immersion and interactive experiences for people from infancy through adulthood. This work emphasizes rhythm, listening, and historical context, with particular attention to Black American musical traditions as the foundation of much contemporary music.

Khiri Creative Voice grew out of this lifelong engagement with sound, history, and pedagogy. It's a place where technique supports expression, listening precedes instruction, and music is treated as a relational, living practice—one that builds individuality, empathy, and connection over time.

This work isn't about making you sound like anyone else. It's about helping your voice feel like yours.