Today’s epic singer has got me dancing in my chair! This is Kate Kortum, a lovely young singer from Houston with a very old soul (in the best way possible). Her feel for jazz is nothing short of miraculous, and I can’t stop listening. When this post popped up in my feed, I was positively knocked out of my socks. What control she has! After attending the world-famous High School for the Performing Arts, Kortum got a bachelor’s degree from the Frost School of Music and is now working on her masters at Julliard. All that formal training combined with her natural talent is a powerful thing.

While completely original, Kortum’s vocal swoops and trills remind me so much of Ella Fitzgerald’s style, I’m in absolute heaven. Her voice has a surprisingly smooth texture like Fitzgerald, and her complete control over her pitch and tone make her music feel like audible silk. It’s no surprise that she was hired to do a gig at Birdland when she was only 16. Even back then, she was skatting like a pro. What an amazing talent she is.

You can follow Kate Korman on her website and on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.