Madeleine Peyroux

Much like songbird Edith Piaf, Madeleine Peyroux spent her teenage years busking the busy streets of Paris. Just like the ‘little sparrow’, Madeleine befriended the city’s street musicians and made its Latin quarter her first performing stage. Years later, Peyroux would cite iconic Piaf as an influence on her music and record a rendition of the classic La Vie En Rose, soulfully capturing the tune’s romanticism and melancholy. Born in Athens, Georgia in 1974, Madeleine “grew up in a house filled with music” and from an early age “instinctively realised music’s soothing power” but it was her teenage years in the French capital that turned the childhood notion into an all-consuming vocation for life. Young Madeleine moved to Paris with her mother in 1987 following her parents divorce. “To soothe me during the upheaval”, she recalls, “I was given a guitar and took to playing in the streets almost immediately.”The curious teenager started skipping school to frequent the city’s Latin Quarter where street musicians dwelled, keen to learn about their music and way of life. At 16, the fearless teen joined the Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band with whom she toured the streets of Europe, discovering Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday while “voraciously picking up all the songs and all the guitar playing” she could. The two-year touring adventure set Madeleine on a creative path for life and proved to be a gateway to greater things. In 1991 the band travelled to New York where Madeleine’s unique talents were spotted by Atlantic Records’ Yves Beauvais. The young singer declined the music executive’s initial record deal offer but relented several years later and in 1996 her breakthrough album Dreamland was released. Joy Clark is a New Orleans singer-songwriter, lyrical guitarist and composer who creates soulful original compositions that celebrate peace and the undeniable power of love. Her intricate rhythms and warm melodies reveal a sweet vulnerability that enchants her audiences around the world. Like so many other artists in New Orleans, Joy’s first stage was in church. Growing up the daughter of a minister, she learned to create an atmosphere ripe for an emotional experience. So it’s no wonder she believes music is her ministry and intimacy is her superpower. Joy signed a recording contract with Righteous Babe Records and her first two singles have been released on October 5, Guest, and November 16, Gumbo Christmas. The song Guest below which features piano and keys by Lisa Coleman of Wendy and Lisa (Prince Revolution Band). Gumbo Christmas is a tribute to her grandmothers holiday celebration and she recently passed away. Joy's album will be released in Early Summer of 2024 and she will be touring solo and with her band to support the record. Joy has toured with Allison Russell and Brandi Carlile in 2022 as well as opened for The Indigo Girls and Jackie Venson. And Ruthie Foster among others. Joy continues to tour with Allison Russell this year as a guitarist and vocalist as well as her own tours building audiences wherever she goes. Joy continues to tour with Allison and was part of Allison’s The Returner Album recognized with a Grammy win this year.