Who is Melody Gardot?

Melody Gardot is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released four studio albums and won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Gardot was born in New Jersey in 1985 and began taking piano lessons when she was nine. She studied music at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2003, she was involved in a serious car accident which left her with severe neck injuries and put her career on hold. After the accident, she learned to play the guitar and developed her own style of music.

Early Life

Gardot grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her parents and two brothers. She has been playing music since she was a child, starting with classical piano lessons at age nine. When she was sixteen, she started to get involved in the local jazz scene. She attended the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia and began performing at local coffee shops and clubs.

Career

Gardot released her debut album, Worrisome Heart, in 2008. The album received critical acclaim and made it onto the Billboard Jazz Charts. In 2009, she released her second album, My One and Only Thrill. The album was certified gold in France and topped the Billboard Jazz Charts for seven consecutive weeks. In 2012, she released her third album, The Absence, which was praised by critics for its unique blend of jazz, pop and soul music. Her fourth album, Currency of Man, was released in 2015.

Awards

In 2010, Gardot won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for My One and Only Thrill. She has also been nominated for three other Grammy Awards since then. She has also been nominated for several other awards throughout her career including two Echo Awards (Germany), one NRJ Music Award (France) and one Soul Train Music Award (USA).

Personal Life

Gardot currently lives in Paris with her husband. She is an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and has performed multiple benefit concerts for charities around the world. She is also a philanthropist who supports a variety of causes including climate change awareness and animal welfare.