Stephanie K. is a British-born jazz vocalist and composer whose music bridges the lyrical tradition of classic American jazz with modern European sensibilities. Raised in a household of classical musicians in Edinburgh, she found jazz at sixteen and never looked back.
After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with first-class honours, she moved to London and quickly embedded herself in the Soho jazz circuit — playing residencies at Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Jazz Club, and the 100 Club. Her circle grew to include some of the finest musicians in British jazz, many of whom appear on her recordings.
Music is the space between the notes — I’ve spent my whole career learning to inhabit that silence.
Her 2019 debut album, Midnight Letters, announced her as a singular voice. Produced by Grammy-nominated Marcus Fields, the record blended sweeping orchestral arrangements with intimate lyricism. The Guardian hailed it as “one of the most assured debut albums British jazz has produced in years.”
She followed it with Blue Hours (2021), a more introspective collection recorded in just three days at AIR Studios with a stripped-back piano trio. The album deconstructed jazz standards she grew up with, placing them in a contemporary frame without losing their emotional weight. It reached number one on the iTunes Jazz chart and earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Music for the accompanying documentary.
Her most recent album, In a Sentimental Mood (2023), saw her work with a full string orchestra for the first time, resulting in lush, cinematic arrangements that have been compared to the late-career work of Shirley Horn. A critically acclaimed UK and European tour followed, culminating in a sold-out five-night residency at the Barbican Centre, London.
Stephanie continues to write, perform, and collaborate from her home in South London, where she also teaches masterclasses for emerging jazz vocalists.
“One of the most assured debut albums British jazz has produced in years — a voice that commands every room it enters.”
“Blue Hours is an album of rare emotional intelligence. Stephanie K. inhabits these standards as though she wrote them.”
“In a Sentimental Mood confirms Stephanie K. as the defining British jazz voice of her generation.”