Norah Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norah Jones
Jones in April 2025
Born	Geethali Shankar (1979-03-30) March 30, 1979 (age 46) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician
Spouse(s)	Pete Remm
Children	2
Parents	Ravi Shankar (father) Sue Jones (mother)
Relatives	Anoushka Shankar (half-sister) Shubhendra Shankar (half-brother) Uday Shankar (uncle) Amala Shankar (aunt) Mamata Shankar (first cousin) Viji Subramaniam (first cousin) Gingger Shankar (first cousin once removed)
Musical career
Genres	Pop jazz folk country blues
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Blue Note
Signature

Norah Jones (born Geethali Shankar on March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is famous for her unique musical style and has won many awards. By 2023, she had sold more than 53 million records all over the world. The magazine Billboard called her the best jazz artist of the 2000s.

In 2002, Jones started her solo career with the album Come Away with Me. This album mixed jazz with country, blues, folk, and pop. It was a huge success, selling over 27 million copies. This made it the best-selling first album by a solo artist in the 21st century. For this album, Jones won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

Her next albums, like Feels Like Home (2004) and Not Too Late (2007), were also very popular and sold millions of copies. Besides music, Jones also acted in the 2007 movie My Blueberry Nights.

Jones is the daughter of the famous Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. Her half-sister, Anoushka Shankar, is also a musician.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Jones was born in Manhattan, New York City. Her parents were American concert producer Sue Jones and Indian musician Ravi Shankar. Her parents separated in 1986, and she grew up with her mother in Grapevine, Texas.

As a child, Jones loved music. She sang in church and took piano lessons. She attended arts-focused high schools in Dallas. In high school, she sang in the choir and played the alto saxophone. When she was 16, she legally changed her name to Norah Jones.

Jones was a big fan of older music, especially artists like Bill Evans and Billie Holiday. She said, "My mom had this eight-album Billie Holiday set; I picked out one disc that I liked and played that over and over again."

She later went to the University of North Texas to study jazz piano. There, she met Jesse Harris, who would become an important musical partner. In 1999, she moved to New York City to follow her dream of becoming a professional musician.

Music Career

Before she became a famous recording artist, Jones sang in lounges and performed with different bands. This experience helped her develop her unique sound.

2002: A Star is Born with Come Away with Me

Jones at the premiere of My Blueberry Nights at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

After moving to New York, Jones signed with Blue Note, a famous jazz record label. Her first album, Come Away with Me, was released in 2002. It was praised for its beautiful mix of acoustic pop, soul, and jazz.

The album became a massive hit, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The single "Don't Know Why" was played on radios everywhere.

In 2003, at the 45th Grammy Awards, Jones won five awards. This included the biggest awards of the night: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. The album sold over 10 million copies in the United States alone.

2004–2009: Continued Success

Jones's second album, Feels like Home (2004), was also a huge success. It went to number one in more than 15 countries. The album won a Grammy for the song "Sunrise". She also won two more Grammys for a duet with the legendary Ray Charles.

In 2007, she released Not Too Late. For this album, she wrote or co-wrote every song. Many of the songs were recorded in her home studio, giving the album a personal feel. It reached number one in twenty countries.

Her fourth album, The Fall (2009), showed a new sound for Jones. It sold over a million copies and was praised by critics. The cover of the album featured a St. Bernard dog named Ben.

2012–2019: Exploring New Sounds

Jones performing on Good Morning America in 2010.

For her fifth album, Little Broken Hearts (2012), Jones worked with producer Danger Mouse. The album had a more modern and dramatic sound. She toured all over the world to support it, including her first-ever shows in India.

Her 2016 album, Day Breaks, was a return to her jazz and piano roots. Jones said she wanted to record the album live in the studio with her musicians to capture the "soul" of the music.

In 2019, she released Begin Again, a collection of songs she had recorded with different artists, including Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco.

2020–Present: Recent Albums

Jones released her seventh studio album, Pick Me Up Off the Floor, in June 2020. In 2021, she released her first Christmas album, I Dream of Christmas.

In March 2024, Jones released her ninth studio album, Visions. The album was described as having a "funky, garage-soul" sound. It won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2025, which was her tenth Grammy win.

Other Projects and Collaborations

Besides her solo work, Norah Jones has worked with many other famous artists. She has also explored acting and formed several side bands.

Acting and Film Music

Jones appeared as herself in the 2002 movie Two Weeks Notice starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant.

Her first leading role as an actress was in the 2007 film My Blueberry Nights. She also wrote and performed a song for the movie. In 2012, she had a small part in the comedy film Ted and co-wrote a song for it, "Everybody Needs a Best Friend", which was nominated for an Academy Award.

Musical Groups and Duets

Jones performing in Brazil in 2010.

Jones is part of several bands with her friends:

• The Little Willies: A country band that has released two albums.
• Puss n Boots: An all-female trio with musicians Sasha Dobson and Catherine Popper.
• El Madmo: A rock band where Jones played guitar and sang under the name "Maddie."

She has recorded songs with many famous musicians, including:

• The Foo Fighters on their song "Virginia Moon."
• Willie Nelson on a duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
• Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.
• Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer of Green Day. They released an album of duets in 2013 called Foreverly.
• Herbie Hancock on his album River: The Joni Letters, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2008.

In 2010, she released a compilation album called ...Featuring, which collected many of her famous collaborations.

Personal Life

For many years, Jones did not have a close relationship with her father, Ravi Shankar. Later, she traveled to New Delhi, India, to spend time with him. This experience inspired some of the songs on her album The Fall.

Jones is married to musician Pete Remm. They have two children together.

Discography

Studio albums

• Come Away with Me (2002)
• Feels like Home (2004)
• Not Too Late (2007)
• The Fall (2009)
• Little Broken Hearts (2012)
• Day Breaks (2016)
• Pick Me Up Off the Floor (2020)
• I Dream of Christmas (2021)
• Visions (2024)

Collaborative albums

• New York City (with The Peter Malick Group) (2003)
• Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (with Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis) (2011)
• Rome (with Danger Mouse, Daniele Luppi and Jack White) (2011)
• Foreverly (with Billie Joe Armstrong) (2013)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Norah Jones para niños

• Fry Street Fire – Norah Jones was an honorary Chairwoman of "Save Fry Street".
• Indians in the New York City metropolitan area