Biography for
Norah Jones More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

30 March 1979, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name

Geethali Norah Jones Shankar

Height

5' 1" (1.55 m)

Mini Biography

Born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar in New York City on March 30, 1979, she was destined for greatness right from the start. Her father was legendary Indian musician, Ravi Shankar, and her mother, Sue Jones, was a dancer whose love of music left its lasting impression on her gifted spirit.

At the age of four, Norah moved with her mother to a Dallas suburb, where her musical talents began to reveal themselves. She performed in church choirs, learned to play the piano and guitar, and even briefly tried her hand at the alto saxophone. She attended Interlochen Arts Camp, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas, and the University of North Texas, where she majored in jazz piano, and won Best Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist (twice, in 1996 and 1997) and Best Original Composition (1996). At the age of sixteen - and with her father's blessing - she officially shortened her name to Norah Jones, the name by which she is now known to her legion of fans.

Captivated by New York's musical vivacity, Jones moved back to her city of birth in 1999 to embark on the life course that would lead to her great success. Jones began playing with numerous artists and bands, including Wax Poetic and the Peter Malick Group, but it was by her collaboration with a group of her remarkably talented friends - Lee Alexander, Jesse Harris, Adam Levy, Richard Julian, Daru Oda, Andrew Borger and others - that she would take the world by storm and carve her name into music history.

Performing with her new band, Jones burst upon the pop music scene with her auspicious debut album, Come Away With Me, released by Blue Note Records in 2002. The album of original compositions - having sold almost 10 million copies in the U.S. and over 20 million worldwide - swept the Grammy Awards in 2003 and established her as the 'genuine article' - destined for a long and influential career.

Two years later Jones followed up with Feels Like Home, another engaging and heartfelt album that, like her first, was the perfect blend of originals by Norah and other members of the band. Feels Like Home debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, eventually selling over 4 million units in the U.S. and over 10 million worldwide.

Her third album, Not Too Late, was released in January, 2007 to both critical and public acclaim. A double-platinum seller, it has helped secure Jones' position as one of the best-selling female recording artists of the decade.

Further fleshing out her creative resume, Jones starred in acclaimed director Kar Wai Wong's My Blueberry Nights (2007), along with Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Rachel Weisz. While the film was largely dismissed by mainstream audiences, few could deny its intriguing visual beauty and composite artistry.

On her latest recording effort, The Fall, Jones has taken a new direction, experimenting with different sounds and a new set of collaborators, including Jacquire King, a noted producer and engineer who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, and Modest Mouse among others. Jones enlisted several songwriting collaborators, including Ryan Adams and Okkervil River's Will Sheff, as well as her frequent partner Jesse Harris. King also helped Jones gather a new group of musicians to perform on the album, together achieving a sound that broadens Jones' diverse repertoire, while inadvertently enhancing the enigma of her public image.

Creatively energetic, uniquely talented, and exquisitely beautiful - Norah Jones is an artist of classic rendition, who worthily stands among the most adored entertainers of our time.

IMDb Mini Biography By: steve hendriks

Trivia

Daughter of legendary Indian musician Ravi Shankar.

Studied at the University of North Texas where she majored in jazz piano but left before her 3rd year.

Her debut album, "Come Away with Me," has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it the highest-selling album in the history of Blue Note Records.

Daughter of Sue Jones

Her boyfriend is her bassist Lee Alexander.

Shares with Michael Jackson and Carlos Santana the record for most Grammys won in one year, with eight.

Half-sister of Anoushka Shankar.

In the latter part of 2003, rumours emerged that veteran Indian filmmaker Dev Anand was planning to make the film "Song of Life," inspired by Norah Jones's troubled relationship with her father, 'Ravi Shankar'. Both Jones and Shankar were enraged by the rumors and Jones's comments were, "He [Anand] has no idea of our story, and he's not going to represent it in a truthful way, I'm sure. It's sad because it's personal stuff and nobody's business but ours."

Has sold more records this century than any other female recording artist in America (as of 2007).

Split from her long-time boyfriend, Lee Alexander. (January 2008).

Personal Quotes

I don't always know where to put my hands; sometimes it is endearing, sometimes not.

[asked by Katie Couric how she felt after sweeping the 2003 Grammy Awards] I felt like I went to somebody else's birthday party and I ate all their cake without anybody else getting a piece.

[on the effects her success has had on her life] I just do the same stuff I always did. I have a bigger apartment--that's the main change.

I'm not melancholy; I'm a happy-go-lucky person, kind of silly. I like funny things. I have a lot of energy. I tend to like music that's mellow, though.

Without a piano I don't know how to stand, don't know what to do with my hands.

That's been the coolest thing about all this - I get to meet people that I worship!

I don't try to sound like anyone but me anymore. If something is out of my element, I try to avoid it.

[on her role in My Blueberry Nights (2007)] I was asked by [director] Kar Wai Wong to be in his new film. It didn't seem like I would be the most obvious person for him to ask, but for some reason he did, and for some reason I dove in head first before I knew anything about the project. I watched several of his films and thought they were beautiful, so I just trusted him.

Recently I've started to drive again. Living in New York City you don't really need a car, and I had let my license lapse. I've really found it liberating to drive again. I don't think it is good for me to drive too much in New York City, though, because I am prone to road rage. Plus I drive like a granny and everyone in New York drives with impatience.

With the first record I was very overwhelmed - a scared little chicken - because I felt like people were staring at me and I didn't have any clothes on or something. Now, people aren't really staring at me, so I'm able to be more comfortable with myself.

[on being approached by director Kar Wai Wong to star in My Blueberry Nights (2007)] I thought maybe he wanted some music for a movie, and he asked if I wanted to be in a movie. And I said, "Well, I don't know if I can act -- have you seen my music videos?" I'm pretty uncomfortable in front of the camera, and he said, "No, you're natural, I like that".

Where Are They Now

(November 2006) Currently filming Kar Wai Wong's My Blueberry Nights (2007).

(April 2007) Embarking on tour with The Handsome Band to promote her new album, "Not Too Late" (2007).

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