10 Female Singers Who Are Also Very Good Pianists

When we talk about “piano”, we think a lot about Mozart, Chopin or Debussy. However, piano doesn’t necessarily rhyme with classical music. This instrument is used in different musical genres such as: jazz, blues, pop, rock…and the piano also accompanies singers. Who are the female singers who are also great pianists? In this article, we present those who, in our opinion, could have had great success and been known by playing only the piano! We let you discover our selection.

Nina Simone

A militant figure against racial discrimination and an icon of African-American music, Nina Simone was born as Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933. Passionate about music, she sang and played piano at church and gave her first concert at twelve. She got noticed and had piano lessons paid for by her mother’s employer. Then, she met Miss Mazzy, a piano teacher who trained her for years and proposed that she join the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She prepared and took the entrance exam which she failed… mainly because of her skin color. With the goal of trying again, she worked as a photographer’s assistant and as an independent piano teacher. Meanwhile, she continued her training with Vladimir Sokhaloff, a famous pianist, and financed it by giving performances in a bar in Atlantic City under the name Nina Simone. She was spotted 3 years later by an artistic agent who put her in contact with Syd Nathan. She then experienced immense success following the release of Little Girl Blue in 1957.

For Nina Simone we couldn’t resist putting 2 videos from one of her cult concerts in Montreux. In this first video, she plays “cool” a little stride jazz with a swing, a relaxation and a phrasing worthy of a piano diva. A right hand so beautiful to see intervene. Then, she sings. And there the piano takes on a more traditional piano-voice jazz accompaniment role, swinging and mischievous. Delicious. Don’t miss the end of the piece, at 4’44, magnificent, a mixture of baroque music and gospel, a jazz chorale supporting powerful lyrics.

We continue with a second video, here it’s a real pianistic technical feat. An unleashed version of Sinnerman, a crazy race of fingers on the piano, an untenable left hand, a trance.

Jeanne Cherhal

Singer, pianist and singer-songwriter, Diane Cherhal was born on February 28, 1978 in Nantes. She started piano and wrote her own songs at age 13. She studied philosophy and at the same time invested in music by singing in clubs, cabarets, artist workshops… She signed her first album in 2001 which was released in 2002 and met her audience shortly after. We can confirm it, music has always been her vocation!

In this video it’s no longer piano-voice that we’re listening to but a one-woman orchestra, a great musician. The ultimate piano-voice. The whole body plays. Jeanne Cherhal lays her voice on a very rich and dense piano part in notes. We read that she learned piano on her own, by ear, imitating artists she loves. We recognize William Sheller notably in her arpeggios. Her velvet touch when she sings impresses us. Her journey shows that to play piano well, you must above all love it and listen to it sound. With of course in her case, a lot of musical sensitivity and talent.

Norah Jones

She’s the daughter of Ravi Shankar, whom she describes as a “musical genius”, inspiring many artists from very varied genres. He certainly had a strong influence on his daughter’s relationship with music even if their relationship began when Norah Jones was already an adult. Very early on, Norah Jones was sensitive to music, particularly jazz and soul, which her mother introduced her to during her childhood. From a very young age, she learned to practice piano and singing. Later, she studied at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as well as at the University of North Texas where she specialized in jazz piano. It was in 2002 that her career began with the release of her first album, Come Away with me. This was rewarded at the Grammy Awards ceremony and experienced international success.

An exceptional video where we see behind Norah Jones, Brian Blade, one of the greatest jazz drummers of the 20th century. Norah Jones exudes blues, in her career and in this video. She grooves, and when she starts singing, the blues piano-voice mood is there. The chord grid of this song is very elaborate on the bridge, tense. It dissonates as we like it. Her piano, faithful companion, is always in support on these spicy harmonies.

Tori Amos

She’s a complex artist, singer-songwriter, musician, singer and producer. Her journey has known many twists and turns and has made her an admirable artist. Coming from a religious and practicing family, she started piano within the family circle and singing in her father’s church choir at only 4 years old. At 5 years old, she joined the Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University and was forced to leave the Conservatory in 1974, following her difficulties in reading scores. Her father took things in hand. He had her perform in piano bars and at the same time sent demos of his daughter’s songs to record companies. She got noticed during a young talent competition that she won. She worked relentlessly for years, without success. In 1991, her career was launched with the release of her album Me And A Gun, a committed album containing four titles denouncing, among other things, religious education or evoking the rape she suffered. A progressive and feminist figure, Tori Amos overcame ordeals and had to fight to assert herself and become the superb artist and great pianist we all know!

When you watch this live performance by Tori Amos, if we closed our eyes, we would have a hard time believing that the singer is not accompanied by a person on piano, that it’s her who accompanies herself, so elaborate and difficult to play is the piano part! Large chords, arpeggios, traits from lows to highs, nuances from the softest to the attack of keys making the resonances and timbres of the lows explode… It’s breathtaking how precise it is. And what a piano! A magnificent Steinway played by an extraordinary musician. To listen to with headphones.

Juliette

A strong musical personality that doesn’t leave us indifferent, Juliette Nourredine, daughter of a saxophonist, lives only for music. As a teenager, she tried studying letters and musicology in a religious institution. At 18 years old, she sang and played piano in bars and restaurants in Toulouse. She met Pierre Philippe following her participation in the Bourges festival. In 1991, her career began with her first album ¿Qué tal? which she produced herself.

Padam! Padam! Padam! Juliette delivers such an inhabited interpretation, she makes the melody alive! Piano-voice charged with the culture and tradition of the great voices of French song. The piano sounds, screams. She is a great pianist and a great singer.

Alicia Keys

We all know her! Alicia Keys is a very talented artist. From age 7, she trained in classical music. She also studied at the Professional Performing Arts School of Manhattan and graduated first in her class with the title of valedictorian at 16 years old. She began her musical career with Columbia Records and with J Records, mainly recording film soundtracks. It was in 2001 that this young singer experienced worldwide success following the release of her first album, Songs in A Minor.

A live performance on Naguy’s Taratata show to watch for anyone who loves Alicia Keys or simply piano-voice. Because here we listen to one of its greatest representatives in the quintessence of her art and her career! She starts singing at the 4’10 minute mark. Just the piano and her powerful voice and it’s a slap. She plays a medley of her greatest hits. We feel that these songs, she composed them, drew them, structured them on piano, that this instrument is an indispensable tool for her music.

Véronique Sanson

She was born on April 24, 1949 within a music-loving family. Her parents put her and her sister Violaine, to whom she is very close, at the piano from a very young age. Her career began within the group Les Roche Martin where we find her sister as well as François Bernheim. The trio separated following the failure of their second 45 rpm. It was with Michel Berger that her career took a completely different turn. Véronique signed with the Elektra label in 1971 and was revealed in 1972 with the release of her first album, Amoureuse.

Véronique Sanson’s piano is above all a groove, a rhythmic phrasing, chord grids and accompaniments that have become cult more than virtuosity. Piano-voice as many of us practice it and in its main function, namely to support the voice and rhythmically advance a song and its story, like a musical pillar.

Niki Black

We discovered her following her performances on The Voice 2021. A true artist who put on a show for us and didn’t leave us indifferent! This young American, aged 25, studied music in Los Angeles. She moved to Paris to do a Master’s in art history. It was by listening to friends of her parents who told her: “Why wouldn’t you participate in The Voice, here, in France?” that the young singer took the plunge.

She impressed us on French television with extraordinary piano-voice performances, particularly when she sang “bad romance” by Lady Gaga or “l’hymne à l’amour” by Edith Piaf. She plays piano very well.

Janie

Janie is a young 26-year-old artist, passionate about music. She took piano lessons when she was younger and continues today to learn this discipline on her own. It was once she arrived in the capital, at age 19, that she gave body to her musical projects. It’s thanks to social networks that she got noticed via karaoke in which she interpreted classics of French song. Petite Blonde is her first EP that reveals her talent as a composer and performer: she expresses herself and tells about a period of her life.

A bit like Véronique Sanson to whom she often reminds us of, Janie plays a piano that is not in demonstration. Piano-voice in service of the song, but always with a lot of subtlety and touch. Very nice chord inversions and rhythms with certain and modest groove. Arpeggios that don’t move one BPM. Janie composes music very well and is a great pianist who has a lot of feeling with this instrument! We love her. She represents today’s and tomorrow’s scene.

Agnès Obel

You’ve probably heard her if you watch Netflix. Indeed, many of her songs are featured in many TV series such as: The Mist, Lovesick, The rain or Dark. Agnès Obel has a world of her own and an overflowing imagination. Her evocative music tells a story on its own and in a few chords, which explains why it works very well in series and films. Descendant of a family of musicians, she started piano at a very young age. Her musical career began in 1990 when she joined a rock group at 17 as a singer and bassist. She studied at Det frie Gymnasium high school where she played a lot of music but she quickly abandoned her musical studies to learn sound techniques. It was in 2009 that she made her debut as a solo singer with the release of Philharmonics composed, performed, recorded and produced by Agnès herself. She confided during an interview that:

“Piano and singing are two equal things for me – maybe not inseparable but very linked”.

A lot of technique in this video, but always in service of musical poetry! Agnès Obel is a world star, but above all a sparkling composer and musician. In this video, she plays on an upright piano that is not perfect which adds a poetic touch to the delicacy of her playing, quite worthy of a professional pianist.

Melody Gardot

American musician, singer-songwriter, Melody Gardot has a musical style of her own influenced by folk, fado, bossa nova, vocal jazz, blues, pop and a bit of rock. She suffered a serious road accident in 2003 when she was only 18 years old. At that time, the singer was already a pianist. Her injuries had a significant impact because they prevented her from sitting and practicing her piano. With the help of music therapy, she turned to a new instrument, the guitar. So it’s with it that she began to write and compose songs. We discovered her in 2005, with the release of her first EP (extended play) mainly comprising pieces written during her rehabilitation.

Melody Gardot imposes herself, with her husky and warm voice, she holds the stage. But in this video as in many others, she also holds the house and leads her group with a piano intro of a lunar tango… Then she sings and carries us away, with a lot of class. An artist of piano-voice.