Diana Krall

Diana Krall always preferred to sing old jazz tunes, but her strong, yet feminine voice tells a modern story. Throughout her career, she immersed herself in her musical community, with friends and connections as diverse as Barbra Streisand, Ray Brown, and Elvis Costello, whom she married in 2003. Krall is one of the best-selling female jazz musicians of all time, and one of Canada's greatest musical exports. She was born on November 17, 1964 to musical parents in Nanaimo, British Columbia. She began playing piano at age four, and she was performing jazz in a hockey bar when she was fifteen. She received a scholarship to Boston's Berklee College of Music, where she graduated in 1983. She later moved back to Canada, where her talents were discovered by jazz icons Ray Brown and Jeff Hamilton. The beginning of Krall's career involved a lot of travelling, moving to Los Angeles, Toronto, and New York and eventually adding her voice to her jazzy repertoire. Krall released her first album, Stepping Out, in 1993, but it was 1996's All For You, a tribute to The Nat King Cole Trio, that brought Krall success. It reached #3 on Billboard's top jazz albums chart, and her success grew with each subsequent release. In 1998, Jazz Report named Krall Musician of the Year, and in 2000, she embarked on a massive tour with Tony Bennett. Krall's music also began appearing in commercials and movies, such as "The Score" (2001), a thriller starring Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro. Krall married famed rock star Elvis Costello in 2003, in a service that took place at the estate of Elton John. The couple gave birth to twin boys in 2006. In 2009, Krall produced Barbra Streisand's album Love is the Answer, a fitting production choice for an album of jazz standards. Krall released her album Glad Rag Doll in 2012. On the cover, the nearly 50-year-old singer is striking in lingerie; the songs she covered on the album came from her father's old record collection.