Grace Sheene is an American vocalist and songwriter based in London, UK.  Her velvety, powerful voice — steeped in the rich history of the Great American Songbook — and radiant stage presence enchant audiences with a soulfulness that feels at once timeless and new.

Born and raised in a small town in Kentucky, Grace discovered this music early.  She performed in musicals at the local community theatre, took piano lessons, and absorbed the sounds of her parents’ record collection — Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Roger Miller, The Beach Boys, and James Taylor amongst others — cultivating a love for storytelling through song.  Home screenings of The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, and Oklahoma! stirred a longing to perform on grander stages. At thirteen, she picked up her dad’s neglected guitar, taught herself to play, and began to forge her own voice. She added Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell to her rotation and sang her favorite old songs and originals around town, later earning YoungArts awards in both Popular Voice and Singer-Songwriter categories.

Her formal training includes classical voice and piano study with professors at Centre College, a vocal scholarship to Oberlin Conservatory’s Baroque Performance Institute, and a BA (Hons) in Actor Musicianship from Rose Bruford College Conservatoire — the latter of which prompted her move to London and solidified the foundation that continues to inform her nuanced interpretations of beloved songs.

Moved by recordings of Mabel Mercer, Bobby Short, Judy Garland, Lee Wiley, Etta Jones, Julie London and countless other singers from the golden eras of cabaret, swing, and cool jazz, Grace interprets songs from the canon with an expansive approach.  Her deep dive into the American Songbook — uncovering forgotten gems alongside beloved standards — has inspired a mission to ensure these treasures receive the reverence and listening they deserve.

Grace has quickly become an established performer on London’s jazz scene, appearing regularly at venues such as Crazy Coqs, The Ned, Brown’s Hotel, Brasserie Zédel, and Aperivino, where she holds a residency.  Grace tours with the Down for the Count Big Band and collaborates with leading UK musicians including Rob Barron, Alex Bryson, Fraser Urquhart, Honey Boulton, Conor Murray, Joe Dessauer, and Sam Furlonger.

She’s currently preparing her debut album — a collection of reimagined standards and original songs she’s arranged with Fraser Urquhart and featuring Urquhart, Conor Murray, Joe Dessauer, and Lewis Taylor — set for recording and release in early 2026.  Through the project, Grace continues to explore this music as both story and sanctuary — her voice as a vessel for the shared pulse of being human —  and is readily establishing herself as one of the most captivating emerging voices of the new jazz generation.

Songs for distribution are uploaded here first. Most cover tunes will be here, too.

Otherwise, please follow me on your online streaming service of choice. 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5yRyOAOKq8Wvp8yKVdttN7?si=wJkfLcjjR8SFYKPHWm9DbQ


All original songs © Paul Matthew Watts Jr

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