Los Angeles-based Brenna Whitaker is a powerful, highly resonant vocalist with a bent toward dynamic jazz and R&B-influenced pop. Raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Whitaker grew up listening to classic performers like Ruth Brown, Peggy Lee, Etta James, and others. She began her professional theater career at age 11, and by the time she was in her teens she had relocated to New York City to further her vocal studies. After a brief period in her early twenties fronting her own jazz group around Kansas City, Whitaker moved to Los Angeles, where she met producer David Foster. Under Foster's guidance, Whitaker began developing her own distinctive crossover sound. In 2015, she released her self-titled debut album on Verve. ~ Matt Collar