Lucy Kalantari is a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

winning American singer, composer and producer. She is the frontwoman and bandleader for Lucy Kalantari and The Jazz Cats.

Early life

Born in the United States to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father, Kalantari grew up in a Spanish-speaking household. She graduated from the Purchase Conservatory of Music (commonly known as

State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...

) in 1998, where she studied studio composition and production.

Career

In 2014, Kalantari released her first children's music album, ''Pockets Full of Joy'', after having her first child. In 2016, she released her second album, ''Big Things''. The opening track of that album, "Fantastic", won the "Children's Music" category at the 15th Independent Music Awards. The song "It's Halloween" was nominated in the "Holiday Song" category, and the album ''Big Things'' for the "Children's Album" category. The album also won Fall 2016

Parents' Choice Award The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...

s. Kalantari released her third album, ''It's the Holidays!'', in 2017, which was included in the 2017 Christmas album roundup on ''

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'' and salutes Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's. Her fourth album, ''All The Sounds'', released in 2018, won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Children's Album at the

61st Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...

, and earned a Top 10 Music spot on

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

. All the Sounds includes “La Cosecha,” a celebratory tribute to community gardening, and a Piazzolla-style tango, “Howl to the Moon,” for Halloween. Kalantari has appeared on TV shows including ''Snug's House'' (formerly ''Sprout House'') on

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, and has performed at The Levitt Pavilion,

Wolf Trap A wolf trap (Spanish ''lobera'', Italian ''luparia'') was a chase ending in a pit with trapdoor and stakes used by beaters in hunting wolves in medieval Europe.Towards a History of the Basque Language José Ignacio Hualde, Joseba A. Lakarra, Rob ...

, and Lollapalooza's Kidzapalooza. In June 2020, “She Can Do,” a song that celebrates breaking down gender-based stereotypes and features Kalantari in a vocal performance, was included on the “My Earth Songs” album to benefit

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

. Lucy Kalantari produced the 2020

Joanie Leeds Joan Leibowitz (born October 1978) is a Grammy-award winning musician best known for her work as a children's musical artist. Early life and education Growing up in Miami, Florida in a Jewish family, Leeds took voice lessons as a child and was ...

album, ''All the Ladies'', earning her second GRAMMY when ''All the Ladies'' won the

for Best Children's Album at the

63rd Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Pockets Full of Joy'' (2014) * ''Big Things'' (2016) * ''It's the Holidays!'' (2017) * ''All the Sounds'' (2018)

Singles

* "Balloon" (2016) * "Fantástica" (2017) * "My Mommy is a Mummy" (2017) * "Sounds of Summer" (2018) * "Flick of My Wrist" (2019) * "Do You Know How Long?" (2020) * "¿Cuánto tiempo toma?" (2020) * "Haunting Days of Halloween" (2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalantari, Lucy Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American people of Dominican Republic descent American musicians of Puerto Rican descent State University of New York at Purchase alumni 21st-century American singers 21st-century American composers