Odessa Rose Jorgensen, known mononymously as Odessa, is an American singer, songwriter, and violinist from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Jorgensen learned

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

from age four, and her father played in

surf rock Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...

groups in the 1960s. Though born in California, she lived for many years in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

.Introducing Odessa, a Folk Singer Who Fell Off Her Bike and Decided to Become a Star
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', August 6, 2014. As a teenager, she performed as a violinist at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

and modeled for

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...

.Odessa Is The Coolest Singer-Songwriter You Haven't Heard of Yet
''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', April 28, 2015. She played violin and sang vocals in the bluegrass group Bearfoot in the late 2000s.Odessa: Best of What's Next
'' Paste'', September 23, 2014. After leaving Bearfoot, she played violin with Old Crow Medicine Show, Abigail Washburn, and

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American folk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group is led by singer Alex Ebert. The band's name is based on a story Ebert wrote in his youth, about a messianic figure named ...

. While working with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, she was hit by a car while riding her bike in Nashville, which resulted in a skull fracture, a spine injury, and the loss of several teeth. She continued touring as a violinist, even though she could not sing during this time, and worked on tracks for an anticipated self-titled album. In 2014, she signed with

Chop Shop A chop shop is a business, often mimicking a body shop, that illicitly disassembles stolen motor vehicles and sells their parts. Chop shops are often linked to car-theft rings as part of a broader organized crime enterprise. In the United Sta ...

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

, and released an EP produced by

Jacquire King Jacquire King (born January 11, 1967) is an American record producer, recording engineer and mixer. King has worked with such notable artists as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Kaleo, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, ...

in September of that year; she then released a solo album digitally in 2015. The single "I Will Be There" was licensed for use in a

Subaru ( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...

commercial. In 2019, she issued a sophomore digital album, ''All Things'', released on the independent Public Hi-Fi Records and composed of songs written primarily while on a retreat at Eagle Rock, Los Angeles.Odessa Announces New Album, Releases Thunderous First Single: Exclusive
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', October 4, 2019.

Discography

*''Odessa'' EP (

, 2014) *''Odessa'' LP (Chop Shop/Republic, 2015) *''All Things'' (Public Hi-Fi, 2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odessa Musicians from California American violinists American women violinists American women singers Songwriters from California Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women