For Toronto-based singer-songwriter and 2021 JUNO Award winner Sammy Jackson (BMus, HBA), making music has always been a fundamental part of life. Even before she started kindergarten, the Jamaican-Canadian vocalist can remember singing along to the radio, listening to pop and R&B hits and trying to emulate them. By the end of elementary school, she started to learn how to practice, figuring out how to hear intervals, belt, and hit the runs of her favourite singers. During her teenage years, talent shows, band, and musicals led her to set a new goal: getting into the University of Toronto, a school known not only for its stellar music program, but also as one of the world’s top universities. Lessons with JUNO-award-winning jazz singer Sienna Dahlen and classical soprano Patricia O’Callaghan helped Jackson to hone her skills and develop the confidence to audition successfully for the program; during her time at U of T, she continued her studies with Dahlen, as well as acclaimed vocalists Christine Duncan, Alex Samaras, and the legendary bassist Jim Vivian. 

It was in 2016, during her second degree at U of T – an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Spanish – that Jackson released her first EP, Take Me Back. It was on Take Me Back that she was able to successfully combine her varied stylistic interests in a way that felt true to her musical passions. Throughout the EP, Jackson deftly weaves together pop, R&B, and jazz into a beautiful tapestry of personal history, singing self-assuredly about love, desire, doubt, and nostalgia with a singularly entrancing voice, equally at home with dense runs as with wordless, clean-toned melodies. 

Jackson’s JUNO-Award winning EP With You – released in 2020 – was a collaborative effort, and co-writing with fellow Toronto-based vocalist Jacqueline Teh was a formative part of the compositional process. Jackson’s initial goal was, simply, to sound more like herself, both musically and lyrically; as the recording process unfolded, she realized that seemingly disparate pieces were really part of a larger narrative, a story about her life that she was writing in song. Working with inspiring band members (including Teh, guitarist Tom Fleming, pianist Chris Pruden, bassist Mark Godfrey, and drummer Ian Wright) allowed Jackson to bring in relatively simple lead sheets, and to work with the band to craft exciting arrangements. The mutual respect, admiration, and trust that Jackson shares with her bandmates paid off; With You is a sophisticated, intelligent, heartfelt portrait of a musician coming into her artistic prime, surrounded by collaborators who share her vision. 

Today – with a resumé that boasts a JUNO Award, collaborations with top artists such as Barbra Lica, Robi Botos, Rich Brown, and Larnell Lewis, and performances at some of Canada’s most prestigious venues and festivals, including the Glenn Gould Studio, Koerner Hall, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, and Westben – Jackson’s career is flourishing, with new projects and new releases on the horizon. Through it all, Jackson has stayed true to her love for music, and in doing so has created a uniquely compelling style all her own, which continues to captivate audiences in concert halls, on the radio, and on streaming services worldwide.