Perhaps piano-playing prodigy Norah Jones was always destined for greatness: From an early age, it was clear that she had inherited the musical talent of her famous father, Indian sitar legend and esteemed Beatles associate Ravi Shankar. But no one, especially Jones herself, could have predicted that her destiny would arrive so quickly, or spectacularly. Within the course of one short year, the exotic jazz chanteuse with the smoky voice and eyes skyrocketed from complete unknown to critics' darling to unlikely mainstream megastar--with this upward trajectory culminating in an astounding eight-trophy sweep at the 45th annual Grammy Awards. Winning every category in which she was nominated--including Best New Artist and Album, Record, and Song Of The Year--this gifted, torch-singing newcomer even trounced odds-on favorite Bruce Springsteen, in the process doing for jazz in 2003 what the O Brother, Where Are Thou? soundtrack's Grammy win did for bluegrass and country in 2002.

Born, May 30, 1979 in New York City, Jones was raised in Texas by her single mother, and never knew her father as child; to this day, she is reluctant to discuss him in interviews, although she does concede that they now have a close relationship. However, while Shankar wasn't around to influence her musically during her formative years, Jones drifted toward music on her own, and discovered jazz while attending the Booker T. Washington High School For The Performing And Visual Arts in Dallas, where she won two Down Beat Student Music Awards in 1996 (for Best Jazz Vocalist and Best Original Composition) and one in '97 (for Best Jazz Vocalist). She then attended the University Of North Texas for two years, where she worked on a degree in jazz piano, before deciding to take a break from her education to move back to New York. There, she formed her own band with guitarist Jesse Harris, bassist Lee Alexander, and drummer Dan Rieser, and began gigging around the Greenwich Village jazz/folk club scene.

In 2001, Jones signed to EMI jazz imprint Blue Note Records, and began recording her debut jazz-pop album, Come Away With Me, with legendary producer Arif Mardin (whose numerous impressive credits include the Bee Gees, George Benson, Ray Charles, Judy Collins, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, Laura Nyro, John Prine, Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Dusty Springfield, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, and even '80s groups Culture Club and Scritti Politti). Along with her steady band members, the album also featured the musical talents of jazz greats like Bill Frisell and Brian Blade, and showcased the songwriting of Harris (who penned her Grammy-winning breakthrough single, "Don't Know Why") and Alexander. The album also included choice covers like Hank Williams's "Cold Cold Heart," J.D. Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You," as well as two songs composed by Jones herself: "Nightingale" and the title track.

Come Away With Me was not an overnight sensation, but it garnered immense critical acclaim when it was released in February 2002, and many months later, "Don't Know Why" began receiving radio and VH1 airplay, which increased Jones's buzz. This buzz then grew into a deafening roar when it was announced in January 2003 that Jones had been nominated for an astonishing eight Grammys; a week later, almost a full year after Come Away With Me's initial street date, the album hit number one on the Billboard Top 200.

Although Jones's landslide victory at the 2003 Grammys has established her as both a bona fide superstar and respected artist, it remains to be seen if this is already the peak of her career--which was the case for past Best New Artist winners/young Grammy favorites like Paula Cole and Christopher Cross--or if this is just the beginning. However, with her timeless, far-from-trendy style, it seems likely that Norah Jones will be making beautiful music for a good long time.

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