[Cover photo credit to Ashley Marsh]
Jazz vocalist Ekep Nkwelle has announced her debut album, Caged Bird, out September 25th, 2026, via Mack Avenue Records. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the record covers “a journey from sorrow to inspiration, representing human suffering and the pursuit of a better future.” The announcement comes with the release of the first single, “Early One Mornin.”
With her debut album, Nkwelle is showing the world the sound she’s been refining on the road with her band for years, one which transcends genre.
Speaking about the album announcement and its meaning, Nkwelle says:
‘Caged Bird’ archives songs of suffering and survival. I hope to provide expressions of necessary lament while equipping listeners with tools we, as humans, have always used to overcome in our lifelong pursuit of freedom and happiness: faith, art, and community.
A song about “surviving heartache”, “Early One Mornin’” is already a track that’s a favorite at sold-out performances around the world.
Discussing the track, Nkwelle says:
I love how liberating this song feels. Breakups are often painful and disempowering, but this one is healing because it affirms strength and reminds us that one foolproof way to survive a bad relationship is simply to jump ship!
Nkwelle has performed at Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, and North Sea Jazz Festival, and collaborated with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Russell Malone, and Cyrus Chestnut.
Nkwelle attended attending D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, continued her Jazz studies at Howard University, allowing her to continue building her live chops locally while studying with pianist Cyrus Chestnut, and then moved to New York to pursue a master’s degree at Juilliard.
Tour Dates
Fri, Aug. 28 – New York, NY – Charlie Parker Jazz Festival w/ The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Sat, Sep. 5 – Southwest, DC – DC JazzFest
Sun, Sep. 20 – Lake George, NY – Shepard Park
Fri, Oct. 16 – Sun, Oct. 18 – New York, NY – Dizzy’s Club
Sun, Nov. 1 – Lausanne, Switzerland – JazzOnze Plus Festival
Sat, Nov. 7 – Cartagena, Spain – Cartagena Jazz Festival
Sun, Nov. 8 – Málaga, Spain – Malaga International Jazz Festival
Tue, Nov. 10 – Madrid, Spain – Madrid International Jazz Festival
Wed, Nov. 11 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Bimhuis
Thu, Nov. 12 – Rijkevorsel, Belgium – Concertzaal De Singer
Fri, Nov. 13 – Sat, Nov. 14 Paris, France – Le Duc des Lombards
Sun, Nov. 15 – London, United Kingdom – Ronnie Scott’s
Wed, Nov. 18 – Athens, Greece – Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall
Sat, Nov. 21 – Rockport, MA – Shalin Liu Performance Center
