Diana Krall

Diana Jean Krall OC OBC (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over 6 million in the US. On December 11, 2009, Billboard magazine named her the second greatest jazz artist of the decade (2000–2009), establishing her as one of the best-selling artists of her time.

Krall is the only jazz singer to have had eight albums debuting at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums. To date, she has won three Grammy Awards and eight Juno Awards. She has also earned nine gold, three platinum, and seven multi-platinum albums.

Krall was born on November 16, 1964, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, the daughter of Adella A. (née Wende), an elementary school teacher, and Stephen James "Jim" Krall, an accountant. Krall's only sibling, Michelle, is a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Krall's father played piano at home and her mother sang in a community choir. Krall began studying piano herself at the age of four, and took exams through The Royal Conservatory of Music. In high school, she was a member of a student jazz group; at 15, she began playing professionally in local restaurants.[8] Krall won a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she studied from 1981 to 1983,[9] before spending time in Los Angeles to play jazz. She returned to Canada to record her first album in 1992.