Singer Kristiina Valdman, originally from the small island of Hiiumaa in the Western Estonia, began singing already in kindergarten, but she started formal music studies only as an adult. She has since graduated in pop-jazz music from the Viljandi Culture Academy and has also studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland. She is currently continuing her education in the master’s programme at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. What fascinates her in jazz is its sense of feel, its sound world, its variety, and its improvisational mindset. Although she couldn’t define it at the time, her first moment of recognition came at the end of primary school, when she happened to come across the song “Misty.” She intuitively felt that there was something very special about this kind of music.

The singer is currently working toward releasing her debut album, drawing inspiration from jazz classics such as Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Hank Mobley, and Wayne Shorter, as well as from contemporary musicians like Sinne Eeg, Jane Monheit, Gretchen Parlato, and Eliane Elias. Above all, she finds inspiration in the beauty and pain of her own life — in both its artistry and its everydayness.