Karen Grant-Anderson has been singing “Since the womb!” She has also been writing her own lyrics for many years. A New Orleans native, the youngest of six children, Karen was raised by her aunt after her mother died when she was 8. As an adolescent, Karen turned toward her gift of singing and discovered her own identity through music. And through the years the city’s many cultural influences have shaped her as an artist and a person – slowly, yet with perfect timing – she has taken possession of more and more of her music promised land by the exploration of her hometown which is one of the most vibrant cities in the world.

Karen attended the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary from 1995 to 1997 where she was taught and mentored by Dr. Valerie Francis. Dr. Francis suggested that Karen study opera but her passion was jazz. She studied at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond Louisiana in 2009, before moving to Fort Worth, Texas for six years, where she began performing jazz standards at local senior facilities. She is a current full-time Music Industry major and Psychology minor at Dillard University. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she plans to enter graduate school to achieve her Ph.D. in Music Therapy. Karen plans to use her Ph.D. in Music Therapy to aid the senior community with a better quality of life through interactive experiences that are entertaining and therapeutic. Her style of “Jazz Moves and Stark Grooves” is unique, and fun, music that everyone likes, and entertainment that promises to deliver and does! Now Karen performs with her husband, Lee Anderson at various venues. Being a webmaster for Algiers Brass Band, LLC, and IIGold Standards, LLC is another of Karen’s notable accomplishments.

Karen was a student artist participant in Inspiring Health Justice: A Collaborative Art-Science Scholar-in-Residence Program.