She’s Not Shiny She’s Not Smooth
Vanisha Gould is a vocalist, composer, and bandleader whose music bridges vulnerability and strength. After earning her degree from Berklee College of Music, she moved from California to New York City in 2015 and quickly became a vital voice in the city’s jazz community, performing at Smalls Jazz Club, Ornithology, Mezzrow, The Jazz Gallery, Minton’s Playhouse, and Dizzy’s Club.
Gould’s artistry has also reached audiences around the world. She has toured internationally throughout Europe and Russia, performing in Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and across the Nordic regions, bringing her intimate, story-driven sound to festivals, clubs, and house-concert stages overseas.
Her albums In Her Words (2021), Life’s a Gig (2024), and She’s Not Shiny, She’s Not Smooth (2024) illuminate the interior world of women in jazz, exploring resilience, humor, and truth through story and sound.
In 2023, Gould received The Jazz Gallery Composition Residency Commission, expanding her vision toward multi-movement works that integrate text, voice, and visual storytelling. Her music honors jazz tradition while pushing it forward with intimacy, imagination, and depth.
PRESS
“Gould would make the pantheon of legendary singers smile — crystal clear, concise, not a syllable wasted and a tone dripping with humor, knowledge and pathos.” — DownBeat
“A major talent who combines a blues cry with a storyteller’s point of view.” — NPR’s Nate Chinen
“Knows how to make the most of her plush contralto… she delivers each piece with a sturdy concept and keen emotional intelligence.” — JazzTimes