BIO

Where I come from…

“The proof is in her music,” One wrote of American singer/songwriter Courtney Fortune, “[She] delves into the bitterness of heartbreak with a distinctly nostalgic flair, a smooth homage to timeless jazz greats embellished with Fortune’s distinctive pop fusion.”  Born into a family of visual artists, the Seattle native began cultivating her crossover style at an early age while performing at cabaret clubs and rock venues around town.  She played shows across Japan and the UK, before moving to Los Angeles where she met four-time Grammy nominated producer/arranger Chris Walden. Together they released Courtney’s debut jazz album “Speak Love” in 2009, driven by her original work and those co-written with the celebrated composer.  She also performed as the featured vocalist of the Grammy nominated Chris Walden Big Band.  Then in 2010 she joined forces with internationally acclaimed DJ/producer Alex Nahai to create Two Tribes, an electro synthpop duo that combines innovative style and genre-blending talents.  Two Tribes is currently at work on their debut studio album and their single “Madly” will be featured as an exclusive game on Rock Band 3 for Microsoft XBox Live this year, as well as part of an upcoming Rock Band Relief campaign. Courtney has been recognized by MTV, The John Lennon Foundation, as a Brian Wilson Award honoree and recipient of GLAMOUR Magazine’s “Top Ten College Women of the Year”.

“She is a steady warm presence, and she handles adeptly the balance of grace and appeal to sensuousness that is an earmark of many jazz-vocal greats. That’s quite an accomplishment for a young performer of unquestionable beauty…Courtney has developed a textured, sultry, arrestingly mature torchsinger’s delivery to which experience may eventually lend depth and credence.” -Peter Monaghan, Earshot Jazz Magazine