Formerly known as Valerie Geason, Monroe has established an impressive musical legacy over the past decades. A relative of the illustrious Clayton jazz family—bassist John, the late saxophonist and flutist Jeff, pianist Gerald—Monroe was inspired early on by Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson, and Nina Simone. She got her first big break as a Raelette—a backing singer for The Genius himself, Ray Charles.

“Every show was magical, and I took it all in,” the native Texan says of those two international tours, in 1990 and 1991. “I still have my scrapbook!”

Monroe eventually settled into her day job as an academic counselor at a high school. But music never left her blood. The alto-contralto kept her creative fires burning—whether on the theater stage (Ain’t Misbehavin’, Chicago) or the NBA stage; she sang the national anthem at numerous Lakers, Clippers and Spurs games. In 2018, she made inspired appearances on cousin Jeff’s 2018’s Listen Through the Looking Glass.

All these experiences forged who she is, and what she wants her music to impart. “I love adult, sultry, smooth kinds of music,” she says, describing her niche. “I like music that can be playful, happy, thoughtful, and emotionally invoked—and jazz allows me the space and freedom to create music that speaks to me. I’m able to be simply me”.