A vocal hero
Halie Loren returns to Lincoln City
Photo by Sally Sheldon
The way Lincoln City audiences respond to Halie Loren might lead you to assume she is a local girl made good.
But Loren, performing at the Lincoln City Cultural Center this Saturday, Aug. 31, grew up in Alaska.
“I have been performing on the Central Coast since I was about 14 years old,” she said. “I grew up on the coast in Alaska so when I moved south, I always sought out ways to visit the coast here. I really found a home for my jazz music in Lincoln City and people that were just so enthusiastic and it’s drawn me back again and again over the years. I’m so grateful that the audience has grown over the years and that I also still have fans here that have basically watched my career grow.”
The internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter will perform an evening of genre-crossing music ranging from originals to iconic standards, including original songs in celebration of her new album "Dreams Lost and Found."
“I describe my music as jazz-pop with world music flair,” Loren said. “It does have a lot of influences included in the tapestry of it all. It’s a blend of originals and songs that I love, folk-blues, classic pop, world music, and it all converges into one palette that can have a specific mood.”
Her band includes long-time collaborators pianist Matt Treder, bassist Rob Kohler and drummer Charlie Doggett, playing songs like "Dance Me to the End of Love," "It Might as Well Be Spring," "Sabor a Mi" and many other beloved audience favorites from her new album and past releases.
The concert will take place in the cozy 150-seat auditorium, with Northwest beers and wines, soft drinks and freshly baked cookies available for purchase.
Loren’s musical blend across her 11 albums to date has earned several national and international awards in multiple genres as well as significant critical and chart success along the way, with her albums consistently reaching #1 on the Billboard Japan, iTunes in Canada and Japan and Amazon jazz charts.
A songwriter since her early teens, Loren began garnering international acclaim as a recording artist when her debut jazz album, “They Oughta Write a Song” was named the Best Vocal Jazz Album of the year at the 2009 JPF Independent Music Awards. She was subsequently signed for distribution in Asia by JVC/Victor Entertainment and in North America with Canada-based jazz label Justin Time Records.
Loren's accolades in more recent years include an Independent Music Award for her original song “Thirsty” in 2011; a Best Vocal Jazz Album 2012 award in Japan’s Jazz Critique Magazine for her album “Heart First,” which also reached #1 on Canada’s iTunes Jazz chart; and a total of four Billboard #1 albums on Japan’s jazz charts since 2013. Her video for “Noah,” the second single from her 2018 release “From the Wild Sky” won an Emmy in 2019 for Best Music Video as presented by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Southeast Chapter.
“The Lincoln City show is not just a show, but it’s also a celebration of my new album which is my first in six years,” Loren said. “It’s a new piece of art that has been released into the world.”
Along with recording and songwriting successes, Loren has performed on four continents thus far, including tours across the US, Canada, France, the UK, Japan, Italy, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt and Haiti. Her concerts range from intimate clubs to grand halls to festivals, from solo to classic jazz trio to lush orchestral collaborations.
Her latest record has been hailed by many of her fans as her best work yet, showing an artist who is only growing in depth of musical sensibility and vocal expressiveness over time.
“My new album harkens back to my jazz routes,” Loren said. “The reason I first started doing jazz was because my audience on the coast kept asking me to. That changed the trajectory of my career and for that I am so grateful.”
Showtime is 7 pm at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, located at 540 NE Hwy. 101. Tickets, $20-$35, are available at lincolncity-culturalcenter.org or by calling 541-994-9994.