ABOUT THANA
Surprising is the word that perhaps best describes Grammy® nominated vocalist, composer, producer, and jazz festival director, Thana Alexa. An extraordinarily creative force, her 2x Grammy® nominated album ONA (self-release, 2020) was inspired by the cross-generational and cross-cultural stories of the immigrant women in her family and evolved into an exploration of the experiences of contemporary women everywhere. Her music pushes the boundaries of genre with deep seeded roots in jazz and overtones of alternative world music and electronic soundscapes, placing importance on social activism, mental health awareness & uplifting female voices.
“Thana isn’t afraid to take risks. Her vocal performances are powerful, vulnerable, joyful, spiritual and genuine. Her use of rhythm, textures and intricate harmonies is unique and at times, complex. Sometimes you think you know where she is going, then she SURPRISES you.”
In January 2025, Alexa was one of 49 artists – of almost six thousand applicants – awarded the prestigious Creative Capital Award for her subsequent project, RESONANCE (set to premiere in 2027) – a song cycle that will explore how music and sound frequencies can trigger physiological and molecular reactions in the body and affect mental health.
On Alexa’s forthcoming album of duos (set for release in 2026) she reimagines songs from The Beatles and Björk to Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder alongside a tour de force of artists like Bill Frisell, John Patitucci, Joel Ross, Antonio Sánchez, Ben Wendel and Max ZT. Alexa uses the full sonic palette of her voice as an arranging tool. Every sound beyond each special guest’s instrument—beatbox and rhythmic layers, bass lines, harmonic beds, ambient textures, even nature-inspired sounds—is created exclusively with her voice, used like a synthesizer to shift color, texture, and tone to build a dense, textured world that gives these iconic songs an entirely new sonic identity.
In 2023, Alexa co-founded and became the artistic director of the Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival in Croatia, which stands as a beacon for the elevation of young professional musicians, a creative haven for internationally touring performing artists, and introduces Croatian audiences to new and innovative music that is pushing boundaries musically and socio-politically.
“...a jazz singer with a global perspective...”
One of Alexa’s most important collaborations has been with her husband, four-time Grammy® winning drummer, Antonio Sánchez (composer for the Oscar winning Birdman film and drummer with Pat Metheny for 20 years). Together they have recorded nine albums between Alexa’s projects and Sánchez’s groups Migration and Bad Hombre, and most recently were commission by University of California Northridge to write Existencia, a piece written for voice, drums and physical movement, premiered in 2024 together with LA based dance company DIAVOLO: Architecture In Motion, which unpacks the impacts of natural disaster, devastation, human resilience, and community rebuilding.
In 2022, Alexa, together with Grammy® winning artist, Nicole Zuraitis and first-call bassist, Julia Adamy formed SONICA, a dynamic trio that incorporates intricate vocal harmonies, electronics, vocal loops, percussion, electric bass, and keyboards over a blend of original music and modern arrangements. The trio’s self-titled debut album – fully engineered, produced and mixed by Alexa – was released via Outside In Music. Alexa also created the project Founding Mothers of Jazz in conjunction with MusicTalks Concerts to honor the history of women in jazz, many of whom are not recognized for their contributions because of their gender.
“Thana Alexa’s ONA is an exquisite work embodying boundless creativity and genre that stretches to every corner of the Earth, and the imagination. ONA is a story of strength, authenticity, and the deeply grounding nature of the divine feminine”
During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, Alexa made headlines together with vocalist Sirintip and saxophonist Owen Broder as co-founders of what Rolling Stone called the first “virtual jazz festival” and fundraising initiative of the pandemic, Live From Our Living Rooms, which contracted over 120 artists, raised over $140,000, and helped facilitate grants to over 100 US based musicians in need. Live From Our Living Rooms received attention from Rolling Stone, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the BBC, and more.
“Thana Alexa stood out...something entirely new, evocative and exhilarating.”