September 25, 2026 - Today, rising vocalist Ekep Nkwelle released her long-awaited debut album Caged Bird, via Mack Avenue Records. Inspired by Maya Angelou's “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” the record details a journey from sorrow to inspiration, representing human suffering and the pursuit of a better future.

Stream CAGED BIRD

Nkwelle also shared her rendition of Abbey Lincoln’s song, “Caged Bird,” stating, “This composition helped me find my voice. I spent ten years studying music in academia and became fixated on the pursuit of perfection. “Caged Bird” snapped me out of this trance and woke me up to the reason why I sing. Growing up in the D.C. area, I was surrounded by successful artists and the opportunity to become one myself. But in the community where my parents were raised, both as Cameroonian immigrants, art was not considered lucrative enough to sustain a livelihood and therefore could only be pursued leisurely. “Caged Bird” reminded me to sing because I must. I sing because, at the age of 62, my mother wrote her first children’s book. I sing because, having passed away at the age of 54, my father never took the chance to play his favorite instrument, the saxophone. I sing because the generation of unrealized and delayed artistic pursuits ends with me. I sing because I was made to, and therefore, I must.”

Speaking about the album’s release, Nkwelle expressed, “Though I intended for my debut to be released in 2023, this album became a three-year process. After receiving my Master’s from Juilliard, I felt ready to share my voice with the world. But one of the greatest gifts we’re given in life is time, and over time, my voice, band, music, and message have grown much stronger, making now feel like a better time than ever to share this album with the world.”

The 27-year-old singer, composer and bandleader has been captivating audiences since she first led worship at age 12, even then honing her ability to transport and inspire. Now with her long-awaited debut album, Caged Bird, Nkwelle is showing the world the sound she's been refining on the road with her dynamic band for years: traditional and vibrant, studied and spontaneous, familiar yet surprising. The resulting nine songs show an artist transcending genre with veteran polish and a totally original perspective.

Nkwelle has quietly become one of the most compelling new voices in jazz today, having performed at the world's most storied stages—such as Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, and North Sea Jazz Festival—and collaborated with legends including Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Russell Malone, and Cyrus Chestnut. All before the age of 27 and without an album of recorded music.

The singer's love of jazz developed while attending D.C.'s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where she received classical vocal training. A performance by her peers of "Sophisticated Lady," though, proved transformative. "Oh man, I think that I really belong in this space," she remembers thinking, dazzled by the big band swing — and less than a decade later, she was fronting the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

At the time, she dove into the music, coming up with reverence for Sarah Vaughan and Natalie Cole as she began taking jazz courses and gigging around the Capitol at bars like Jojo's and Mr. Henry's. Mentored by local jazz legend Davey Yarborough, Nkwelle entrenched herself in the jazz tradition as she was finding her place within the music's next generation. She continued her jazz studies at Howard, allowing her to continue building her live chops locally while studying with pianist Cyrus Chestnut — her mentor to this day. Nkwelle then moved to New York to pursue a master's degree at Juilliard — a shift that put her talent under an entirely new spotlight, opening doors first around the country and, not long after, around the world. With her voice, shaped by years of enchanting audiences across genres, front and center, Nkwelle's opening statement as a recording artist gives that enduring message a vital, new sound.

Caged Bird Tracklist

1. His Eye Is on the Sparrow

2. Caged Bird

3. Night Song

4. Amazon Farewell

5. Good Morning, Heartache

6. Early One Mornin’

7. The Sad Ones

8. The Creator Has A Master Plan

9. See See Rider

Tour Dates

Tue, Oct. 6 - Sat, Oct. 10 - New York, NY - Village Vanguard

Fri, Oct. 16 - Sun, Oct. 18 - New York, NY - Dizzy’s Club

Sun, Nov. 1 - Lausanne, Switzerland - JazzOnze Plus Festival

Sat, Nov. 7 - Cartagena, Spain - Cartagena Jazz Festival

Sun, Nov. 8 - Málaga, Spain - Malaga International Jazz Festival

Tue, Nov. 10 - Madrid, Spain - Madrid International Jazz Festival

Wed, Nov. 11 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bimhuis

Thu, Nov. 12 - Rijkevorsel, Belgium - Concertzaal De Singer

Fri, Nov. 13 - Sat, Nov. 14 Paris, France - Le Duc des Lombards

Sun, Nov. 15 - London, United Kingdom - Ronnie Scott's

Wed, Nov. 18 - Athens, Greece - Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall

Sat, Nov. 21 - Rockport, MA - Shalin Liu Performance Center