Grace Darko’s music serves as a bridge, connecting the vibrancy of African heritage with the pulse of American jazz and soul. As a first-generation African American woman carving out her space in the jazz world, Grace’s voice holds the weight of history, culture, and innovation while honoring the legacies of those who came before her. Her art, like that of so many Black artists, is inherently political. We often struggle to remember our history and let it guide how we move forward, but everything Grace does acts as a callback to what came before. From her roots in poetry to her embrace of diasporic rhythms, Grace’s musical journey is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Grace’s connection to the power of words began long before she ever sang a note. Growing up, she was drawn to poetry and spoken word, reciting poems in elementary school with the kind of conviction that drew the attention of her peers. “I started writing poems from the age of 13,” she recalls, reflecting on how the written word became her first form of self-expression. Influenced by artists like DMX, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill, she started to blend themes of love, loss, and identity into her work, capturing a rawness that would later permeate her music.
This foundation in poetry would eventually become the bedrock of her songwriting. Grace recalls how she and her siblings would transcribe poems downloaded on an iPod, then spend hours learning to recite them. “I remember writing poems like the ones I heard in ‘Def Poetry Jam,’” Grace says, describing how she learned the rhythm of language. “Those poems taught me the power of words to heal and to express what I felt. That foundation in poetry is how I learned the word ‘entrepreneur.’” This early immersion in spoken word poetry not only expanded her vocabulary but taught her how language could be used to evoke emotion and speak to real societal issues, skills that would prove essential when she later began writing songs that blend personal storytelling with social commentary.
Grace’s musical evolution didn’t happen overnight. As a college student, she immersed herself in freestyle cyphers with older students, honing her skills. In high school, Grace expanded her musical palette by taking classical voice lessons, which added a rich texture to her vocal abilities and helped her appreciate the nuances of vocal control. But it wasn’t until a serendipitous moment at a Newport Jazz Festival event, where she was unexpectedly pulled on stage to sing, that Grace realized her true calling. “I wasn’t looking for music; music was looking for me,” she admits with a smile. “It felt like the universe was saying, ‘Now is your time.'”
This pivotal experience pushed her into the world of jazz, a genre that serves as the perfect vessel for her storytelling.
Grace’s music is a fusion of multiple influences — African highlife, American soul, jazz, and gospel — all woven together into a sound uniquely her own. Her parents, both Ghanaian, played a significant role in shaping her musical identity, introducing her to highlife and African gospel music from an early age. But it was during her exploration of jazz that she found an unexpected but profound connection. “Betty Carter has a quote that says ‘jazz ain’t nothin’ but soul’”, she explains. “It’s a way of complaining to the world about your life, through music. You can hear it in Nina Simone and Betty Carter, how they take the simplest note and give it meaning.” But what really sets her apart is how she blends this with her African roots, much like the Ghanaian highlife music her parents played, which she describes as “Afro-rock” in its fusion of African and Western musical elements.
The influences of Afrofuturism and the Sankofa philosophy, both deeply embedded in her Ghanaian upbringing, inform her music and the way she moves through life. “Sankofa is about looking to the past to move forward,” she says. “It’s about remembering and honoring your roots, knowing that understanding your history is key to forging your future.”
Grace’s 2019 trip to Ghana was an eye-opening experience that cemented her understanding of the African diaspora and its connection to her sound. “Ghana isn’t perfect, but it’s home,” she shares. “Being there made me realize that the African American experience isn’t just about being ‘Black,’ it’s about carrying the memory of the past and integrating it into the future.”
Breaking into the jazz scene as a first-generation African American woman was not without its challenges. For Grace, being a jazz vocalist wasn’t something she had initially planned on. She was more interested in securing a “regular” job after college. But her unexpected journey into music sparked a deep sense of purpose. “Finding visibility as a woman in jazz has been a journey,” she admits. “There are so few young people in jazz, especially women of color. It’s important to be visible, to represent a new wave of artists who are making sure our culture continues to evolve.”
For Grace, mentorship and community were key to navigating this journey. Her professors and fellow musicians of color helped her understand that, in this space, visibility was not just about self-expression, but about creating a legacy for future generations. “My parents always told me, ‘When you don’t have anyone else, you always have us.’ That sense of community and collective responsibility has been vital in shaping who I am as an artist.”
Grace’s live performances are a celebration of African diasporic memory, blending rhythm, voice, and history into each set. “Every time I step on stage, I’m thinking about the legacy of those who came before me,” she says. “But I also think about my parents, and the music they played in our home. That’s the foundation of my sound.”
Performing across RI and elsewhere has allowed Grace to build a sense of community around her music. At intimate local venues and larger festivals, Grace’s voice invites you into a shared experience of healing, remembering, and moving forward. “Music has always been a way to connect people,” she says. “It’s about creating spaces where people can come together, feel seen, and understand each other in new ways.”
Grace dreams of securing a residency, a space where she can develop her music in a more intimate, sustained way. “Having a residency would allow me to tell stories, not just through songs, but through the space I create with my music.”
On stage or in the studio, Grace Darko brings a deep sense of history, purpose, and cultural pride to everything she does. In every note she sings, in every word she writes, she continues to honor the memory of the African diaspora, the soul of jazz, and the power of story.
Catch Darko live at 195 District Park in PVD on Thursday, August 7 from 6 – 8pm and at The Parlour in PVD on Sunday, August 24 from 5 – 7pm.