Kadri Voorand in Duo with Mihkel Mälgand

Jazz

Kadri Voorand

Vocals, Piano
Mihkel Mälgand

Bass

Booking-territory: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg

A NEW CHAPTER

With Songs to Hold You, Kadri Voorand opens a new chapter in her musical career. After years of bold, expansive sounds, she now turns to a sound that thrives on intimacy, warmth and immediate presence.

Together with Mihkel Mälgand – one of Estonia’s leading bassists and her long-time companion – she is bringing this project to European stages as a duo. A new studio album, scheduled for independent release in February 2026, marks the next step in this artistic development.

The album reflects Kadri’s search for a more emotionally charged, freer expression – more open, warmer and at the same time deeply rooted in her Estonian background. New original compositions are juxtaposed with selected cover versions, interpreted through the same prism: simple stories, ‘songs from the heart’ that are carried less by formal structure than by feeling and inner movement.

Voorand uses her voice as a fully-fledged instrument – she shapes melody and rhythm with fine emotional sensitivity and an expressiveness that touches the listener immediately. Each concert thus becomes a shared experience: moving, spontaneous and intense.

biography

“A great voice, that hits people’s body and soul“ London Jazz News

The small Baltic nation of Estonia is internationally renowned for its singing traditions. Though originally a defiant celebration of its own identity in the face of past adversity, it’s also a reflection of a country that’s been looking to the future with a new freewheeling assertiveness.

A boldly unique, roots-based yet forward-thinking approach is exactly what comes to mind when listening to one of the country’s brightest vocal stars, the charismatic singer, composer, pianist and improviser Kadri Voorand. On “In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand” Kadri engages passionately with a wide-screen musical soundscape that encompasses anything from acoustic folk-pop, classical, R&B through to jazz vocal and wordless improv.

Kadri has already received much acclaim in her home country, including recent Estonian Music awards for both Best Female Artist and Jazz Album as well as accolades in a producer role, something that points to her sensibility towards contemporary vocal aesthetics, in particular her subtle use of electronic effects, looping and layering. The new recording highlights all her attributes as a singer songwriter: a vocalist who’s highly expressive, energetic, imaginative, and tonally/rhythmically supple, and a lyricist (all songs are in English aside from two in her native language) with a transparent, mischievously witty and original style.

From a very early age Kadri was singing in her mother’s folk music ensemble and learning classical piano, going on later to study jazz at academies in both Tallinn and Stockholm. But on “In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand”, Kadri never once leans on her formidable technique, though the immaculate quality and virtuosity of her vocal is undeniable. Instead she sustains a delicate balance between resonating with a wide audience and opening up the imagination of her listeners. Her diversity is reflected in her background working with artists such as Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits on his album Mirror, starring in a capella vocal sextet Estonian Voices as well as writing compositions for film, chamber choir and contemporary classical orchestra.

The choice of album title signifies a long, fertile artistic relationship with compatriot and award-winning bassist Mihkel Mälgand – who’s also an arranger and occasional co-writer here – that has seen the duo appear at many International jazz festivals. Kadri’s vocal is one-of-a-kind but listen closely and you hear the influences of experimental Nordic vocalist Sidsel Endresen through to Joni Mitchell as well as the theatrical art-pop of Kate Bush, the latter especially noticeable on ‘What If I Did Kill You’ a song that boasts a humorously acerbic lyric sung alongside homegrown guest singer NOËP. ‘I’m Not In Love’ is a playfully subversive, alternative take on the feeling of being in love, or perhaps not. While an effervescent cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘They Don’t Really Care About Us’ reveals a singer also partial to a bit of earthy, soulful R&B. ‘Like Yoko And John’ embraces pop culture while at the same time showcasing her highly syncopated, infectious scat vocals while the acoustic strains of ‘I Drove A 1,000 Miles’ recall the sublime yearning vocal of the late singersongwriter Jeff Buckley in full flight. ‘I Must Stop Eating Chocolate’ is a droll parody of a retro R&B number while closing ballad ‘I Stopped Time’ follows its own unique path while echoing Joni Mitchell’s phraseology with Mihkel Mälgand’s supportive bass occasionally reminiscent of Jaco Pastorius.

On “In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand” Kadri Voorand gives her all in pursuit of an authentic 21st century vocal art.

review

“It’s almost impossible not to be drawn in by Kadri Voorand’s energy. A long time star in her homeland – now to be discovered everywhere.“ 3sat Kulturzeit

“[…] a very expressive, energetic, imaginative and flexible singer in terms of tone and rhythm, and a lyricist […] with a mischievously witty and original style.” France Inter

“Kadri Voorand is always restlessly flying off into abstract vocal improvisation, or reciting Estonian poetry, or creating an imaginary intercom announcement. Her voice flitting from purist acrobatics to electronics-filtered extremes. All of her vocal perversion is in real-time, as she resourcefully knits a construction of rhythmic repeats, or flicks on a horrific distortion effect, often snapping back into something profoundly unsettling in its depth of contrast. Meanwhile, she’s back at the piano, marrying voice and keys in a completely symbiotic existence.“ All About Jazz

“Kadri Voorand is a first class joyfully rousing entertainer with a great voice, great timing with a group of first class musicians closely tied together and flexibly underpinning her spontaneous asides and excursions” London Jazz News

“She truly is the modern virtuoso comfortable in a whole wide range of material to which she gives huge stage presence and energy (…)” London Jazz News

Original:
„Kadri Voorands Energie kann man sich kaum entziehen. In ihrer Heimat längst ein Star, jetzt auch hier zu entdecken.” 3sat Kulturzeit

“[…] une chanteuse très expressive, énergique, imaginative et souple sur le plan tonal et rythmique, et une parolière […] avec un style malicieusement spirituel et original.” France Inter

press

A boldly unique, roots-based yet forward-thinking approach is exactly what comes to mind when listening to one of the Estland’s brightest vocal stars, the charismatic 33-year-old singer, composer, pianist and improviser Kadri Voorand. On “In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand” Kadri engages passionately with a wide-screen musical soundscape that encompasses anything from acoustic folk-pop, classical, R&B through to jazz vocal and wordless improv.

Kadri has already received much acclaim in her home country, including recent Estonian Music awards for both Best Female Artist and Jazz Album as well as accolades in a producer role, something that points to her sensibility towards contemporary vocal aesthetics, in particular her subtle use of electronic effects, looping and layering. The new recording highlights all her attributes as a singersongwriter: a vocalist who’s highly expressive, energetic, imaginative, and tonally/rhythmically supple, and a lyricist (all songs are in English aside from two in her native language) with a transparent, mischievously witty and original style.

From a very early age Kadri was singing in her mother’s folk music ensemble and learning classical piano, going on later to study jazz at academies in both Tallinn and Stockholm. But on In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand, Kadri never once leans on her formidable technique, though the immaculate quality and virtuosity of her vocals is undeniable. The choice of album title signifies a long, fertile artistic relationship with compatriot and award-winning bassist Mihkel Mälgand – who’s also an arranger and occasional co-writer here – that has seen the duo appear at many International jazz festivals.

On “In Duo with Mihkel Mälgand” Kadri Voorand gives her all in pursuit of an authentic 21st century vocal art.

photos