Louise Balkwill

Louise Balkwill is a London-based jazz vocalist, composer and vocalese writer working at the intersection of classic vocal jazz and original storytelling. Her work celebrates swing, not as nostalgia, but as a living language — conversational, rhythmically assured and grounded in lyric and time. A First Prize winner at Riga Jazz Stage 2022, Balkwill has become a distinctive voice on the European jazz circuit, appearing at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and festivals and clubs across the UK and Europe. She regularly collaborates with leading jazz musicians, including Jonathan Bauer, Rob Barron, Theo Malka-Wishart, and Joshua Walker-Martin, and appears as a deputy vocalist with The Puppini Sisters. Her forthcoming album, Chatterbox (release: 26 February 2026) , features original vocalese, new compositions, and reimagined standards, recorded with a close-knit band and guest Ross Stanley on Hammond organ. Ahead of release, the album has been described as “rather special… a top contender for Vocal Album of the Year” (Bebop Spoken Here) and “unashamedly melodic, swinging and good-humoured” (UK Jazz News). Balkwill’s work is rooted in swing, storytelling, and genuine musical conversation — placing the voice firmly inside the band, not in front of it.