Jennifer Grout is a Vermont-based singer-songwriter who grew up in Boston in a family of musicians, playing piano, violin, and singing from a young age. She attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA, and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree from McGill University in Montreal, QC.
Jennifer first became internationally-recognized in 2013 throughout the Arab world for her participation on “Arab’s Got Talent,” where she sang famous songs in Arabic while accompanying herself on the “oud” (an Arabic lute). She also gained recognition in Morocco for performing various Moroccan styles, such as Chaabi, Gnawa, and the music of the renowned Marrakech artist, Hamid Zahir.
She also specializes in Qur'an recitation and made headlines once again in 2020 for imitating the great Sheikh Al-Menshawi and singing Islamic Nasheed.
Jennifer has since then ventured into another realm, composing her own music in which she sings in English about nature, love, and spirituality while accompanying herself on the oud and utilising multiple percussion instruments and a wide variety of rhythms.
Her first single, “Horizon,” describes a far-away, imaginary love by personifying the moon and the sun, and showcases her voice and playing accompanied by a distinct combination of Marrakech-style percussion.
Although Jennifer’s music is heavily influenced by Gnawa, the music of Hamid Zahir, and other North African genres, it still captures the essence of her English-speaking heritage and Western expression, blending the different cultures seamlessly together in the form of an original, yet nostalgic type of sound.
