Sunny Ozell is a singer and songwriter from the United States who grows up in Reno, Nevada. She begins classical violin training at the age of four using the Suzuki method, later takes up vocal training at 11, and joins the Reno Opera Company at 12 as its only child member. A year later, she starts working with an opera coach.

Early musical development

Ozell comes from a musical household, although her parents do not perform themselves. They treat music education seriously and encourage her early classical study. Alongside violin and voice, she develops an interest in performance that leads her to pursue music as a career.

Education and New York years

At university in Boulder, Colorado, she majors in English Literature and performs in blues bands and soul-funk bands during college. After graduating, she moves to New York, where she performs in clubs and becomes part of the city’s music scene. Her work there mixes jazz, blues and American roots music, and she performs original songs as well as interpretations of material by other blues, soul and country writers. She spends nearly a decade in the city, playing venues including Rockwood Music Hall and The Living Room while writing lyrics and melodies.

Recording career

During her New York period, Ozell begins collaborating with musicians who later form her band. Her debut album, Take It With Me, is released in 2015 and mainly consists of her versions of songs by Howard Jones, Hank Williams, Randy Newman, T Bone Burnett and Tom Waits. The album also includes the original track “Git Gone” as its lead single, written by her studio collaborator and band guitarist Aaron Lee Tasjan.

Influences

Ozell cites Gillian Welch and David Rawlings as influences, especially for their simplicity and lack of pretension. She also names Cassandra Wilson as an important influence, particularly Wilson’s album Blue Light ’til Dawn, and she is also inspired by soul music.

Personal life

Ozell is married to English actor Sir Patrick Stewart. They meet in New York in 2008, when she is working as a waitress at Franny’s restaurant while Stewart performs in Macbeth at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. They marry beside Lake Tahoe in Nevada in 2013, with Ian McKellen officiating the ceremony.