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Megumi Habuka

Professional singer and songwriter based in New York.

About Me

Acclaimed New York-based jazz vocalist, composer and arranger Megumi Habuka’s outstanding abilities as a soloist and improviser have led her to become an in-demand vocalist on the East Coast and in Japan.

Born in Saitama, Japan into an artist family, Megumi began studying vocal and piano as a young child, giving her first performance when she was 5 years old. Since her older brother was familiar with Jazz and UK Rock, there were many records such as Beatles, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Nina Simone at her home; it was natural for her to sing those songs at the early age. However, she was interested in becoming an architect since her father is a world- famous architect; at age 18 she enlisted in an architecture school in Japan.

In her early years as a student, Megumi visited New York, discovered Jazz and was impressed by the real music scene in New York City. That experience inspired her to become a professional musician. Soon after returning to Japan, Megumi started to work at a Jazz Club in Tokyo, quickly became noticed and began performing with famous musicians such as Katsumi Tani, Kenji Kousei, and Nobuo Fujii every weekend; during this time she learned Jazz theory, idioms, and skills.

Her passion for jazz music brought her back to the US - Megumi decided to enter Berklee College of Music in 2007. During this time she studied and performed with famous musicians such as Walter Beasley, Dennis Montgomery III, Richard Smallwood, Anne Peckham, and Diane Richardson. After graduating Berklee in 2011, Megumi moved to New York, continued performing and began working on her first EP entitled ”Perfect” which will be released in September 2012.

Ms. Habuka is an active performer whose roster includes top music venues in New York City such as Tomi Jazz, Shrine Harlem, and ShapeShifter Lab. Currently she is working on the promotion of her EP, which will entail national and international touring in collaboration with several renowned New York City artists, including Simon C.F Yu, Keita Ogawa, Manami Morita, Evan Marien, and Bob Edinger.

Contact Me

My Jazz Story

I am professional singer/composer/arranger based in New York. I sing both Japanese/English. I speak Japanese and English. I went to Berklee College of Music. I love singing whatever it comes up in my head. I love to play bass. I love my friends and family. I love chocolate. That's me!

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