Kara Jackson

Kara Jackson
Born1999 (age 26–27)
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • poet
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • banjo
  • piano
Years active2019–present

Kara Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, musician, essayist and poet. She was the third U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate from 2019 and 2020.

In 2019, Jackson released her debut EP, A Song for Every Chamber of the Heart, which was followed by her debut studio album, Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?, in 2023. The album was released to widespread critical acclaim and appeared on several 'albums of the year' lists from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and The Guardian, amongst others.

Career

Kara Jackson is from Oak Park, Illinois and attended Oak Park River Forest High School, where she participated in spoken word. Jackson also participated in a jazz ensemble at Merit School of Music, and was the Youth Poet Laureate of Chicago in 2018. She performed at the Louder Than a Bomb 2018 finals and was selected by Patricia Smith for the Literary Award. In 2019, she was named the United States National Youth Poet Laureate after submitting an essay on poetry and democracy. In the same year, she published a chapbook of poetry, Bloodstone Cowboy. She studied English at Smith College, graduating in 2023. Her work has appeared in Poetry, Frontier Poetry, Rookie Mag, Nimrod Literary Journal, The Lily, and Saint Heron.

Jackson also made her musical debut in 2019 with the release of her EP, A Song for Every Chamber of the Heart. Her first full-length album, Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? was released in 2023 to much acclaim, being named Best New Music by Pitchfork. Jackson provided vocals, guitar, banjo, and piano on the album, and collaborated with musicians Kaina, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, and Sen Morimoto on lyrics and production. The album was dedicated to, and inspired by, Jackson's friend Maya-Gabrielle Gary, who died from cancer in 2016. Jackson has listed Joanna Newsom, Joni Mitchell, Megan Thee Stallion, Joan Baez, Jim Croce, and Ella Fitzgerald as musical inspirations. In 2023, she also opened for Corinne Bailey Rae's Black Rainbows tour, and appeared on Kevin Abstract's Blanket.

On January 15, 2026, she was featured on "Orange County", a track on virtual rock band Gorillaz' ninth studio album, The Mountain. On May 19 of the same year, she was featured in lead single of the companion album to the film Is God Is.

Publications

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

References

  1. ↑ Daston, Char (2019-04-15). "Meet National Youth Poet Laureate Kara Jackson Of Oak Park". WBEZ Chicago. Archived from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  2. ↑ Mullen, Caitlin (2022-02-14). "Shout Out: Kara Jackson, 19, National Youth Poet Laureate - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2023-12-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. 1 2 Treacy, Christopher (2023-04-17). "Kara Jackson Uses Rage, Channels Brandy, Ponders the Human Predicament on Astonishing New LP • Country Queer". Country Queer. Archived from the original on 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  4. 1 2 Dybal, Michelle (2019-05-14). "OPRF grad is the new U.S. Youth Poet Laureate". Oak Park. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  5. 1 2 "2019 National Youth Poet Laureate Kara Jackson to Present at Eureka College". Eureka College. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  6. ↑ Holmes, Anne (2019-06-27). ""The Youth Laureate Letters": Meet Kara Jackson, 2019 National Youth Poet Laureate | From the Catbird Seat". The Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  7. ↑ "Kara Jackson". The Poetry Society. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  8. ↑ "Kara Jackson". 23 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  9. ↑ https://www.pbs.org  › newshour › brief › 405615 › kara-jackson
  10. ↑ Weinfield, Madeline (November 21, 2019). "Kara Jackson Is The Multi-hyphenate College Student Changing How We Look At Poetry". Bustle. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  11. 1 2 Abdurraqib, Hanif (2023-04-18). "Kara Jackson's Plaintive, Playful Folk Songs". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  12. ↑ Apantaku, Erisa (2019-04-02). "Weapons Out of Words". South Side Weekly. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  13. 1 2 Petty, Olivia (May 15, 2023). "Kara Jackson's Debut Album: A Stirring Reflection on Love and Loss". The Sophian. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  14. ↑ "Smith College One Hundred & Forty-Fifth Commencement" (PDF). Smith College. May 21, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Kara Jackson". Oak Park and River Forest High School. Archived from the original on 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  16. ↑ Retta, Mary (April 17, 2023). "Kara Jackson: Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  17. ↑ Rodi, Robert (2023-06-09). "Harrowing Intimacy: A Review of Kara Jackson's "Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?"". New City Music. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  18. 1 2 3 Walker, Sophie Leigh (December 4, 2023). "Kara Jackson: "Folk music is the music of the regular person. That's who I want to represent."". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  19. ↑ Lamitschka, Christian (2023-01-20). "Kara Jackson Interview". Country Music News International. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  20. ↑ Ismail, Zahra (2023-10-27). "Corinne Bailey Rae Floats Atop Black Rainbows". RadioUTD. Archived from the original on 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  21. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (2026-05-19). "Moses Sumney Releasing Debut Film Soundtrack". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  22. ↑ "About Kara Jackson | Academy of American Poets". Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  23. ↑ "General 1".[permanent dead link]