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3rd Person (short)

Kelsea Armstrong is a professional jazz vocalist and working-class artist based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

She has years of experience performing jazz at prestigious local venues like Blue Note Hawaii, The Atherton Performing Arts Studio at Hawaiʻi Public Radio, and the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum’s Capitol Modern.

You may recognize her as the premier vocalist for Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning Honolulu Jazz Quartet, playing with her own live bands at self-produced events around Honolulu’s Chinatown, toasting sessions at the city’s underground rub-a-dub parties, or from her frequent solo gigs in acoustic settings at local bars and galleries.

Her new presence on the digital scene has developed with recent studio collaborations including Royce Fisherman’s fish out of water EP and Nick Kurosawa + Ohtoro’s Univibes. Her growing devotion for music culture manifests through the sharing of her vinyl collection though occasional DJ sets in town, and her Internet radio project--Breeze Block Radio.

3rd Person (long)

Kelsea Armstrong is a professional jazz vocalist and working-class artist based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. She has years of experience performing jazz at prestigious local venues like Blue Note Hawaii, The Atherton Performing Arts Studio at Hawaiʻi Public Radio, and the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum’s Capitol Modern.

She is known for her work as the premier vocalist for Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning Honolulu Jazz Quartet, playing with her own live bands at self-produced events around Honolulu’s Chinatown, toasting sessions at the city’s underground rub-a-dub parties, and from her frequent solo gigs in acoustic settings at local bars and galleries.

Her new presence on the digital scene has developed with recent studio collaborations including Royce Fisherman’s fish out of water EP and Nick Kurosawa + Ohtoro’s Univibes. Her growing devotion for music culture manifests through the sharing of her vinyl collection though occasional DJ sets in town, and her Internet radio project--Breeze Block Radio. Kelsea Armstrong is a cardholder of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 677, Musician’s Association of Hawaiʻi.

Kelsea Armstrong is originally from Long Beach, California. She grew up particularly influenced by the LBC funk and retro scenes from watching her father, bassist Steve Armstrong, play live music at shows with his band, OO Soul. Armstrong relocated to Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi where she attended Kapaʻa High School.

Armstrong did not begin to explore music professionally until early adulthood. She studied political science and performed as the female jazz vocalist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa jazz ensemble for several years—eventually earning a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi. During these years in college, she would to pick up gigs through the jazz program and began her career by singing with big bands at local clubs. Eventually, she would sing with smaller combo groups and branch out to other styles of music while maintaining a stark focus on jazz vocals.

During the 2020 pandemic, Armstrong worked as an on-air music host at the University of Hawaiʻi’s college radio station, KTUH where she hosted a weekly funk/jazz show called Double-Barreled Soul. Here, she established her presence as a musician and selector outside of the world of jazz and into the greater Honolulu art scene. In the following years, Armstrong produced live events at local bars and venues in downtown Honolulu. This ranged from sapphic speakeasy nights with a jazz quartet to Halloween punk shows mixed with spooky roots riddims.

She became a regular emcee at rub-a-dub parties produced by the selectors of Father Pslams Studios. Here, she developed a deeper relationship with reggae music in all styles and formats through the art of toasting over dub riddims at live events. From linking with Miss Lulú of Mundo Reggae Radio, they worked with other artists and birthed a coalition of women in reggae music, Pretty Gyal Posse.

Quick Caption

Kelsea Armstrong: Jazz vocalist, recording artist, songwriter, live event producer, & DJ.

ig: @kelseaarmstrong

3rd Person (alt.)

Kelsea Armstrong is a jazz vocalist and songwriter from Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi whose expressive voice and improvisational approach have made her a respected presence in Honolulu’s live music community. As the daughter of a musician, Armstrong developed her love for singing early and grew into a performer deeply rooted in jazz traditions.

Known for her intimate and soulful performances, she regularly appears in solo and acoustic settings at bars, galleries, and cultural venues across Honolulu, collaborating with many of the island’s most accomplished jazz musicians. Her performances have also reached larger stages, including shows at Blue Note Hawaii, one of Hawaiʻi’s premier venues for jazz and live music, while growing her devotion for music culture by sharing her vinyl collection though occasional DJ sets in town.

1st Person (short)

Aloha mai kākou! My name is Kelsea Armstrong. I am a professional jazz vocalist and working-class artist based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

My performance experience as a jazz singer has taken me to the stages of prestigious local venues like Blue Note Hawaii, The Atherton Performing Arts Studio at Hawaiʻi Public Radio, and the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum’s Capitol Modern. You may recognize me as the premier vocalist for Nā Hōkū Hanohano award-winning Honolulu Jazz Quartet, my self-produced live band events around Honolulu’s Chinatown, toasting sessions at the city’s underground rub-a-dub parties, or from my solo gigs in acoustic settings at local bars and galleries.

I have just started to develop my presence on the digital scene through recent studio collaborations including Royce Fisherman’s fish out of water EP and Nick Kurosawa + Ohtoro’s Univibes. With more full-length recording projects on the way, I hope to expand that presence both materially and digitally with the digital publication and wax pressings of my original work.

When I’m not singing, I love sharing my vinyl collection though occasional DJ sets in town, and my Internet radio project--Breeze Block Radio.

I am a proud cardholder of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 677, Musician’s Association of Hawaiʻi.