Brisa Roché

Brisa Roché first earned recognition as a sultry indie songstress while based in France during the early 2000s. Born in California, she received her initial drumming instruction from the neighbor next door, who used a homemade practice pad. She later shifted to guitar and played it constantly while staying in the electricity-free cabin belonging to her mother and stepfather in northern California. At 16 she relocated to Seattle to be near her ailing father, who died shortly after her arrival. She completed high school there by working as a live-in nanny and performed with the Amazing Dimestore. At 18 Roché traveled to Paris and started a roots trio, yet soon returned to the States to enroll at Reed College, where she joined the emo group Bing Ra. Frustrated by the experience, she quit the band and set music aside for a time. Jazz then drew her attention; she studied standards independently and began gigging around town. She soon entered a relationship with a bassist and moved to New Mexico. When that ended she returned to Paris to launch a career as a jazz vocalist. Her local performances attracted industry notice and led to a 2005 signing with Blue Note. The following year her debut full-length, The Chase, appeared as a retro-loungey indie pop album.