Karen Jacobsen

“…be prepared to lose your heart to Jacobsen,
or at the very least, leave singing her lovely, melody-driven songs.” New York Press

Her voice may be familiar to you, and she just might be giving you directions in your car all day every day. She is "Australian Karen", the Aussie voice (and one of the most popular) in the Garmin GPS system in millions of cars worldwide.

When Karen Jacobsen walks on stage you know she belongs there. She has the looks of a model, the presence of a superstar, and then you hear her voice - that "never-seen-a-cigarette-in-her-life-voice". Whether she is speaking, singing, hosting an event or a segment on a television show, everything about her commands your attention.

Her songs are catchy, melodic, timeless pop, kind of like Billy Joel would sing if he were a tall, blonde Australian woman.

Now New York based, Karen has shared the stage with Norah Jones, Christopher Cross, Jars of Clay, Three Dog Night, Deborah Cox, Cyndi Lauper, Spyro Gyra and her songs have been heard on Dawson's Creek and NBC.

Karen has performed across the US, Australia, Germany, England, Malaysia and Thailand alone at the grand piano, with a full band and a capella singing the anthem at major sporting events.

She has appeared on network television in the US and Australia as a performer and host, her speaking voice is used in voice systems worldwide, and her latest record "Kissing Someone Else" was released on Kurly Queen in January 2007 with a performance at Joe's Pub in New York City. Kissing Someone Else was named in the Top 25 CDs for 2007 by Indie-Music.com.

Karen's life is all about making a difference and doing it now. The music video for her new single Melting Moments was inspired by her experience in Zambia, Africa performing for 250 children living in extreme poverty, and includes footage of that performance.

She proudly combines her charity work with her music, believing if we focus on our similarities instead of our differences, we will live in a world that works for everyone.

From Australia...

Originally from Mackay, a country town in the tropics near Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Karen performed in her first concert at the age of five and has rarely been off the stage since. At seven, with a longing to have curly hair, she wrote the song "Kurly Queen" which is now the name of her record label. Karen sang the entire soundtrack of Grease into her hairbrush in front of the mirror, learned classical piano and was drawn to musical theatre, the pure pop of Abba and her childhood idol Olivia Newton-John. Winning a local song contest at the age of thirteen, Karen's dream of a career in music felt within reach.

Classically trained in piano and voice and flirting with jazz at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Karen was working as a jingle singer and live performer as often as she was in college classes.

Relocating to Australia's largest city, Sydney, Karen landed a role in the Australian version of the Broadway show Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, singing the Star Spangled Banner 220 times in the six month run. Regular national television appearances followed, including Good Morning Australia, Midday and a twelve-part series of the game show "I Do I Do". Karen's days were busy as a jingle and voice over artist, while she continued to write and play live up to five nights a week.

Although her life was settled and successful, in 2000 Karen was ready to fulfill her long held dream to move to America. She recorded the piano/vocal album "As I Am", sold everything, and arrived in New York City on July 4th, 2000. Karen loves that there are fireworks for her every year on that anniversary.

To New York City...

Karen immediately began performing at The Bitter End, and was soon touring clubs and colleges throughout the U.S.

Making her U.S. Network Television Debut, Karen performed at the Mohegan Sun Arena for the NBC-TV Special Dare to Dream 2002: A Concert for Hope, also featuring Uncle Kracker, Jars of Clay, Dave Mason and Spyro Gyra. Karen co-wrote the theme song, and NBC-TV aired the concert nationally, with Karen closing the star-studded extravaganza, and Access Hollywood describing the song as "Wonderful writing ...simple and clear and from the heart."

Karen's song "Supposed To Say" was used for the worldwide DVD release of the hit-TV series Dawson's Creek, her first US licensing deal.

Her first performance of The Star Spangled Banner on American soil was to a sellout crowd at Fenway Park in Boston. Madison Square Garden, Dodger Stadium and many other major sporting events followed, with a performance for 80 000 people at a New York Jets game at Giants Stadium being a career highlight.

She won the Abe Olman Scholarship for Excellence in Songwriting presented by the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, placed in a zillion song contests, and has appeared on the main stage at LA, Jersey City, Delaware & Ottawa Pride Festivals.

Recording and releas