MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Jordyn Davis, born in 1995, is redefining the landscape of contemporary music with her extraordinary talent and groundbreaking achievements. A Detroit native, Davis stands out not only for her musicianship as a bassist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist but also for her trailblazing role as the first African-American woman to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition from Michigan State University. In an unprecedented feat, she became the first student at Michigan State to receive simultaneous degrees in Music Composition and Jazz Studies. After completing a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State, where she served as a graduate teaching assistant under the mentorship of Rodney Whitaker, she relocated to Brooklyn, NY. In 2021, she was named one of two recipients of the inaugural Jazz Leader Fellowship at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. In 2024, she was named one of three inaugural New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship recipients with the American Composers Orchestra.

Davis’s artistry defies categorization, effortlessly traversing genres from Jazz, Folk, Indie Rock, Musical Theater, and Contemporary Classical to music for film and television. Her compositions, which embody a profound sense of empathy & social consciousness, have been featured on PBS’s “Music for Social Justice” and commissioned by prestigious institutions such as the Kennedy Center, the New York Philharmonic, the Juilliard School Preparatory Division, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Michigan State University Bands, and Detroit Chamber Strings. Her impressive roster of collaborators & mentors in the music industry includes luminaries like Micheal Dease, Craig Harris, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Maria Schneider, Jerome Jennings, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lin Manuel-Miranda, John Kander, Jaime Lozano, Shirazette Tinnin, and L Morgan Lee.
Her most personal project is “Composetheway,” a genre-bending chamber ensemble she leads. What began as a solo singer-songwriter endeavor has evolved into a collaborative exploration of performance, composition, and improvisation. Davis’s debut EP, “Connections,” was released independently in 2017, and her ensemble won “Most Inspirational Performance” at the 2019 Social Justice Arts Festival at Michigan State University and earned three nominations at the 2020 WYCE Jammie Music Awards.
Beyond the stage and studio, Davis is deeply committed to education and mentorship. She has inspired countless young musicians through her work with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Girls Rock Detroit, and Science Gallery. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of music, individuality, empowerment, and community. Her dedication to nurturing the next generation of artists is as profound as her contributions to the music industry. With such accomplishments, Jordyn Davis is undoubtedly a name to watch in music.