Monica Marquis is an indie neo-soul singer, keyboardist, and songwriter based in San Jose, CA. She performs her original music at Bay Area venues and events, and sells CDs to fans internationally. For her whole life, Monica has lived and breathed music, even as a child when her father took her to see local live jazz shows, and her mother took her to the symphony.

Monica took classical piano lessons from age 7-21, however she always loved singing, even as a young child, and did both (played piano and sang) while in high school, where she’d sing her favorite rock tunes for friends in the band room or at parties. At age 19, she frequently sang at a jazz jam at a hotel lounge/bar in Mountain View, and later began singing and playing in coffee houses in the area while attending college at San Jose State University. While there, she majored in Improvised Music of World Cultures. Her voice became her main instrument while in college, because her chosen major was far from her classical piano upbringing, and her jazz piano chops weren’t as advanced as her vocal ability. However, while studying world music, she also took an interest in learning Afro-Brazilian percussion, Afro-Cuban percussion, and W. African drumming. She even taught herself to play steel-pan (aka “steel drum”) and was a featured soloist both vocally and on steel pan in various world music ensembles.

During college and in the years since, Monica has been gigging professionally with jazz groups in venues and events throughout the bay area, but particularly in the San Jose jazz scene.

In 2004, she made the jump from jazz singer, to neo-soul songwriter and brought her keyboard back into her shows as she cut her first all-original cd titled “This is Me”. This was an impressive debut album of 12 solid original songs which she wrote and arranged herself, and she brought in her pick of top-notch musician friends who she had performed with for the past decade. She also co-produced the album along side longtime friend, bay area producer Adam Rossi (producer and keyboardist of KFOG-famed bay area band Luce).