Fay Victor, a Trinidadian and Tobago native, was raised in Wheatley Heights on Long Island. She considered becoming a jazz singer more as a result a personal tragedy than anything else. While studying International Relations at Syracuse University in the 1980’s, Fay Victor lost her mother and dropped out of school. Friends had told her that she had a great voice and she wanted to try singing. Victor studied music theory and piano at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Victor also took 2 year private voice lessons and attended a vocal workshop at Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Music Center. Victor began her jazz career by performing in clubs and concerts throughout the New York metropolitan area. In 1991, Victor moved to Japan for a three-month stint. Victor’s Japanese experience was her turning point and she decided to pursue jazz singing as a profession. Victor worked with Walter Booker, Don Braden, Bernard Purdie, and Walter Booker at jazz venues in New York such as Birdland’s and The Village Gate. Victor, who had worked in Europe before, moved to Europe in 1996 in order to benefit from the more performing opportunities for jazz musicians on the continent. She was a featured singer on Robert Veen’s Aces of Swing in Holland and appeared at festivals and concerts in the Netherlands, Russia, Austria, Spain, and Belgium. Victor credits Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan as important influences. Sonny Rollins and Miles Davis were some of her major influences. John Coltrane was also a key to her vocal development. In My Own Room, Victor’s first album on Timeless Records, was released in April 1999. It is a feast of songs and showcases Victor’s vocal talent. She can bend the lyrics, sing ballads, and swings. She can deliver strong, sophisticated, or smokey depending on the situation and the musical image she is trying to paint. Fay Victor is a key player in jazz vocal music. Allmusic
