Nashon Holloway

With a name meaning oracle, Nashon Holloway was born to sing healing. National Public Radio has described the Kalamazoo-born, Chicago-rooted vocalist as possessing a sound that is “crisp and colorful,” and her soulful, jazz-inflected guitar playing reflects her lived manifesto: harmony is a lifestyle.

Nashon’s performance career spans stages across the world. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with David Foster and performed alongside artists such as Tank and the Bangas, Kelly Rowland, Drake, Bobby McFerrin, Uniting Voices Chicago, Jennifer Hudson, Hans Zimmer, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, LiV Warfield of Prince’s New Power Generation, opera baritone Paulo Szot, and celebrated composer Nobuo Uematsu. Most recently, she toured internationally as a featured vocalist with American Idol winner Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken.

As a solo artist, Nashon tours globally performing her original music as well as reimagined works of artists such as Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Emily King, and Lianne La Havas. She is currently featured in exhibition at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and has composed for independent films including Chasing After You. Her newest commercial release is forthcoming in summer of 2026.

A composer across genres, Nashon has written original works for symphony orchestra and has recorded with Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden, famed for penning Whitney Houston’s early chart-topping hits. Yet even with musical lineage and mentorship rooted in Motown and jazz, her vision extends beyond the stage.

A visual artist and educator, Nashon describes herself as a “daughter of griots,” honoring the West African lineage of poets, musicians, and storytellers who carry history through creative expression. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in poetry, philosophy, and vocal jazz from Western Michigan University, where she studied under Dr. Steve Zegree and Dr. Duane Davis. Her interdisciplinary approach weaves sound, visual elements, and ritual into immersive healing experiences.

Nashon is a mentor with The Light, a Collaboraction program, and Guitars Over Guns, supporting young artists in Chicago with resources, guidance, and community-building for creative social change.

After serving as Vice Chair of Arts & Ancestry at The Institute of Public Scholarship, Nashon stepped into what she considers her life’s calling: her role as an Arts Community Health Worker with Healing Arts Chicago. This intergovernmental initiative—partnering DCASE, the Chicago Department of Public Health, City Colleges of Chicago, and the City of Chicago—strengthens the bridge between the arts, public health, and community wellness. In this role, she is committed to facilitating trauma-informed creative and healing experiences through sound.

Alongside her community health work, Nashon continues to compose and perform full-time, carrying forward the tradition of artistic lineage, care, and cultural memory in every space she enters.