Gergana Velinova Interview | Free, New 2026 Jazz Album, Motherhood & Musical Transformation

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with award-winning Bulgaria-based jazz vocalist, poet, composer, and educator Gergana Velinova. In this episode, we dive into her remarkable musical journey and her powerful new 2026 album, Free.Now her seventh album, Free is a deeply personal project shaped by motherhood, resilience, transformation, and the search for freedom through music. Gergana blends contemporary jazz with bossa nova, blues, Brazilian music, and lyrical ballads, creating an intimate and soulful listening experience that invites the listener into her world.Gergana believes that a song truly begins its life when it quietly finds its way into someone's world and becomes part of their own story. That philosophy is at the heart of her music and helps explain the emotional depth and warmth found throughout Free.A Bulgarian-Canadian creative force, Gergana is recognized for her luminous voice and soulful fusion of contemporary jazz, pop, and Brazilian influences. Beyond her work as a performer and composer, she is also an accomplished music educator and founder of an award-winning Bulgarian children's school, extending her passion for music to the next generation.In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore jazz, motherhood, creativity, resilience, transformation, songwriting, poetry, Brazilian music, bossa nova, music education, and the journey behind Free.This is a beautiful story about an artist embracing change, finding strength through life's experiences, and allowing music to become a vehicle for connection and freedom.Get the Album & Learn Morehttps://www.gerganavelinova.com/For More Neon Jazz: Shows via MixCloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/neonjazzkc/Subscribe via Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/neonjazzkcSubscribe via iTunes/Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/famous-interviews-joe-dimino/id546432639?mt=2The Home of Neon Jazz: http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com/Contribute to Neon Jazz via PayPal:                     https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ER   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.