Who Is Sweet Baby J’ai?

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A powerhouse producer. A genre-defying vocalist. A poet, educator, and cultural force. Sweet Baby J’ai has been a defining presence in the Palm Springs arts scene for decades—bringing music, movement, and meaning to stages both grand and grassroots. Her voice echoes through generations of innovation: from the trailblazing Dinah Weekend stages of the ’90s, to international jazz festivals where she’s represented the U.S. as a jazz ambassador, to local school auditoriums where students are picking up their very first instruments—because she made sure they had access.

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She’s the founder of the Sunset Music & Comedy Festival and the CEO & Executive Artistic Director of the Sunset Music & Education Foundation (SMEF)—a nonprofit rooted in the belief that music transforms lives. Under her leadership, SMEF presents world-class concerts while placing instruments directly into students’ hands, mentoring youth, and creating real access for underrepresented voices. Sweet Baby J’ai doesn’t just curate events—she curates movements. She co-founded the iconic Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival to uplift women in jazz, and continues to build cultural sanctuaries through Sunset where queer artists, BIPOC musicians, women, youth, and elders all take center stage. Equity is the rhythm she moves to.

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She’s also a published author (Sing Your Life: A Step-by-Step Guide to Turning Your Voice into Income is out now), the bold host of Period Dot! with Sweet Baby J’ai on the United America Network, and currently crafting both a new album and a daring, intimate book of poetry that speaks from the marrow of her lived experience. And if that’s not enough—she’s producing concerts and festivals year-round that keep the rhythm of community alive from the desert to the global stage.

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A wife. A mother. A grandmother. A cancer survivor. An activist. An unshakable force for joy and justice. Sweet Baby J’ai is living proof that artistry and advocacy not only coexist—they dance in full harmony. She’s a one-woman movement, leading with soul, fire, and a deep love for her community.

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Her work has been recognized with honors such as the HRC Advocate for Equality Award, Living Jazz Legend Honoree, California Jazz & Blues Museum Hall of Fame Inductee, Brothers of the Desert Legacy Award, L-Fund Visionary Award, and the Democratic Women of the Desert Excellence in Music & the Arts Award, to name a few. These accolades reflect not only her impact on stage, but her unwavering commitment to justice, joy, and the power of creative expression to heal and unite.