Hope Newman Kemp is an independent singer, psalmist, and studio passion project maker in the styles of her 60’s heritage: gospel, jazz, and songwriter.  

 

As a teen Hope traveled with The New Directions—a co racial singing group performing in churches of various Christian faith traditions, and also as a warm up act for Andrae Crouch. While in college she was a featured singer for Emanons jazz band.

 

Leaving the music industry to begin family with her non-musician Army husband, Hope wrestled with what it looks like to live a creative life without clear path for artistic expression. During that time she served as worship leader for PWOC-Europe, and music director for Arts Alive Fine Arts Studio. 

 

In 2018, Hope recorded and released the song cycle: “Hoping for Real; songs inspired by The Velveteen Rabbit”. In 2021, she released “Carolina Bluebird Jazz Project” a live studio collaborative recording of songbook standards with a combo of UNC Jazz studies professors. 

 

Hope views herself as an artist standing at the secular/sacred crossroads: an art mind for her church community, and a christian mind for her art community. She has a heart for encouraging women’s voices in the church, and still indulges a love for big band as the female vocalist for Alamance Jazz Band.  She and her husband have 6 perfection grandchildren and live an ordinary life in NC.