Brenna Whitaker uses the word cinematic to describe her music. The Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist says, “I hope people feel something when they hear my voice.” And they have—people have been feeling the force of Whitaker voice since she was 11, when she landed her first professional theater gig. Whitaker lived in New York City to study with Broadway actors as a teenager, then led jazz bands in Missouri in her early 20s before moving to Los Angeles to catch the ear of Verve Music Group chairman and 16-time Grammy Award-winner David Foster. (She’s actually the first new artist Foster has agreed to produce since discovering Michael Bublé!)

On her self-titled debut, which came out on Verve a few weeks ago, Whitaker revived jazz classics to showcase her golden range. She talks to Myspace about relating to Kermit the Frog, why growing up in Kansas helped her as a creative and what’s in store for 2016.

Hometown: Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri sides (they are smashed together) in the middle of the country.

Homebase: A 100-year-old cabin in Pasadena with my two black labs, Louie and Pearl.

You just released your debut full-length album. As an artist, what did you want to say about yourself with it?

I wanted my first album to capture that I'm a "good ole fashioned singer" in 2015 working with one of the finest vocal producers in the world, David Foster. I hope people hear how versatile I am and accept me in all genres as just a really great singer.

What were your creative inspirations? And why did you choose to self-title it?

It's been about 20 years of me not giving up and it's my first real album ever, so we all felt it was a good way to start my recording career off as simple as my name.

When did you realize you had pipes?

As a first grader I realized I had an ear for harmonies and the piano. Those two things helped me find the fun in using my singing voice as a form of expression musically. I had incredible parents and they let me bang on the piano at 2 years old on and fully supported that I had an interest in music.

But singing jazzy tunes versus traditional pop songs ... what led to that path?

I love taking the best stories and interpreting my feelings through them. I love playing characters through the real me and my experiences in life. The heartbreaking words and chords through jazz and blues really speak to me because I'm a very sensitive human.

What did you listen to as a child?

I listened to everything. Queen was my first CD I ever bought, I was obsessed with [everything from] the Cranberries to Radiohead and songs like "What if God Was One of Us" and "Chapel of Love" on repeat for months...then I was obsessed with singers like Nancy Wilson and Peggy Lee.

Did growing up in Missouri influence you as an artist?

Having basically six months of winter a year and really getting all the seasons is I think very important to growing up and feelings. I'm really grateful to have had a great childhood in the Midwest but like any creative from a little town... you gotta go explore!

Were you stoked to be signed on Verve and be on the same label as all the jazz greats?

I was over the moon. When you walk into the office, Louie Armstrong and Dinah Washington and Peggy Lee are right there to greet you on the walls. It felt a little overwhelming to think, "how am I gonna pull this off?” I'm very lucky. I'm not 23 years old, I have a solid support system around me and I still believe in magic.

You’re on the We Love Disney compilation covering "It's Not Easy Being Green." How did that happen?

I have always had a spiritual connection to the Muppets. It's wild how you kind of manifest what calls to you. It's a huge honor to be a part of anything Jim Henson and Walt Disney. To add Verve Records and David Foster and Kermit the Frog to that mix, and I'm dead. I have died and gone to heaven.

Did you get to choose the song you covered?

I chose to sing "It's Not Easy Being Green" on my album and then the opportunity popped up and fit magically with the Disney album. The song really is an anthem to me. I have always been a bit of an outsider and struggled with how to fit in. It was truly meant to be, I think.

Who are your musical heroes?

Everyone from Sister Rosetta Tharp to Adele to Etta James to Bonnie Raitt to Tom Jones. I like good old-fashioned singers who are not afraid to be good old-fashioned singers. I'm really inspired by singers who worked till they were in their 80s or 90s. That's what I would like to do.

Why did you cover “Black and Gold?”

The song is written like a standard to me. I randomly became close friends with Sam Sparro when I forced myself to go up to him at a coffee shop and tell him, "I've been singing your song for years all around Hollywood." I told him he wrote a standard ... I love the story and the drama in the song.

What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done for you?

I had a old Russian mafia man bring be $1,000 worth of orchids every Sunday in Hollywood for a couple months which was scary and hilarious. Would doesn't love gangsters with gifts?

What are you up to in 2016?

I'm seriously just wanting to tour as much as possible. When you support me, you support everything I'm obsessed with. Right now I'm obsessed with putting on a good ole fashioned show and singing my ass off all over the world. I'm already working on my second album and I'm really looking into working in film and theatre. But I'm really driven by working with children and getting them to know about jazz and blues and the history of America. I work with a lot of different nonprofits and people doing good work for kids and hopefully that will always be my constant anchor.