We had a chance to catch up with Corinne and chat about her latest album, new direction, Christmas in Bethlehem and her upcoming jazzy holiday benefit concert.<\/p>\n
JH: A lot has changed since we last spoke! You\u2019ve shortened your name to simply\u00a0Corinne.\u00a0What\u2019s the story behind that decision?<\/p>\n
Corinne: Thank you for noticing that! Truth is, I had to do a lot of soul searching in the creation of this new chapter of my career, focused on pioneering something new. We\u2019re bending genres and blending eras to create my definitive sound. It made sense to just be me, Corinne, because my full name was more aligned with my former traditional sound. And it was among the best decisions I made.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve also started working with Bonfire. How has that experience been?<\/p>\n
It changed my life. Really. I was treading water among thousands of jazz singers propping up old standards, but there is little to no life being breathed into new original songs, which is the lifeblood of music. I love the great American songbook, but I\u2019m more driven to create something new that the world has never heard.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what Bonfire helped me to distill with clarity. And most importantly mentored me to execute on my aspirations. Bonfire aligns with my goals as an artist because it unites artists, fans and patrons to build a new music economy and a better world. And one that doesn\u2019t chase after algorithms, either. We need a new music economy where artists are in control, not tech companies, or even major labels, that act more like VCs today. Today, A&R is all about data mining, not artistry.<\/p>\n
Another truth, most fans don\u2019t realize they can buy my music directly, add it to their Spotify or Apple libraries, and know their support is actually sustaining the music. Direct patronage is how artists like me can survive and create, not by chasing passive listeners churned out by an algorithm, but by building real connections.<\/p>\n
\u201cStories in Pink\u201d is a concept album, a love story that culminates with \u201cLa Vie en Rose,\u201d or \u201cLife in Pink.\u201d When you began working on it, did you intend for it to be a concept album? What was the creative process like in bringing it to life?<\/p>\n
Subconsciously, yes. We produced and released two singles, \u201cTickled Pink\u201d and \u201cScrambled Eggs for Two,\u201d which drew from composer influences like Jobim, Bacharach, Mancini, Jimmy Webb, Donald Fagen and even a little Joe Jackson. The vibe took us back to 1962 on a beach in Brazil, cocktails in Manhattan, and a Parisian romance.<\/p>\n
Next, we released, \u201cLet\u2019s Be in Love at Christmastime,\u201d a deconstructed bossa pop song with all the bells, whistles, strings and harps, literally all the trappings of a vintage Christmas tune. The love story unfolded with those sparks. Eric [producer\/composer Eric Todd] and I were in a very creative space and the songs just flowed. And my signature song has always been, \u201cLa Vie en Rose,\u201d so placing that classic as the finale was the cherry on top.<\/p>\n
The creative process was a joy. The production process was a nightmare. Every single note and empty space on that album is intentional. But we made this album for ourselves, our journey, and our need to manifest something beautiful.<\/p>\n
What inspired the album\u2019s sound and direction?<\/p>\n
I wanted to create an album that felt timeless, like you could drop the needle in 1962 or 2025, and it would still feel alive. These songs are romantic, cinematic and honest. They live outside of trends, but they\u2019re for today\u2019s music fans. I am passionate about bending genres, fusing elements of jazz, pop, bossa nova, any sound that helps me tell my story.<\/p>\n
My musical taste has always been very eclectic, but a passion for classics that stand the test of time began at an early age with my involvement in musical theater. And Eric, although he comes from an alt rock and jazz background, his passion for composition and production is influenced by the composers I mentioned earlier, in addition to producers like Todd Rundgren and meticulously crafted works like Steely Dan\u2019s \u201cAja.\u201d<\/p>\n
And, on a serendipitous note, we are apparently \u201cbig in Japan.\u201d I can\u2019t believe I just said that, but \u201cScrambled Eggs for Two\u201d is being played all over Japan in retail and even in McDonald\u2019s of all\u00a0places. Jazzy pop is a thing there. We\u2019re just learning about the numbers, so there\u2019s more to come, and maybe a tour!<\/p>\n
![\"Jazz](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TMC-L-corinne-02-1.jpg\")
Jazz singer Corinne performs her annual Christmas concert benefiting the Children\u2019s Home on Easton on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at at Musikfest Caf\u00e9 in Bethlehem. (Guy Daniel)<\/p>\n
This is your eighth year doing your annual Bethlehem Christmas concert. You recently released \u201cLet\u2019s Be in Love at Christmastime,\u201d a sort of follow-up to your EP In the Christmas City. What does the holiday season mean to you personally?<\/p>\n
The holiday season, especially Christmas in Bethlehem, means family and the best childhood memories. I grew up in the Philly suburbs, but my grandparents lived in Bethlehem. So, \u201cover the river and through the woods to grandmother\u2019s we would go\u201d every Christmas day. We would stroll down Main Street and dine at the Hotel Bethlehem for the magical Christmas ambience.<\/p>\n
Performing benefit concerts is my way of giving back to the community, especially to children during the holiday season. I am very fortunate to have had a wonderful childhood, so it\u2019s my way of spreading a little joy to children who live with trauma every day.<\/p>\n
Finally, what can fans look forward to at this year\u2019s concert?<\/p>\n
My band and I will be premiering two original Christmas songs, re-imagined holiday favorites like \u201cChristmas Time is Here\u201d from a Charlie Brown Christmas, plus songs from the new album, \u201cStories in Pink.\u201d And fans should plan to arrive early for a special pre-show performance. Or better yet, have dinner in the Musikfest Caf\u00e9, so you don\u2019t miss it. You\u2019ll have to wait for the big reveal!<\/p>\n
Jay Honstetter is a freelance writer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With a combination of retro jazzy pop, vintage bossa nova and modern soulful vibes, Corinne creates a timeless…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,1681,1213,289,432],"class_list":{"0":"post-51034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-music-and-concerts","13":"tag-things-to-do","14":"tag-top-stories-tmc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}