Australian jazz vocalist Victoria Newton has delighted audiences worldwide with her unique combination of energy, spontaneity and musicianship. Her heartwarming vocal delivery and engaging stage presence are summed up by Steve Rubie (owner of London’s 606 Club) when he describes her as having “a fabulous strong clear voice with a great sense of time and an even greater sense of fun!”

Victoria began her musical career in Perth, and whilst studying towards a Bachelor of Music degree majoring in clarinet at the University of Western Australia, she discovered an enormous passion for jazz. She then went on to study jazz voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, where she had the most amazing opportunity to support international artists such as Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, Ray Brown and James Moody whilst singing with the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Victoria relocated to the UK in the early 1990s, and became recognised as one of the most exciting and dynamic jazz vocalists on the London jazz scene, initially collaborating with Acid-Jazz recording artist Ronny Jordan and supporting Terence Blanchard at the Jazz Cafe in London with her own quartet.

She has appeared at many venues and festivals in many countries including the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, the London International Jazz Festival, Oxford Literary Festival, Ealing Jazz Festival, Ingolstadt Jazz Festival in Germany, and Alexis Jazz Club in Kuala Lumpur for their International Jazz Series. One of Victoria’s favourite gigs to date has been performing Brazilian songs whilst cruising up the Amazon!

Victoria also experienced international success during the mid 1990s with UK dance/pop group Strike and their massive hit ‘U Sure Do’. The success of this single followed by 4 UK top 40 hits and the critically acclaimed album ‘I Saw the Future’ lead to a whirlwind of TV appearances including MTV and BBC’s Top of the Pops, touring to many countries around the world, and sharing the stage with the likes of Jocelyn Brown, and The Spice Girls  Victoria’s vocal performance on ‘I Saw the Future’ has been described as “outstanding throughout”

(Dream Magazine) and her live performances “simply stunning”, with “staggering vocals” (M8 magazine).

Victoria released her first jazz album ‘The Song is You’ in 2004 which received regular air play in the UK and featured some of the finest British musicians including the internationally acclaimed Gwilym Simcock.

Since relocating to Perth, Western Australia, Victoria performs in a variety of musical settings which include her ‘Watercolours of Brazil’ and ‘Funky Brasilia’ projects, regular appearances at the Ellington Jazz Club, the Perth International Jazz Festival, York Jazz Festival, Fairbridge, and Jazz by the Bay. She is also one of the vocalists for Manteca and the Straight Ahead Big Band.

Victoria is also head of the jazz vocal program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

‘Deeply into the music, a real jazz singer’ ~ Brian Blain, Jazz UK

‘A jazz singer a cut above the crowd’ ~ John Fordham, The Guardian, UK

‘Beautiful phrasing, faultless pitching and great swing throughout’ ~ Peter Quinn, Jazzwise, UK

Current as of 2026

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Born in Australia, Newton developed her academic focus on jazz and classical traditions while based in Perth, completing studies in clarinet with teacher Jack Harrison at the University of Western Australia. She simultaneously enrolled in a jazz vocals program at the Conservatorium and performed regularly as a member of the Western Australia Youth Jazz Orchestra.

After entering the Australian Singing Competition she advanced to finalist status. Relocating to the UK in 1990, she rapidly gained recognition across London’s jazz, pop and Latin circuits. Early collaborators included acid-jazz guitarist Ronny Jordan and the Latin jazz fusion band Cayenne, where she took the role of lead singer; she was also the first vocalist engaged by Steve Rubie’s Latin ensemble Samara.

In late 1994 Newton joined dance-pop group Strike as lead singer, an affiliation that generated extensive touring and select studio work. The act’s debut single “U Sure Do” climbed to number 4 on the UK charts and achieved solid sales across continental Europe and Australia. Strike subsequently performed in Spain, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan, securing additional UK Top 40 singles while their album I Saw The Future earned both critical praise and strong public response.

Newton’s broad repertoire has made her a frequent choice for engagements at prominent London hotels and clubs. She performs repertoire in Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese.

In 2002 she appeared with the London funk outfit 3 Bean Salad. Beyond those affiliations she fronts the all-female ensemble Katmandhu and participates in Oxala, a Brazilian-music collective.

Her debut jazz album under her own name appeared in 2004 and met with favorable notices from both reviewers and listeners.

Jazz artists she has accompanied include pianists Jonathan Gee, David Newton, Gwilym Simcock and Gareth Williams. In addition to her stage work, Newton instructs on the Jazz Studies course at Trinity College of Music and maintains an established practice as a vocal coach.

https://codamusic.me/artists/victoria-newton/

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Victoria Newton relocated to Perth in 2008 after many years in the UK, where she was recognised as one of the most exciting and dynamic jazz vocalists on the scene. In recent times she performed at the famous Ronnie Scott’s in London, Alexis in Kuala Lumpur, for their International Jazz Series, and a dream gig performing Brazilian songs cruising up the Amazon!

She has appeared at many festivals and venues throughout the UK and Europe including Queille in France, The Ingolstadt Jazz Festival in Germany, The Oxford Literary Festival, Pizza Express, the 606 Club and the Jazz Cafe in London where she supported Terence Blanchard and performed with Ronny Jordan.

Victoria also experienced international success during the mid 1990s with UK dance / pop group Strike and their hit ‘U Sure Do’. This led to her appearing on MTV and the BBC’s Top of the Pops, touring throughout the world and recording the critically acclaimed album ‘I Saw the Future’.

She released her first jazz album ‘The Song is You’ in 2004 which received a great response from the press and regular air play in the UK.

In March 2009 she was the featured singer during the opening week of the Ellington Jazz Club, where she continues to perform regularly.

Her rich, sensual voice and powerful stage presence are summed up by Steve Rubie (owner of London’s 606 Club) when he describes her as having “a fabulous strong, clear voice with a great sense of time and an ever greater sense of fun!”.

VICTORIA NEWTON – Jazz Diva

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https://www.waapa.ecu.edu.au/about/our-staff/profiles/music/jazz-performance/ms-victoria-newton