Dzirae Gold Brought Profound Jazz Singing and Stories to Our Office: Video

"These are my favorite type of shows," Dzirae Gold told Westword members at our office concert on July 18, referencing the intimacy of the event and the attentive crowd that gathered to watch her perform.

Gold received a Best of Denver award this year for her debut album, Right on Time, and our members got to hear her extraordinary vocals in person as well as learn about the stories behind her tunes. There was also a particularly special guest at the show who had us smiling throughout — Miles, Gold's new kitten who would intermittently meow along to his mom's songs. The jazz singer and pianist, who regularly performs at such venues as Dazzle and will be at City Park Jazz this Sunday, July 27, kicked off her set with the song "Mr. Smoke," which she wrote during the pandemic. Gold moved to Denver from Illinois in late 2019, and she told us that she spent much of the COVID lockdown writing songs. "On My Skin and Heart," a heartfelt and soulful tune, was inspired by the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Gold explained. In a Q&A after the concert, she told us she was reflecting on the trials that accompany her identity as a mixed-race woman. She said she used to stay out of the sun to prevent her skin from getting darker and would flat-iron her hair, but as she attended the protests, she was empowered to embrace her natural beauty and ancestry. The result is a powerful song whose lyrics are intentionally designed for all listeners to relate to.
The audience was also moved by the tune "Memory Jar," which she said was "written with fans in mind."

"I'm really blessed I get to do this for a living...and I was feeling guilty about not being able to keep up with the people I meet day in and day out, so I wrote this for them," she said. It's another moving anthem that conjures up nostalgia for all the loved ones in our lives.
Gold has a penchant for writing both poignant and playful lyrics, as she demonstrated with the song "Snooze for an Hour," a single she released in 2022. She explained it was written when the lockdown was lifted and people started to return to the office — a schedule shift that had everyone wanting to press snooze.

After sharing some new, unreleased songs for our members, Gold wrapped up the set with "It's Okay," a song about how sometimes, it's okay to not be okay. Westword members were blown away by the singer's lush vocals, which have made her one of the city's most prized jazz singers.
See a video of Gold performing "On My Skin and Heart" below, and become a Westword member so that you can join us at these intimate shows with some of Denver's best independent artists.
Find more concerts on our Denver concert calendar.