Best Vocalist nominee at the Scottish Jazz Awards 2022 and 2023, Scottish jazz vocalist Louise Dodds  recently released her third studio album, a duo project with renowned Azerbaijani pianist, arranger and composer Elchin Shirinov, bringing together their love of folk, classical and jazz. The project has been supported by Creative Scotland.

Prior to this release, Louise released her first album in 9 years in March 2022. The album, The Story Needs an Ending' was also Louise’s first fully original album. She took the album on the road, performing 12 dates across Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. The album was selected by Jim Gilchrist in his Arts Review of 2022 in The Scotsman.

It was also selected as Album of the Week in the UK, Central America and Asia.

Recorded in Glasgow in June 2021 with fellow Scots Tom Gibbs, Andrew Robb and Alyn Cosker, the album contains 10 tracks which Louise wrote by delving deep into her own life experiences, touching on subjects like grief, relationships, learning to trust life again, and emancipation. Many of the tracks were written during lockdown, with some being showcased as part of Louise’s lockdown collaboration project, 'Songs from the Blue Room‘

During lockdown, Louise also collaborated with London jazz guitarist Ant Law, resulting in the single Whispers (Credits) being released

Prior to lockdown though, 2020 saw Louise having the incredible honour of opening for Norma Winstone MBE as part of the Scottish Jazz Weekend in Edinburgh, Her career has also seen her performing at London Jazz Festival, Pizza Express, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Glasgow Jazz Festival as well as in Europe and the Middle East.

Her previous album, ‘Fly’, released in 2013, featured UK jazz heavyweights John Pearce, Dave Green, Steve Brown and Martin Shaw, and that year she was also awarded funding by Jazz Services UK and Arts Council England for her upcoming UK tour. In 2012 Louise was semi finalist at the International Jazz Vocalist Competition in Lithuania.