When everything feels loud, Kat Lee Rivers leans into the quiet. Her new single, “American Heartbreak (Acoustic Version),” isn’t a protest or a plea—it’s a moment of stillness, an invitation to listen. With nothing more than her voice and Bob Lanzetti’s gentle guitar, Rivers turns reflection into resilience.
The recording feels like a deep exhale. There’s no production sheen or trickery—just open space and the strength of understatement. Rivers sings from the heart, her phrasing refined by years as a jazz vocalist but grounded in something simpler, more human. In her hands, “American Heartbreak” becomes a shared story rather than a slogan, a reminder that empathy still matters.
For new listeners, Rivers’ background is as rich and varied as her sound. A finalist in the 2014 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition and a multiple DownBeat award recipient, she first earned acclaim in the jazz world before expanding her palette to include Americana and the rhythmic warmth of Brazilian music. Her debut album, Anything but Ordinary, captured that blend—Americana grit with Brazilian color and jazz sophistication.
After a period of vocal recovery, Rivers’ voice carries new depth and confidence. She’s lived and performed across Spain, Texas, Los Angeles, and New York, singing in both English and Portuguese. Her stages have ranged from intimate house concerts to beloved New York rooms like Cornelia Street Café and Rockwood Music Hall, and most recently The Chapel Restoration in Cold Spring, where she’ll return this fall. She’s sung with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra backing Ben Folds, and toured Europe with Barcelona trio Árid, including a rooftop show at La Pedrera.
Now collaborating with Grammy-winning guitarist and producer Bob Lanzetti (Snarky Puppy), Rivers is preparing a Spring 2026 album that deepens her “old soul” sound—where jazz nuance meets folk storytelling.
Until then, “American Heartbreak (Acoustic Version)” stands on its own: a beautifully unguarded song that believes, even in divided times, that music can still bring people together.
