You’re driving along, alone, on a dark road at night and you’re lost, but the soothing voice of your GPS reassures you with the word “Recalculating” and with a series of turns you are back on the right road to your destination.
You may hear her voice all day every day giving you directions in over 100 million GPS units around the world as Aussie Karen or in over 240 million smartphones.
She’s known as The GPS Girl®, and it’s not Karen Jacobsen’s speaking voice, but her singing voice you’ll hear on her 8th CD “Take a Little Drive”.
Navigating listeners through her catchy, timeless, piano pop songs and breathy vocals, this is Karen’s first studio album in 5 years due to Motherhood and building her empowerment brand The GPS Girl®.
Recorded at Avatar in New York City, and with ten previously unreleased original songs, Karen returns to the stripped down style of solo piano, lead vocals and a ‘wall of breathy backing vocals’. The title track “Take a Little Drive” was actually written before her GPS fame but seemed the perfect title for an album by The GPS Girl®.
A recent personal and professional highlight was Karen’s opening set for a Neil Sedaka Concert in Ridgefield, Connecticut. As if performing before such a songwriting legend was not enough, Sedaka was giving a rare solo performance and so both The GPS Girl® and Neil Sedaka played solo sets on the grand piano one after another to the sell out crowd.
An award-winning singer and songwriter, Karen’s musical career highlights include sharing the stage with Norah Jones, Christopher Cross and Spyro Gyra as well as singing The Star Spangled Banner at Madison Square Garden, Dodger Stadium and Giants Stadium for 80 000 Jets fans.
Originally from Mackay in North Queensland, Karen moved to the Big Apple from Australia with a suitcase and a dream to follow in Olivia Newton-John’s footsteps, but becoming the voice of GPS was a total surprise.
“I have had hundreds and hundreds of experiences of people wanting to tell me their GPS stories and they treat me as if they know me because to them I represent a real driving companion.” said Karen.
The GPS Girl® speaks and sings frequently at conferences and events about “Recalculating” in business and in life (and she becomes President of the National Speakers Association NYC Chapter this Friday), she’s the author of The GPS Girl’s Road Map to Your Future, and host of her web series “Navigating New York”; interviewing dynamic guests on the streets of Manhattan about their relationship with New York City.
Karen was moved to record this collection of songs after the horrific events in Newtown Connecticut in December 2012. “It was a deeply disturbing shock, especially having a son a similar age, and it became crystal clear to me it was time for me to be to be singing into people’s hearts again.”
Take a Little Drive is released on the Kurly Queen label and available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby.com and on this website.
Karen Jacobsen’s Live Performances
Live Performance Videos from Neil Sedaka Opening Set: https://thegpsgirl.com/opening-for-neil-sedaka-in-concert-ridgefield-ct-october-2013
Full Concert of Neil Sedaka Opening Set: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-PlzGo19EpDdW-7inugUB_Jf6HbwFrNi
Live Performance at Queensland Performing Arts Center Brisbane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfHVSzMcWsc&list=PL-PlzGo19EpCK2la7py7Jz7VtDzElOssW&index=6
Live Performance of “Empire State of Mind” at The Laurie Beechman Theater NYC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep355QUr3wg&list=PL-PlzGo19EpCK2la7py7Jz7VtDzElOssW
