For Liz Cracchiolo, creating a first album has not been something she has taken lightly. "It's been something I've always wanted to do, but I didn't feel ready. I don't know if anybody's ever ready. But with this transition into doing jazz 99 percent of the time, I really just feel like I found my voice, and I was just really excited to share that." That sense of self-discovery is at the heart of Liz's debut album, Just a Girl I'm a Woman.
The Catalina Foothills-based singer has been around the music scene for a while, first as a performer of musical theatre and cabaret, then as a regular face at local jazz performances. She earned a degree in musical theatre from the University of Arizona, honing her skills in productions such as "Les Misérables," "The Producers," "Mamma Mia!," and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Her professional life eventually led her to New York City Cabaret, where she performed in productions such as "If Only I Were Taller" and "I Do Men." Along her journey, jazz evolved from just a part of what she did into the very essence of her career.
Currently a regular performer in Tucson's Century Room and a three-time nominee for "Best Jazz Artist" in the "Best of Tucson" awards, Liz said her decision to finally make a record came naturally. "I went to New York in October of 2024, and it just came out of my mouth. I said, 'Let's do a record.' Sometimes I guess you just know when you know."
The album was recorded in New York, something Liz still speaks about with a sense of dazed wonder. She recalled rehearsing with musicians she had always looked up to, then walking into Sear Sound and realizing she was making her own music in a place where so much history had been made. "It was an absolute dream," she said. "It was like an out-of-body experience." She worked with engineer Dave Darlington, who had been involved in music she grew up listening to. Seeing gold records on the wall and hearing his stories about artists who had recorded there made the experience feel even more surreal.
For Liz, however, the focus of this album was not just where it was made, but what it represented. "This project is me really just stepping into my power," she said. "It's like, I'm just a girl, and it's like, no, I'm a woman." As someone who has continued to grow and change as an artist over many years, this project feels like a moment of genuine self-confidence — knowing who she is and asserting that comfortably. "It's really always important for me to step into my confidence and to hopefully inspire other women to do the same," she said.
The music combines jazz standards and pop songs rearranged in a jazz style, something Liz has always loved. Part of the fun for her is watching people's reactions as they realize they recognize a song, but it sounds completely different. "When you're performing a song, and you've done it in a completely different way, and you just watch people's faces go, 'Wait a minute. I know this song. I've never heard it done like that before,'" she said.
One of the songs that helped establish the album's direction is her jazz version of No Doubt's "Just a Girl," which she considers integral to the project. She also included songs that have evolved with her over time, such as a new rendition of "Mr. Brightside," alongside jazz classics like "Fever" that have become staples of her live shows. The common thread is storytelling. Her background in theater and cabaret deeply influenced the album's direction. "The thing that you learn in school with musical theatre is that it always starts with the acting," she said. "Every song is a story." For Liz, it's not just about singing well — it's about understanding what a song has to say and connecting people to it.
This is part of why recording felt so vulnerable. With live performances, there's the energy of the room, but recording is different. "There's always this moment where you say yes, and then you go, 'Oh God, why did I do this to myself?' And then you go, 'Okay, now I know why I did it.'"
Despite opportunities that take her well beyond Tucson, Liz remains closely connected to Southern Arizona. She grew up in the Catalina Foothills and still lives there with her family. "I still live here, and I have a beautiful home and a beautiful family, and I get to do what I love. And I get to do it all over the world."
As for what she hopes listeners take away, Liz doesn't want to spell out meanings — she simply wants her music to connect. "I hope I can provide a soundtrack to something amazing. I hope that I can provide some inspiration, some emotion that people maybe didn't know they were going to feel." For an artist who waited years for the right moment, Just a Girl I'm a Woman is more than a debut. It is a statement of where Liz Cracchiolo stands now — comfortable in her voice, rooted in her community, and ready for what's to come.
"It's really always important for me to step into my confidence and to hopefully inspire other women to do the same."
"When you're performing a song, and you've done it in a completely different way, and you just watch people's faces go, 'Wait a minute. I know this song. I've never heard it done like that before.'"