Shemekia Copeland Live at Exit Zero Jazz Festival

The Exit Zero Jazz Festival began in 2012 and occurs twice a year in Cape May, the quaint shore town on the most southern tip of New Jersey, with a lineup combining marquee talent with young musicians from around the country. For singer and eight-time Blues Award winner Shemekia Copeland, Exit Zero was only her second gig in front of a crowd in over a year.

"I had already told myself we wouldn't go back to work until 2022," said Copeland, "so for me, everything I do the second half of [2021] is a bonus, you know, and I really feel grateful for it." Watch Copeland perform highlights from her firecracker set at the 2021 Exit Zero Jazz Festival.