Diana Krall, Singing Her Own Song

Jazz pianist and vocalist Diana Krall became a Grammy winner putting her distinctive stamp on other people's music, bringing enormous emotional power to old standards.

After a decade of success doing cover tunes, Diana Krall is now performing her own material.

Colin Bell/dianakrall.com

But now she's writing her own tunes, in an evolution unpopular with some of her fans and some critics, as well.

She says it began with a series of e-mails to Elvis Costello. She met the multi-dimensional musician at the Grammy Awards in February 2002. He became her husband.

"We started talking about music and writing," Krall told NPR's Steve Inskeep during a recent performance chat. "He encouraged me."

"I met the right collaborator," she says. "We weren't trying to rewrite Cole Porter or George Gershwin. I wanted to write something that was more confidential."

What emerged was The Girl in the Other Room — Krall's debut as a songwriter.