When an average scroll through social media offers endless memes and influencer ads for mushroom coffee, stumbling on a fuzzy, pink and doe-eyed cherry blossom — who sings jazz and looks curiously like a puppet — is a welcome aberration.
At least, that must be how the more than 100,000 followers of Dearly Blossom have felt since the jazz diva debuted on Instagram last February, scat singing over a bluesy track and getting snarky with her behind-the-scenes recording engineer.
Since then, Blossom has posted more than 25 delightful videos of her skillfully singing and scatting over beloved jazz standards, including Chick Corea’s “Spain” and Ella Fitzgerald’s classic version of “How High The Moon.” She also recently launched an educational jazz YouTube series called “Branching Out with Blossom.”
Blossom is managed by “Blossom HQ,” two New York-based professional jazz musicians who requested to remain anonymous to ensure Blossom stays front and center. Conceived in last winter’s doldrums, Blossom discovered her knack for swingin' singing, her managers explained, when a jazz band performed under her cherry tree in Manhattan’s Central Park.
At first glance, she may seem geared toward young people, but Blossom HQ insists she’s meant to spread joy and jazz to everyone. Originally, her managers thought Blossom would mainly appeal to jazz nerds, but she’s quickly shown to have a much broader reach.
Blossom has fans — or “Petals,” as she calls them — of all ages and from all over the world, including Brazil, Chile, and Japan. She also gets a variety of fan messages from adults and kids, including one 7-year-old who shared that he recently discovered the Miles Davis quintet through his obsession with the magenta chanteuse.
“What I have learned through Blossom...that if you create things that make you happy, the chance of them making someone else happy is quite high,” one of Blossom’s managers told KNKX.
In late July, Dearly Blossom received South Arts’ Jazz Roads Creative Residency, to help fund the “Branching Out with Blossom” educational series. In each video, Blossom explores jazz in conversation with well-known jazz musicians. Blossom HQ is partnering with the production company Station Film on the series.
In the first episode of “Branching out with Blossom,” released last August, Blossom learned about jazz history and how to sing the blues from pianist and composer Isaiah Thompson. The second episode is coming in early 2026, and will feature a “Grammy-winning” and “multi-talented female jazz artist.”
Also in 2026, with the help of Michelle Hickey, head puppet wrangler for Sesame Street, Dearly Blossom will perform her first concert in front of a live audience.
For more about Dearly Blossom, check out her exclusive conversation with KNKX, below.
