Born and raised in Detroit, Vahn Black grew up surrounded by the sounds of Motown, Jazz, Techno, and Gospel music. This sonic melting pot aided in Black cultivating her sound, pulling inspiration from artists like Sarah Vaughn and J Dilla. Adult Swim bump beats produced by Flying Lotus would eventually inspire Black to explore music production on an Akai XR20 drum machine. From there, a sonic love affair began to bloom.

As a teenager, Black attended the Detroit School of Arts where she received both jazz and classical training. Black continued her music education at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, receiving a B.A. in classical music performance and modern composition.

Black's passion for storytelling is at the center of her work and can be seen in glimpses of The Gladys Bentley Project, a trilogy of sound recordings that center Gladys Bentley’s life and career as told in the 1952 Ebony magazine article I Am a Woman Again. Black’s work displays her efforts to preserve and uphold the stories and art of black musicians and the Black Forgotten––those whose stories have often been disregarded through prejudiced erasure or avoidance.