​Vahn Black is a Detroit-born vocalist, songwriter, producer and memory worker. She has crafted a sound-world of her own that embodies her love for Black American music traditions.

As a teenager, Black attended Detroit School of Arts High School where she studied classical and jazz music.  Encouraged to compete by music educators at the school, Black placed runner-up in the Detroit Jazz Festival's Youth Jazz Vocal Competition in 2014. She later enrolled in Spelman College's music program, focusing on vocal performance and composition, becoming the first student to perform a senior recital of original non-classical compositions.

In 2023 Black was selected to perform at NPR's Tiny Desk on the Road Tour stop in Atlanta and was featured on the NPR’s 2025 Top Shelf series. She has also performed as an opening act for MAJOR., Anthony Hamilton, Chrisette Michele, Elle Varner, and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. 

Black has also composed music for award-winning short films and performance art like Finding Jamia’s Spirit (Candace Patrick, 2024), A Differently Curated World (Kiersten White, 2022), The Shadows Whisper Secrets (Kerri Garrett in residence at the Atlanta Contemporary, 2020), and Only (Camille Thomas, 2020).

Black’s latest work, Walk in the Rain, is the second of a trilogy that centers the story of Blues singer Gladys Bentley as told in the 1952 article I Am a Woman Again. Displaying Black's passion for archives and amplifying the voices of Black music elders, this project creatively bridges the gaps in Bentley's story. The project explores Bentley's life-long desire to belong and be loved, the elements of life that brought her joy and the fluid nature of her gender expression and sexuality. The final part of this project, I Am A Woman Again, will be released in 2026.