New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has announced the winner of his widely publicized NYC 2-K Jingle Contest. More than 300 New Yorkers submitted entries to help promote the city’s new 2-K program, offering free childcare for 2-year-olds starting this fall. Rapper Cardi B and famed Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, both celebrated New York City natives, selected five finalists, who were then put to a public vote. After nearly 13,000 people cast ballots, the winner was identified on June 12 as Allegra Levy, a jazz singer and songwriter based in Manhattan.
“Congratulations to Allegra for creating a jingle that’s going to be stuck in New Yorkers’ heads for a long time – and for helping us spread the word about one of the most important investments we can make in working families,” Mayor Mamdani said.
Allegra’s catchy winning tune touting “Childcare for all, 2-K this fall!” will be featured in City outreach and advertising campaigns promoting the program, for which enrollment remains open through June 26 at MySchools.NYC.
Listen to Allegra’s jingle HERE.
“Winning this contest means so much to me, as a musician, independent artist, and mother of two, one of whom is about to turn 2,” says Allegra Levy (whose last name rhymes with “Chevy”). “Affordable childcare is essential for parents, especially mothers like me who need and/or want to work. It should be a universal right, not a privilege.”
Named one of the top ten rising stars among jazz vocalists in the 2021 DownBeat Critics’ Poll, Allegra performs regularly in NYC and has appeared internationally in Asia and Europe. She has released five albums on the historic SteepleChase label, whose roster includes such jazz icons as Dexter Gordon and Shirley Horn. Her work has been lauded in such publications as The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The New York City Jazz Record.
A native of West Hartford, Connecticut now based in New York, Allegra started out nannying for several NYC families and teaching human rights to high schoolers at Harlem Children’s Zone and Wings Academy in the Bronx, so there’s no wonder she ventured into jazz for the juvenile set with an internationally acclaimed original children’s album, Songs for You and Me. “To me, the most beautiful melodies are ones that we can all sing together to help unite us all,” she says. “That is what I aim to do with all my music.” A second family-friendly album is imminent.
A Recording Academy Member, Allegra was dubbed a “double-barreled talent” by JazzTimes and called everything from “sophisticated, worldly, and swinging” to “the new pin-up girl for cool.” She was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition for Best Children’s Song and Original Jazz Song. A graduate of New England Conservatory, she serves as the Program Administration Manager at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC and is on the leadership team of WIJO, the Women in Jazz Organization. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children, Stella and Otto.
Visit Allegra’s website HERE for news and upcoming concert dates, including Saturday, August 8th at the NoMad Jazz Festival in NYC’s Madison Square Park.
Allegra Levy on Instagram.
Allegra Levy on Facebook.
Visit Allegra Levy’s website HERE.
Allegra Levy_photo credit Erika Kapin Photography