Alida McKeon was born and raised in Oakdale, CA, the cowboy capital of the world, on a cattle ranch. Her parents instilled in her a passion for music at a young age, and exposed her to many genres and global styles. She began piano lessons at the age of 7 and voice lessons at 9. Early on she developed an affinity for music with great lyrics, from artists such as Bob Dylan, Wilco, and Regina Spektor. She began playing the steel drums in middle school, which lead her to joining a reggae/rock band, Television Skies, in high school. Through them, she discovered a passion for live performance and for writing her own music and lyrics.

 She discovered her love of jazz when she accidentally enrolled as a jazz student instead of a contemporary/pop student at a Berklee College of Music summer program in 2014. She had never really been exposed to jazz or the music of the Great American Songbook, but quickly realized it was her passion, and returned to Berklee for her bachelors, graduating in 2020.  There, she studied with renowned professors, including Peter Eldridge of the New York Voices, received a Downbeat Student Music Award with her vocal jazz ensemble, and received the Sylvia M. Zunz scholarship for jazz vocalists, the highest scholarship awarded by the Berklee Voice Department. She is regarded as a witty and thoughtful lyricist, an advanced and impressive improviser, an accomplished arranger, and a shining performer. She has performed in Spain, France, Norway, Japan, and across the United States, performing both her original songwriting and jazz. She is currently based in New England, working on her debut album and performing with her jazz group, The Gatsby Gang.