By Noma Faingold (updated August 11, 2026)
Singer/songwriter Destani Wolf doesn’t sound like anyone else and that suits her just fine.
The vocals of 45-year-old resident of Kensington (just north of Berkeley) are as smooth as charmeuse, confidently improvisational and seemingly effortless, although her perfectionism leads to a lot of tinkering with songs before Wolf is willing to put them out into the world.
Wolf’s voice is clear and powerful, yet her runs are refreshingly understated. You won’t hear her scream.
Her music can’t be defined by genre. It’s a blend of soul, blues, reggae, hip-hop, R&B, exotic jazz, with a few brush strokes of new age. Wolf refers to her style as “Cali-soul,” influenced by a diverse Berkeley environment and being exposed to what her parents were listening to, such as Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, blues artists and Mexican ranchera.
“Growing up in the Bay Area, I was surrounded by such an eclectic community. When I think about what it is that I do, I create a space for people to be in community, to feel joy and connect,” Wolf said. “Even when we’re grieving, we can find hope in what we do together. It’s about opening up the heart. That’s how I express my music. That’s a big part of who I am.”
She insists that she has never let the industry dictate her musical direction or image. “If I were to focus on needing to be heard, wanting the attention and needing the fame, then I’m missing the point,” Wolf said. “My intention is to touch people with my music and to let that artist come through.”
Wolf was looking forward to opening for Patti Labelle on August 9 at the sold out Stern Grove Festival. Her six-piece band is led by bass player Eric “Pik Funk” Smith, who, like Wolf, is a graduate of Berkeley High. Smith has quite the resume, having been musical director on a few Janet Jackson tours, as well as being on the road with Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Jill Scott.
“I love singing in open spaces. I love singing with trees, the birds and 10,000 people,” Wolf said. “There’s such great energy there.”
In her more than 25 years as an artist, she has played a part in over 40 albums, including several solo recordings. She has toured all over the world, including as lead vocalist with the Cirque du Soleil show, “BAZZAR,” which took her to the Middle East and India in 2018-19 (performing eight to 10 shows a week).
Some of the artists she has worked with include the Afro-Latin hip-hop group O-Maya, as lead vocalist. Another group, Oakland-based Slammin All-Body Band, is a mix of a cappella singing, beatboxing and body music. She has collaborated for more than two decades with internationally known Latin percussionist John Santos including on a Grammy-nominated album. She considers him a mentor.
Another mentor (and friend) is San Francisco’s Bobby McFerrin, 10-time Grammy winner and a cappella innovator, best known for the giant 1988 hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” In 2023, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,
Wolf has performed with McFerrin’s improvisational a cappella ensemble, SoVoSó, a mix of jazz, gospel, world and R&B music, performing at local venues Yoshi’s and SFJazz, as well as across the country and internationally.
With Bobby McFerrin and Motion. Photo by Jackie Radinsky
For the last four-plus years, Wolf has been a member of McFerrin’s Motion, an improvisational “circlesongs” a cappella group, designed to involve the audience. Every Monday, at noon, at the Freight & Salvage performance space in Berkeley; those in attendance are invited to participate in wordless singing. It’s a judgement-free zone.
“For me, the message is we all have our own unique voices and that we should sing for ourselves. We need to give ourselves permission to sing because a lot of people have been told not to sing, to leave it to somebody else. Who are they to stop us from using this thing that is uniquely ours?”
Motion sessions are about creating in the moment. “To be able to have that ability to share and be so present is very gratifying,” she said.
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lf told her mother at age two that she wanted to be a singer. “I didn’t know if I was good, but I knew it felt good,” Wolf said.
Her parents encouraged her artistic pursuits. Wolf remembers a childhood of entertaining friends of the family. In the eighth grade, she experienced a pivotal performance. “I could feel the audience just taking in what I was doing,” she said.
Wolf’s passion is not just to touch listeners, but to help people heal and offer hope. “That’s so important to me. Throughout time, I have seen how my music touches people in different places in the world,” she said. “I just want to be in service to the music. It’s about connection in my community, the people in the room and a way for us to feel deeper emotions together.”
Pop stardom was never the goal, even when she spent 12 years in Los Angeles with her husband. She enjoyed being a session singer, touring and collaborating with such artists as singer/rapper Matisyahu, John Cale (founding member of the Velvet Underground) and in-demand songwriter/producer Kool Kojak (stylized as “KoOoLkOjAk”), who has written and produced such artists as Ke$ha, Kim Petras and Doja Cat.
“Once I found my people, it was amazing and magical,” Wolf said. “There’s just a different type of focus there, which is recorded music and touring. I did a lot of my own recordings, as well.”
In 2006, Wolf released her first album, called “Again and Again,” a fusion of funk, soul, Latin, reggae and hip-hop with an uplifting message. All through her career, she has continued to spread what she refers to as “radical joy” through her music. It’s a spiritual thing. “Music travels through me. I just want to be in service to the music,” she said.
Wolf, who earned a BA degree in music at San Francisco State University, is a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is also raising two teenage boys with her husband of 21 years, in addition to all her musical endeavors, including creating tracks for meditation.
She plans on releasing a new album in the fall. Her latest single is titled, “If I Could Wait,” a classically soulful song. “It’s about our ability to love and receive love and how important that is,” Wolf said. “It’s also about the abundance the love that we have inside to offer. The songs that I have coming are about relationships. They’re about connection. They’re about shining our own light and being as bright as we can. That’s how we elevate as a society,” Wolf said.
Wolf performs “circlesongs” with Bobby McFerrin’s Motion every Monday at noon, at The Freight (formally known as Freight & Salvage), 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley. Tickets: $40.
On August 7, 2026 KPFA’s “On Hard Knock Radio” host Davey D sat down with the Berkeley-raised singer, songwriter and vocal improviser Destani Wolf for a wide-ranging conversation about her musical journey and creative philosophy. Listen here.
Watch Destini’s wide range of music plus videos with Bobby McFerrin, Cirque de Soleil and more here.
Listen on Apple Music and Spotify
The Agile Vocalist podcast interviewed Destini here.
Noma Faingold is a writer and photographer who lives in Noe Valley. A native San Franciscan who grew up in the Sunset District, Faingold is a frequent contributor to the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers, among others. She is obsessed with pop culture and the arts, especially film, theater and fashion. Noma has written about poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, artists Tamara de Łempicka, Isaac Julien, and Wayne Thiebaud, numerous independent filmmakers, and singer/songwriters Janis Joplin, Diane Warren, and Linda Smith for EatDrinkFilms.