Working as a stay-at-home mom is not an easy task by any means — but there are a few perks.

When jazz diva Nnenna Freelon was a stay-at-home mom, she took advantage of not having to keep specific hours. Instead of relaxing during down time, the singer practiced her vocal skills.

“Not working at a job freed me up somewhat to work on my music,” Freelon said.

The up-and-coming jazz singer said sometimes she would practice softly when her three children were asleep, which ended up helping her learn the difficult task of singing softly.

“I had to learn to sing on pitch at a very low pitch,” Freelon remembered.

Fifteen years later, Freelon’s children are nearing adulthood and their mother does much more than sing in the privacy of her home.

Freelon’s natural, honest approach to the art of jazz has earned her a touring schedule that keeps her busy about two weeks per month and a new album that was just released by Concord Records titled “Maiden Voyage.”

“I’m very fortunate to be able to do something for a living that is my passion,” Freelon said.

Though music may have always been Freelon’s passion when she was growing up, it was never something she thought she could do for a living.

Born in Cambridge, Mass., Freelon liked to sing in church choirs throughout her childhood. As a young girl, she was exposed to a variety of music, including classical, R & B, jazz and folk; however, she didn’t realize until she was older that jazz was the genre of music through which she could best express herself.

“As I grew older, I found that [jazz] was alive inside me,” Freelon said. “It was something I could reach up and grab.”

Despite her love for singing, Freelon continued to pursue a career in health care administration. However, when she wasn’t working, Freelon sang in clubs, which eventually led to friendships with jazz pedestals such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef, Ellis Marsalis and Herbie Hancock.

She eventually gained national attention by opening for acts such as Ray Charles, Al Jarreau and T.S. Monk.

For the past four years, Freelon has been touring with her own band, and earning an even larger following across America. And her “Maiden Voyage” has just added to her success.

Freelon describes the album as a celebration of the music of great women songwriters, storytellers and singers Freelon has admired throughout her career.

“I’m not generally in favor of concept records, as such, because sometimes the concept gets to be bigger and more important than the music,” Freelon explained. “And I didn’t want to do a tribute album to any one particular songwriter or artist. So I thought I’d celebrate the music I grew up loving, and a lot of that music was written by women, or written by men with a feminine perspective.”

Freelon will be singing songs from her album Friday at the Maintenance Shop at 8 and 11 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 general admission.