Ximena Sariñana—a jazz-pop sensation in her native Mexico—performed a soulful set at the 9:30 club earlier this week. She sang exclusively in Spanish, but charmed the crowd between songs, speaking in English and explaining what each upcoming song was about and what it meant to her.

Although the 23-year-old Sariñana has performed in D.C. before-she appeared at a private event in Washington last year-she seemed slightly bashful in front of the 9:30 crowd. She often closed her eyes while performing hits such as “Mediocre,” “La Tina,” and “Normal,” and played the ukulele, kazoo, and tambourine.

Her voice was impressive and wowed the crowd, which was made up of many young fans, many from Latin America, and a few gray-haired folks who seemed to appreciate the new rock music twist on jazz. Xime closed her set with the smash hit “Vidas Paralelas,” which is about two ex-lovers who often think of each other, wondering what the other is up to, while they live separate, yet parallel, lives.

Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana has said that her debut studio album, 2008's Mediocre, was meant to take on old-fashioned images of women as demure, repressed, one-dimensional beings. The only thing that drives home that point better than Sariñana's album is the artist herself.

At 23, she is a film and television star, in addition to being an outspoken Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, and she's currently headlining her first U.S. tour. Her beautiful voice and laid-back, jazzy style have drawn comparisons to Norah Jones, but Sariñana is more complex than that. Songs such as "Normal" and "No Vuelvo Mas" are mellow, for sure, but always with a bit of edge bubbling just under the surface.

As is often the case with newly crowned industry darlings, Sariñana is pretty busy these days: On Thursday she's headed down to Miami for the Billboard Latin Music Awards, where Medicore is nominated in the Latin Rock/Alternative Album Of The Year category. But, you can see her tonight at the 9:30 club, with Matthew Santos. Take advantage of the opportunity-from the look of things, Sariñana may soon be hard to catch.

Sariñana performs at 7 p.m. at the 9:30 club, 815 V St. NW. $18. (202) 265-0930.