Some artists’ Jazz Fest debuts are triumphs, some are disasters, and some are life-changing experiences. It was all the above for Mia Borders, who played her first Fest in 2010 just after graduating from Loyola. But mostly it was life-changing, even though she injured her voice mid-set and thought at the time that she’d just sunk her own career.

“I was so green and over-enthusiastic and worked myself ...