Other bands influenced by Whitney Houston
| On Project Opus since: | April 21, 2009 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Simply Torentha, Simply Inspirational is an Urban Inspirational Discography. Hailing from the gospel, jazz, and blues-influenced farm lands of central Florida, (Bealsville) Plant City native Torentha delivers both spirit and soul on "Simply Torentha, Simply Inspirational" his independent label debut. Musically, the project offers soulful, groove-based pop sounds reflective of the richness and eclecticism of the south itself. Stylistically in the vein of such popular current artists as Smokie Norful, Luther Vandross, Marvin Sapp and Gerald Lavert. Torentha possesses the musical chops to perform convincingly as a solo singer-songwriter, as a former leader of a Christian group "The Chosen Few" and Manager/Singer for R&B group "Vocal Seduction" or in his favorite light, the front man to a dynamic band of energetic southern allies. But the strongest stimulus for Torentha’s songs comes from life itself, the adversities he’s experienced and the faith that’s brought him hope in the midst of significant turmoil. Torentha, has worked with Redeemed Ministries under the Diadem/Tribute label from the administrative end and would manage and often sing with such groups: The Chosen Few/co-founded Vocal Seduction Black Ice Wisdom have worked on stage and TV. Da Rapture dir. Reggie Wilson I still love "gig’in" sometimes when I'm in Atlanta you an catch me at Vibes Nite Club , The Acoustic Cafe Bridgeport,CT, The House of Blues in Washington DC, The Academy of Music in The Hampton sometimes I just drop in on small churches and serve when they don't have a musician. "Just doing what I Love most playing and creating music" |
| Albums: | Simply Torentha, Simply Inspirational |
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| On Project Opus since: | November 22, 2007 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Do you believe in Cinderella? Often called "The Next Selena," Liz Ester is an elastic talent who moves effortlessly from ballads to pop to salsa. And although she enjoys the comparison to the legendary Mexican-American singer, she prefers the nickname Cinderella. Liz is a young Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and poet -- singing and writing are two of her biggest passions in life. To date Liz has written thirteen songs with several others she's currently penning. Liz wrote and recorded her first song "Me Haces Sonar" (You Inspire Me to Dream) in 2007, and is balancing life as a daycare teacher by weekday and a singer/songwriter by weekend. In April of 2008, she'll release a string of tracks, the first of which is "Grabado," a Spanish cover of American Idol Winner Jordin Spark's Tattoo. Besides singing, Liz has the talent to interpret songs in pantomime. And also, she loves acting, since she was little she was always participating in dramas and acts, and people who know her say that she puts all her heart to the roles she is playing. Liz has leveraged the new digital age of music to help gather fans across a variety of social networking and video-based sites, including her popular Spanish covers on YouTube which has garnered almost 100,000 views, as well as widgets and plays through MySpace, Facebook and iLike. Since she was little she has been singing. Liz has participated in different talent shows taking first place in many of them and was part of her church's choir and band. Liz has been invited to sing in different places around Puerto Rico and after having moved back to the northeast U.S.she's trying to pursue the dream she's always had hidden in her heart -- inspiring and touching people's lives through music. But for Liz Ester, her story goes much deeper than just music and songwriting. She hails from the city of Mayaguez, of the little isle of Puerto Rico, yet was born in Camden, NJ-- the United State's poorest city. At seven years old, her family moved to Puerto Rico with the promise of a better life, but her life was quickly wraught with disaster-- her parents separated before she turned 12, and her entire family lived in one room and used food stamps to survive. Staying in her father's mother's house, they were not treated like the rest of the family. She never had an quinceañera --a parallel to "sweet sixteens" in the U.S. --- she never went to prom, or did many of the things that other girls were lucky enough to enjoy. When she was twelve she was born again after suffering a car accident, where a car left her almost dead in the ground, people who witnessed this event say that the fact she was alive was a miracle. In spite of what happened to her that day, she sang a song she loved "You can have peace in the storm". But in spite of the troubles -- in fact because of them, she kept on singing. "Every difficult moment, but also every joyful and uplifting moment, filled my mouth with beautiful words and inspired poems," she says. Now, this Puerto Rican Cinderlla wants to break into the music industry and inspire others and touch lives with her music. Never Lose Hope |
| Albums: | Quiero....,Grabado |
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| On Project Opus since: | July 12, 2007 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Influenced by R&B artists such as Mariah Carey, Tamia, and Aretha Franklin, Alex got her start in music by singing as much as humanly possible, starting at the age of three. At eight years old, she began keeping journals of song lyrics that she had written, and at fifteen, she learned how to mix and record her own music. Now 22, her music style has evolved considerably - she writes the lyrics to all of her own songs, and produces the majority of the music as well. |
| Albums: | My Lullaby |
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| On Project Opus since: | March 29, 2006 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | If you have been waiting for a sound that is innovative and eclectic (it’s soulful… it's jazzy...it's bluesy...it’s funky…), yet savvy enough to ride the waves of popular radio, look no further. This is a dynamic artist in touch with modern culture and carrying a message that is impacting those who encounter it. The soulful sound of singer/songwriter/musician Greg Sczebel (“suh-bell”) is steadily capturing the attention of a wide range of music enthusiasts. From the moment you first hear the rhythms of his piano you will be intrigued. His talent is obvious...but then the vocals glide onto the scene and you see that there is more to this artist than just a good beat. His lyrics are intelligent, showing a mature depth, and he doesn’t sacrifice the musicality for catchy hooks. Greg is passionately committed to making good music. And it's obvious others are catching on. He has been recognized for his outstanding talent as an artist, having been honored with many remarkable opportunities and awards. He has shared the stage with a variety of the entertainment industries’ top performers, including Grammy Award-Winning Producer, David Foster, jazz crooner, Michael Bublé, 6–time Juno Award Winner, Colin James - as well as Casting Crowns, Jars of Clay, Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer), Bebo Norman, Carolyn Arends, Out of Eden, Shawn McDonald and more. The end of 2004 brought Sczebel a Canadian Urban Music Award nomination, four CGMA (Covenant Award) nominations, and ultimately two CGMA awards (‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ and ‘Rap/Hip-Hop/Dance Song of the Year’), as well as an Okanagan Musician Award for ‘Gospel Artist of the Year’ for the second year in a row. In 2005 Sczebel continued to gain momentum by picking up a JUNO AWARD (Canada’s Grammy©) for his debut album “Here to Stay” in the category of ‘Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year.’ Shortly after, Sczebel was nominated for a grand total of five Shai (“shay”) Awards (Canada’s Gospel Music People’s Choice Awards) – ultimately taking home 3 of these - ‘Pop/Contemporary Album,’ ‘Urban/Soul Album’ and ‘Song of the Year’ for his single “In the Pocket”. In addition, Sczebel was a grand prize–winner in the international 2004 John Lennon Songwriting Competition, for his title track, “Here to Stay” and more recently was a finalist in the R & B category for the 2005 John Lennon Songwriting Competition for his song “You’ve Got It”. At the close of 2005 Greg was also privileged to sign exclusive endorsement deals with both Audix Microphones and Yamaha USA Pianos & Keyboards. And this is just the beginning of what is quickly becoming a well-established music career. But in spite of the acclaim, Sczebel still finds the most value in the personal connection between music fans and his songs. "To be validated by the awards and opportunities is always encouraging. The most exciting thing though, is hearing that my music is connecting with people. If I can continue creating music that impacts those who listen to it, I'd love to still be doing this 40 years from now." If the present is any indication to the future, Greg Sczebel is well on his way to reaching his goal. Career Highlights: QUOTES: PAUL BRANDT, AWARD WINNING COUNTRY RECORDING ARTIST KEVIN EDELMAN, MUSIC SUPERVISOR - METALMAN MEDIA INC. CAROLYN ARENDS, DOVE AND SHAI AWARD WINNING SINGER/SONGWRITER DIONNE SMITH, PRESIDENT, VIBE GOSPEL MUSIC HEATHER CLARK, HEATHERCLARKBAND JAYLENE JOHNSON, SINGER / SONGWRITER |
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