WEBSITE: http://www.zeeavi.com/MYSPACE: http://myspace.com/zeeavi
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/zeeavi
PURCHASE: Amazon MP3, iTunes
I have a thing for female musicians. I’m not ashamed of the girl crushes I have on Jenny Lewis or Leslie Feist - they’re amazingly talented. Sometimes the marketing of a woman’s image and sex appeal overshadows her music, so I genuinely get excited when I hear a new female vocalist with talent. Zee Avi, a 23-year-old from Borneo, is someone who I think has a lot of potential.
Zee Avi started spreading her music on YouTube as a way to share it with her friends. She quickly grew a fan base on the site and was surprised at the number of comments she was receiving in response to her music. She uploaded what she thought was her last song about a year ago around Christmas time. It was an original called “No Christmas for Me” (watch it below). Ironically, the video she thought was her last, created the most buzz. Amongst the slew of e-mails from fans, were label offerings from Brushfire Records and Monotone. Both labels put out her first album.
From listening to her songs, it’s easy to see she gets inspiration from the old standards of jazz, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Although less apparent, she also credits The Velvet Underground and other classic rock artists as inspiration. Not so much for their sound but for their prose. She uses very simple melodies and has an old, classic singing voice. She describes her writing style as straightforward and honest. She uses a lot of lyrical storytelling, like in the song featured below, "Honey Bee," about the relationship of two nonconformists who are shunned for being themselves. Not all of her songs are about bees and trees, though. Her tracks can also be a bit dark, like the song “Poppy,” describing her relationship with a drug addict. She also has a little island flare going on, transporting you to her childhood home in Borneo. On one track, “Kantoi,” she even sings in Manglish, a mixture of Malay and English.
From listening to her songs, it’s easy to see she gets inspiration from the old standards of jazz, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Although less apparent, she also credits The Velvet Underground and other classic rock artists as inspiration. Not so much for their sound but for their prose. She uses very simple melodies and has an old, classic singing voice. She describes her writing style as straightforward and honest. She uses a lot of lyrical storytelling, like in the song featured below, "Honey Bee," about the relationship of two nonconformists who are shunned for being themselves. Not all of her songs are about bees and trees, though. Her tracks can also be a bit dark, like the song “Poppy,” describing her relationship with a drug addict. She also has a little island flare going on, transporting you to her childhood home in Borneo. On one track, “Kantoi,” she even sings in Manglish, a mixture of Malay and English.
"Honey Bee" off of Zee Avi
She is on tour this summer promoting the release of her self-titled debut, and starting in July she will be opening for Pete Yorn.
THE SKINNY: Zee Avi is a female vocalist who produces soulful, relaxing music.
FAVORITE TRACK: "Honey Bee"
FOR FANS OF: Ingrid Michaelson
0 of you said...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
