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To immediately listen to this month's Top Five vocalists, please Click Here Alina Named December “Best Vocalist Of The Month” With Her Song “I Wanna Live”By Dale Kawashima Alina, a very promising, pop/soul singer/writer & pianist based in Los Angeles, CA, has won the December SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for her performance of her song “I Wanna Live”. This song will be included on her debut CD Piano And Sax, which she will release independently next Spring (2008).
“I Wanna Live” is a contemporary pop/R&B ballad in the general vein of a Mariah Carey or Alicia Keys. This recording is actually very basic, consisting of just Alina’s lead and background vocals, plus her piano playing. But it’s the sparseness of this demo which provides Alina a terrific outlet to showcase her powerful, expressive vocals, and her skillful piano ability. With this song (which she wrote by herself), Alina also demonstrates that she is talented songwriter who knows how to create a strong chorus and title hook. Alina was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lived until she was 17. She was first inspired musically by her mother, who was an amateur opera singer. Alina began singing and playing piano at age five, and when she was nine she started performing (as a lead vocalist) and touring with a classical choir called Aurora. Some of her favorite artists growing up were Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye. When she was 14, Alina began writing songs on piano, but in St. Peterberg there weren’t many studios for her to record and develop her music. “In Russia it was hard to record – there wasn’t a lot of opportunities,” she explained. Alina did perform a couple times on Russian television shows. Then in 2005 (at age 17) she met her future husband, Brad Smith, who was on a business trip to Russia. The couple subsequently married, and Alina moved with Smith to his home is Las Vegas, NV. Alina and Smith (who co-manages Alina with attorney David Graubert) now commute between their homes in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
During the past year, Alina has written and recorded six of the songs for her upcoming debut album, Piano And Sax. She also plays live regularly, in Los Angeles (The Mint), Las Vegas and New York City (The Sugar Bar, The Bitter End). Impressively, Alina has built a large following via her MySpace site (314,000 visitors), and she has posted videos of her performing live on YouTube, which have attracted over 100,000 views. “It’s an exciting time for me,” said Alina, who has also been featured in magazines and on radio stations. “I will be doing a video in February of my first single, which is called ‘Pull Up My Pants.’ I have also been contacted by some major labels, but I want to finish my album first before making a decision regarding a record label.”
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| Taylor Mills |
"Center Of Your Heart." (pop/rock). Performed by Taylor Mills of Austin, TX. Written by Scott Bennett.
E-mail: TaylorMillsMusic@mac.com
Websites: www.myspace.com/taylormills1, www.taylormillsmusic.com
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| Charles Laster |
"In My Mind." (Contemporary Christian). Performed by Charles Laster II of Detroit, MI (background vocal by Silvia Pratesi). Written by Silvia Pratesi & Charles Laster II.
E-mail: cmac2music@yahoo.com
Websites: www.www.charleslasterministries.com
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| Jolita |
"Destiny." (AC). Performed by Jolita of Chicago, IL. Written by Vladimir Graic.
E-mail: brilliantou@gmail.com
Website: www.myspace.com/jolitabrilliant
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| Sharon Gosler |
"Faces Of Yesterday." (AC/pop). Performed and written by Sharon Gosler of Wassenaar, Netherlands.
E-mail: sgosler@hotmail.com
Website: www.myspace.com/sharongosler
To enter the next "Best Vocalist Of The Month" Competition (the deadline is the last day of each month), please Click Here For Info
