Thursday, January 20, 2011

Indie Review Radio welcomes Maya Azucena

Set your reminders and tune in!  See ya Saturday :)

Indie Review Radio – Hosted by Raychelle & C.Truth
12 pm to 1 pm
Call-in Number: (646) 478-5123

MAYA AZUCENA



Some people are born with jaw-dropping talent, some born with a burning will to succeed, and some born with a spirit to help those in need. Multiple award-winning singer Maya Azucena embodies it all, a vocalist so richly talented that she's brought audiences to their feet all over the world. Driven by an entrepreneur's spirit, she's released her own music and toured the planet.  Maya's a humanitarian who consistently uses these gifts to help make life better for those around her. An electric performer with commanding stage presence and passionate delivery; Maya's concerts are often described as "spiritual" and "riveting." Her music sounds like a cutting-edge version of Aretha Franklin mixed with the fire of Lauryn Hill and the songwriting talent of classic Stevie Wonder.  Maya has also been compared to Roberta Flack & Chaka Khan. Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, and Bono inspire her due to his engagement in outreach.  Maya describes her sound as “raw soul,” live based music with her blend of classic soul, rock, hip hop, and jazz. The Chinese press summed it up by saying "Ms Azucena has the power to 'penetrate blocks' and to touch people from different cultural backgrounds." Maya is a true 21st Century success story. Rising from the streets of Brooklyn, her talent took her to the LaGuardia School of Performing Arts (the "Fame" school). Later she formed a band and started honing her performance skills all over the U.S. Maya's 2nd show found her performing in front of 8,000 people in Brooklyn. Shortly thereafter, she released her debut CD "Maya Who?" independently, selling it at shows and from her website. It was this direct connection with fans that led to much of her success and growth as a businesswoman. Maya's collaborations have also helped propel her career. Her collaboration with Stephen Marley won a Grammy for the album “Mind Control.” Most importantly, Maya Azucena believes that music is a tool for healing and activism. She sang in Washington DC at the Save Darfur Rally along with politicians and celebrities such as Barack Obama and George Clooney. Maya and Emmy-winning director Lisa Russell co-founded MDGFive.com, a multi-media website for maternal health awareness. It’s an interactive site in which users can create their own mash up videos. Through this collaboration she was invited to perform at Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's exclusive "Every Woman, Every Child" event at the United Nation's 2010 MDG Summit. Maya earned a Proclamation from the House of Representatives and won The Network Journal's prestigious "Top 40 Under 40" Award for her exemplary community work and business acumen. Maya consistently works as a Cultural Ambassador representing the U.S. and performed in countries as varied as Sri Lanka, Honduras, and Myanmar. Maya is headed to Tanzania in February for the Zanzibar Music Festival to co-write/co-produce a tune with African artists for Maternal Health Awareness, on the behalf of UNFPA and MDGFive.com. Maya’s song “Higher Power” was featured in the Eliot Spitzer film “Client 9.” A video is in the works for that song as well as the Marley-produced “Havin Fun” by Mr.Cheeks for his forthcoming album. 


1 comment:

  1. Nice! Blessings
    Beverly Campbell
    http://beautifulencouragedelevatedempoweredsisters.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete