Adjoa Skinner

Artist Information

Biography

Adjoa Skinner is a jazz/soul singer-songwriter born and raised in upstate New York to a family of musicians. In 2000 Skinner chose to experience the culture and music of East, South and West Africa, where she lived for two years and received the name Adjoa. In 2006 Skinner moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career full-time as a vocalist, songwriter and musician, playing piano, guitar, drums and flute.

After living in LA for only a month she began her own weekly show. A year after that she was asked by one of LA's best bookers JT Presents (Beth Hart, Carney, Sara Bareilles, Flogging Mollys) to have her own weekly slot at Molly Malones on Monday nights. Word of her residency came to producer Charlie Peacock who invited Adjoa to Nashville for an artist's retreat and aided her in receiving a grant to continue on with her music. Soon after she started a weekly showcase @ Genghis Cohen sponsored by ASCAP and Adrenaline Music every Tuesday night. She was then asked by Suite 101 in the Inland Empire to be their first resident artist at Sakura Ichi Grill and played there many weekends.

Adjoa Skinner has shared a stage with The Jonas Brothers, Amy Grant, Charlie Peacock, Daniel Bedingfield, Beth Hart, The Daylights, Interscope artists' Carney, Guitar Virtuoso Adrian Legg (voted Guitarist of the Decade by Guitarist Magazine), Leon Mobley (percussionist for Ben Harper), Amy Kuney, Jackie Tohn, Dave Wilson (musician for Engelbert Humperdink), Charles Jones (musician for Raphael Sadiq, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson), Multi-platinum Harpist Lisa Lynn as well as many others.

After the process of crafting her live performances Adjoa decided to focus her efforts on recording and writing.
She began working with Movie Music Producer Kevin Teasley (Christina Milian, Katherine McPhee) and has recorded several tracks which will be in movies such as "Can't Go It Alone" placed in the MGM film, "The Trouble With Romance".
Continually recording she has been able to work with producers Charlie Peacock, Kevin Dippold (Smashing Pumpkins), Brad Murphree (Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Martina McBride, George Clinton...), Satoshi Mark Noguchi (Hans Zimmer).
She produced her five song EP "Nothin More to Say" with Satoshi Mark Noguchi and self-released it in April of 2009.
Adjoa has scored for numerous indie films and trailers, and just recently had an acoustic version of her original song "My Friend" placed on the CW series "Everwood" Season 3 DVD set.

She signed a non-exclusive music licensing deal with DL Music in 2007 and came on board with Coleman Productions Agency for touring in the college circuit starting in 2009.

Adjoa Skinner is endorsed by Sennheiser Microphones and Alvarez Guitars.
More information is available by visiting www.adjoaskinner.com

REVIEWS:
"That is some voice she has there. Excellent pitch!" - Eddie, Big Daddy Recording

"Beautiful music, Beautiful soul." - Erwin and Kim McManus, MOSAIC

"Adjoa is a fresh, young, incredible talent whose star is on the RISE." - Ashley Maher, Musician

"Awesome....beautiful vocals.." - Jeffrey, Machi Entertainment

Instrumentation

Adjoa Skinner Band Configurations:

Solo acoustic:
Adjoa - guitar and/or piano, djembe & voice

Duo acoustic:
Adjoa - guitar and/or piano, djembe & voice
Justin DiCenzo- Upright and electric bass, guitar, bkg vox

Band trio:
Adjoa - guitar and/or piano, djembe & voice
Justin DiCenzo - Upright and electric bass, guitar, bkg vox
Young Professor - drumset

Lance Beckford - drumset &/or cajon, hand percussion, bkg vox

4-5 piece:
Adjoa - guitar and/or piano, djembe & voice
Justin - Upright and electric bass, guitar, bkg vox
Young Professor - drumset
& / or
Lance Beckford - drumset &/or cajon, hand percussion, bkg vox
Chris Franz - electric guitar
Dave Wilson - piano, organ, sax, bkg vox

Additions:
Cello & bkg vox - Julia Wood
Back-up singers: Ashley Hunt & Lauren Richards

Discography

"Nothin More To Say" EP - released May 2009

www.mollymalonesmusic.com

I'd Fly To the Moon - Single released December 2007

Adjoa Skinner Live - Released March 2008

Links

• MySpace
• Official WEBSITE
• Facebook
• Last.fm
• Twitter
• Purchase first CD

Audio

• Label Reel
  Listen  
• Never
  Listen  
• Nothin More To Say
  Listen  
• The Good Life
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Sunset
• Never

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Great American Song Contest Song Evaluation [+ Show ]
  

  "Adjoa's 'I'd fly to the Moon' has a fresh and appealing melody, and an engaging lyric...very talent..."Adjoa's 'I'd fly to the Moon' has a fresh and appealing melody, and an engaging lyric...very talented work."
  
  GreatAmericanSong.com

• Adjoa's debut CD [+ Show ]
  

  Soothing and sweet, clear and to the point, Emily Rachael Skinner (Adjoa) offers a new wave of music...Soothing and sweet, clear and to the point, Emily Rachael Skinner (Adjoa) offers a new wave of music, beginning with "Playtime" a grass roots recording done in a week while living in Capetown South Africa in 2002. Now living back in the states and always writing, this new artist dips into jazz and pop while taking excerpts from African music to create a sound of her own.
  
  http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pageartist.cfm?bandID=388063
  

• What people are saying [+ Show ]
  

  That is some voice she has there. Excellent pitch. That soulful sound reminds me of southern blues ...That is some voice she has there. Excellent pitch. That soulful sound reminds me of southern blues and rock. I look forward to hearing more of her stuff. I'll go to CD baby and pick up the CD.
  
  Eddie
  Big Daddy Rabbit Recording
  Muscle Shoals, AL
  
  "Awesome....beautiful vocals.." - Jeffrey, Machi Entertainment
  
  "Adjoa's music is always helpful, light and friendly...a voice that
  could soothe the world."
  -Christian, fan

• Her Sound [+ Show ]
  

  "Adjoa's like the female Led Zeppelin" - Jim Leber, Nickelodeon Studios Sound Engineer Vinyl C..."Adjoa's like the female Led Zeppelin"
  - Jim Leber,
  Nickelodeon Studios Sound Engineer Vinyl Candy Producer / Keyboardest

• Live Performance Review, April 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  "Performing in a standard acoustic setting may seem relatively simple and unadorned on the surface...."Performing in a standard acoustic setting may seem relatively simple
  and unadorned on the surface. Yet, at times in the set, the arrangements are complex and intricate, characterized by odd time signatures and unusual chord progressions...The dark haired singer has a pretty, lilting voice that is smooth, creamy and girlish, but she is
  also capable of belting her vocals with forceful, authoritative
  conviction..."
  - Harriet Kaplan, Music Connection Magazine, April 2007

Setlist

30-45 minutes set at clubs
1-2 hour set at coffee houses

2-5 hour set - private parties
originals and covers

Basic Requirements

Calendar