Cyndiva
| Established. Jan 01, 2014
Music
Press
It's a crying shame when other cities 'round the country get to hear Mobtown's musical youth more than we do. But in the case of Cyndiva, we're not going to complain too much. This young soul singer deserves much love--and she's received a crash course in how the whole musical life works, having toured as an opener for Jill Scott and Alicia Keys. She's also gearing up for her debut recording--even if she is doing things a little out of whack. She's already been around the country with just a single to her name ("Say You Will"). She plans on shooting a video in town in October. She's already getting face time with national press. But her debut album, Shades of a Diva on Within Reach/Universal Records, won't even drop until December. Then again, by the time the album does hit stores, maybe Cyndiva will be set to blow up for real. - Baltimore City Paper 2002
GREENWICH, Conn., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Snuggle(R) fabric softener has named 10 of America's most rockin'-n-rollin' moms as finalists in its "Snuggle Be a Singing Scentsation" karaoke competition. Although the search for the country's best singing moms may be over, the battle for superstardom is just heating up.
From today through December 15, all of America can "get in on the act" by logging on to http://www.snuggle.com/, watching the finalists perform hits like "Respect" and "Turn the Beat Around," and voting for their favorite. Voters are entered for the chance to win one of 1,000 karaoke machines, valued at $200 each.
The five women with the most votes will form a brand-new band, The Snuggle Scentsations, and perform live at Westwood One's "Backstage at the GRAMMY(R)s" radio area. Each winner also will receive a trip for two to Los Angeles and two tickets to the 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 8, 2006. The five winners will be announced in January 2006.
The 10 finalists are: Michelle Plachter of Philadelphia; Kat Pigliacampi of Chadd Ford, PA; Michelle Card of Fairview, OR; Gabriela Flores of Hillside, NJ; Monya Fisher of St. Louis; Sonya Taylor of St. Louis; Wendy DeRigo of Naples, FL; Maggie Hanzmann of Santa Clarita, CA; Rhonda Taylor of Pleasanton, CA, and Cynthia Harcum of Baltimore.
"Thanks to all of the talented moms who entered the 'Snuggle Be a Singing Scentsation' contest -- they've really showed us how the fabulous scents in Snuggle liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets make them want to sing," says Helayna Minsk, Snuggle marketing director. "Now it's time for America to decide who makes the cut to join The Snuggle Scentsations."
From September 1 to October 31, the Snuggle Be a Singing Scentsation competition gave American moms an "all-access pass" to unleash their secret rock star fantasies. Moms with dreams of singing success "released what's inside" and entered either via video submission online at http://www.snuggle.com/ or at one of eight Snuggle karaoke tour stops across the country.
Log on to http://www.snuggle.com/ to watch the performances and decide which moms are rockin' enough to join The Snuggle Scentsations. The site also features more information about the competition, including the official rules.
About Snuggle(R)
Snuggle(R), a Unilever laundry brand, is one of the most popular fabric softener brands in the country. Snuggle gets clothes wonderfully soft and fragrant with Wash to Wash Freshness(TM). All five scented products, Cuddle-Up Fresh(R), Emerald Stream(R), Sunkissed Breeze, Botanical Bliss(R), and Spring Blush(R) are available in liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets. Just one sniff of these Snuggle scents will make you want to sing! For more information, visit http://www.snuggle.com/.
Website: http://www.snuggle.com/
- PR Newswire
Snappily dressed performers emulated Billie Holiday’s sultry croon at a competition honoring the late “Lady Day.”
Ten competitors belted out Holiday’s jazz and blues songs to a crowd of more than 200 during the 17th Annual Baltimore Billie Holiday Vocal Competition on Sunday at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall during Baltimore’s Artscape festival.
“When they sing her songs, they try to get as close to her voice as they can. A lot of them do succeed,” said Jalilah McDuffie, of Baltimore, who has been attending the competition nearly every year since it began.
The competition is intense, as participants compete for prizes totaling $5,500, she said.
Audience members, who described Holiday’s voice as “earthy” and “mellow,” selected local singer Cynthia Harcum for the People’s Choice Award. Georgene Fountain, of Germantown, won the first place prize.
For some Holiday fans, the event was an opportunity to reflect on the life of a legend.
Holiday was raised in Fells Point in Baltimore and was first introduced to jazz and blues in the parlor of a Baltimore brothel.
She faced hardships throughout her career, as she struggled against racism and sexism, according to a biography from the competition.
“Her music is a timeline of her life. It reminds me of how much tragedy befalls people who have extraordinary talent,” said Frances Howell, of Washington, D.C.
The competition was also a chance to inform young people about the early roots of jazz and blues music.
“Her music is timeless. It’s important to bring back her talent. It’s incredible to see all the different interpretations of her songs,” said Jennifer Wurtz, an Artscape volunteer.
Winners of the 2006 Billie Holiday Contest
» First Place: Georgene Fountain
» Second Place: Sandra Johnson
» Third Place: Marvin Lee Parks
» People’s Choice: Cynthia Harcum
lgreenback@baltimoreexaminer.com
- The Examiner www.examiner.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Cynthia Cyndiva Harcum, a Baltimore native, has been singing nearly all of her life. She has performed at many talent showcases, fashion shows, weddings, birthday parties, etc. in and around Baltimore.
This singer/songwriter is an undiscovered phenomenon, "People's Choice Award winner" in the Mayor's 18th annual Billie Holliday Vocal Competition, Baltimore, Maryland. She was voted "Best Up and Coming Soul Sista", by City Paper. She earned the title of "Dominican Idol" on 98Rock's Morning Show; winning an all expense paid trip to the Dominican Republic. She has appeared on local news stations, including WJZ-TV's "People Are Talking", On Time with Kai Jackson, The News Channel 2 News at Noon and The Fox45 Morning Show. She has been a featured artist in Music Monthly Magazine.
America chose her as a Grand Prize winner in the Snuggle.com "Be a Singing Scent-sation" Contest, a national competition for mothers of America who dream of being a rock-star. Winners were selected by an online vote to become a five member-singing group called the Snuggle Scentsations. The Prize consisted of a trip to California, several performances at Westwood Ones Backstage at The Grammys, radio and television interviews with local and national press, and tickets to the 2006 Grammy Awards. Cyndiva was chosen to be a featured artist on the RockinMoms.com podcast. She continues to sing on both the choir and praise team at The Living Word Christian Center Church, of Owings Mills, Maryland. This is a particularly joyous part of her life, because she shares this experience with her daughter. Her philosophy on her musical style is that she simply sings from her soul, because her heart is too fragile for such a weighty task.
Ultimately, Cyndiva's desire is to develop a loyal fan base. She says that selling multi-platinum would, of course be an honor. However, that is not her motivation. She hopes to inspire and entertain the world with her amazing voice and tremendous songwriting talent. She aspires to a career reminiscent of people she looks up to like Stevie Wonder, Patti Labelle, and Rachelle Ferrell. She longs for the kind of success that would allow her to sell out arenas and clubs without even having a song on the charts.
"I want to connect with my audience on a much deeper level. I want longevity", says the young diva with zest. "Basically I want my music to mean as much to my listeners as it does to me"
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