Elizabeth Ayoub

A promising light among young American and Arab artists. She sings in various languages with conviction and full emotion. Her heartfelt songs are of folk quality and rhythm, with a jazz-blues bend (she is often compared to Norah Jones and Fairuz). She has a beguiling voice and captivating talent. With each song, she creates a rich tapestry of images, a journey for the listener to relish. She believes that music, like acting (as she is also a trained actress) must move the audience. A storyteller at heart, her lyrics give way to her personal history.

She was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Her parents emigrated from Lebanon to Venezuela before the civil war in search of a promising future. The youngest of seven siblings, she always knew she would become a singer. She was thrust into an environment where three different languages were freely spoken and where her musical influences ranged from Koranic verse and Fairuz, to Simon & Garfunkel and Barbra Streisand. She performed at a young age in various school musicals at the American Prep School in Caracas. There, she studied choral music and performed with the school choir for a number of years. When she was 16, she performed at a Latin Rock music festival in Caracas with her school band. The band was so well received, that a talent scout approached them for a recording contract. However, the stars weren't aligned for her and the band at that time and the deal fell through.

She then traveled to America to fulfill her family's commitment in obtaining a university degree in marketing. But the stage was always in her heart. At the University of Miami, she studied Jazz voice and fell in love with Ella Fitzgerald. Soon, she began writing songs and playing them at folk festivals, open-mics and music industry showcases, one of which was for SONY execs.

After unsuccessfully shopping a self-produced demo, she dropped out of the music scene temporarily and fell in love with acting. She joined a theatre group and pursued acting for a few years. She took acting seriously and headed to NY, where she trained intensively at the Atlantic Theatre Company, co-founded by Hollywood writer/director David Mamet and actor William H. Macy. It was in theatre where she was reacquainted with the power of her voice to move an audience. During this time, she met a fellow world-music enthusiast, Jose Elias. A Cuban-American of Lebanese decent, Jose and Elizabeth quickly formed a music alliance.

The achievement of their efforts led to a magnificent debut album, where many different music styles (folk, jazz, latin) meld into one. Moreover, it reflects all her talents and gives the listener the unique opportunity to travel through her songs to different spaces. Though she now calls Miami home, she does not forget her two native countries: Venezuela and Lebanon. Both are always in the heart of her music and life's work. An activist for justice and peace in the Middle East, she carries the torch of tolerance and freedom wherever she performs.