Francesca Reggio

Born in Rahway, NJ to an Italian-American household, Francesca grew up in the northern suburban town of Westfield. She began singing and performing around the house to the likes of Madonna and Whitney Houston by making the hearth of the fireplace her stage and dressing up in fancy dresses and make-up to entertain her "audience" (mom, grandma and big brother). In doing so, she developed a passionate desire for music and performing. Following her instincts she pursued classical studies with the cello in elementary school and sang in various choruses throughout high school. At age 12, her family moved down the famous Jersey Shore at Toms River. While coping with the adjustment to a new school and new surroundings, Francesca found sanctuary in music and began to explore songwriting. At 13 she received her first acoustic guitar as a birthday present from her grandmother. She immediately began lessons and quickly picked up on guitar.

Within a year she acquired enough skill to land her first gig at local coffee house "The Java Joint," where she was offered a 2 hour time slot on Tuesday nights at $20 an hour. "It was a great learning experience for me. It was pretty much my first time performing in front of people I didn't know and taking that risk of rejection. I remember being outside of the place before I went in and just couldn't stop shaking. I said to myself, 'If I can't do this now I never will'. That was enough convincing for me..."Throughout high school, Francesca was active in the music and theatre programs and had participated in several chorus and dramatic competitions. She won the prestigious Arion award for high school singers who are pursuing a music career and took home the 2nd Place title in a benefit talent show for Ocean of Love, a local charity for children battling cancer, judged by Arista executives and recording artist Andrea Martin. "I remember her coming up to me after the show and she was so flamboyant and excited to meet me. She seemed so impressed by my performance and was like 'We need to get you a manager!' She took my number and everything. It was really cool...

Amidst the high school accomplishments, Francesca was troubled with the decision of where to find a decent music school that didn't concentrate on classical styles and would allow her to learn about engineering, producing and performing all at the same time. That problem was quickly solved with a spur-of-the-moment visit to an old teacher. He told her to check out Berklee College of Music in Boston, that maybe she would find what she was looking for there. The following year, Francesca shipped off to Berklee and dove into a full schedule of composition, performance classes and ear training. She quickly became involved in numerous recording projects for fellow students and in her first year was one of the first members of a new program for children at risk as a music mentor and vocal coach. The Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester teamed up with Berklee to create a program that would allow these kids at risk to turn to something other than violence. It was a safe, fun and educational alternative to those who were most susceptible to the type of things that were going on in their community. I learned a lot about those kids and a lot about myself. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Now that she has finished with her degree in Professional Music, Francesca is living in Woburn and gigging in between her busy schedule. She plans to continue performing, songwriting and pursuing a major recording career, and is in the process of recording her first full-length album.