Jennifer Kreisberg
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Jennifer Kreisberg

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Band World Singer/Songwriter

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"Jennifer Kreisberg’s Music is Fearless. Just Like She Is"

March 4th, 2007
Jennifer Kreisberg sings and writes music. What this award-winning artist conveys through her breathtaking vocals, interestingly, reveals a great deal about who she is personally as well as creatively.

For Jennifer Kreisberg’s music is fearless. Just like she is.

She has been singing for as long as she can remember; her mother studied opera, her father a musician and music educator. It’s clearly in the gene pool—a voice that’s a gift from the angels.
“I’ve always sang everything. All of it. Whatever my parents liked, I sang. When I was growing up, whenever my mother’s family got together, whether it was for funerals or holidays or whatever, we all would sing together in harmony.”

By the time this mixed-blood Tuscarora reached her teens, it became clear her voice was her calling. At 17, she joined the A capella trio Ulali which includes her cousin, Pura Fe and Soni Moreno.

Since the late 1980’s, the trio has performed worldwide at venues including the Tonight Show, 2002 Olympics, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. With their edgy messages and distinctive harmonies, Ulali has contributed to productions from Smoke Signals to the Showtime series, The L-word, and has worked with the best in the biz including Robbie Robertson, Buffy Sainte Marie, the Indigo Girls, and Neville Brothers. (They’ve even shared the stage with Sting…but we’ll forgive the ladies for that one.)

While continuing to perform with Ulali, Jennifer is also growing as a solo artist. Several years ago, she appeared in Sherman Alexie’s film, The Business of Fancydancing and in February her song Have Hope from Unnatural and Accidental earned a GENIE Award, Canada’s top film honor. If you listen to the song (which we have streamed below,) you can understand why. The preternatural vocal contrasted with the heartbeat drumming provides a much-needed transcendence to the murdered women portrayed in the film.



“These women were real people,” she says. “I wanted the song to give a sense of healing.” Indeed, you don’t have to see the film to feel how the song empowers these faceless victims. These women mattered. In less than five minutes, Have Hope expresses that sentiment more effectively than the doleful film did in nearly two hours.

Fresh from her GENIE win, Jennifer’s first solo album, She Mixed It is scheduled for a summer release. Stretching herself artistically, her album will incorporate the eclectic blend of music she’s been singing throughout her life.

“I’m calling the album She Mixed It because it represents all the music that’s in my head, which isn’t just one kind,” she explains. “Of course, I’ll be including traditional and contemporary Native music, but also hip-hop, neosoul, even some folk. I have so many different ideas and I’ve decide to release myself from worrying about putting a label on it.”

Even the CD’s artwork on will convey where she's at as a woman and performer. She’s commissioned renowned Creek/Seminole/Cherokee artist Dana Tiger to create a portrait of her “as a real woman. Not somebody who looks like Barbie.”

Meanwhile, she’s remains refreshingly candid about her priorities. First and foremost, her family—being a mom to her three-year-old son. Then, her music.

“I get it now. Your insecurities will be the death of you. You have to be fearless, but you also have to be clear. That’s why at this point, I want to do more mom stuff and less business,” she concludes. “I made this child and he’s for me to raise. I’m not going to sacrifice my son for an award or the music business. I can’t. I’m just not wired that way.”

How refreshing, especially today, to find an artist not enchanted by the alluring sirens of the entertainment world. But don’t get the wrong idea and assume she’s about to take the safe and easy road. No way.

For Jennifer Kreisberg’s music is, and will continue to be, fearless. Just like she is.

- Native vue film and Media connection


Discography

Check out www.jenniferkreisberg.com for this info.

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Bio

www.myspace.com/jenniferkreisberg
www.jenniferkreisberg.com

Mother, Singer, Composer, Producer, Teacher, and Activist : Jennifer (Tuscarora, North Carolina) comes from four generations of Seven Singing Sisters through the maternal line, and has been singing since she was young. She is known for her fierce vocals and soaring range. Her lilting, breath-taking harmonies will delight your ears.

Jennifer has been singing with the critically acclaimed Native women's Trio ULALI since she was seventeen. Her voice has perfectly woven the high strand of Ulali's renowned harmony with incomparable skill, and grace for over seventeen years, helping to create a new sound in Indian Country. Adding to the group, her sharp wit and stage presence infused Ulali’s shows with strong vocals, humor and camaraderie with the audience.

Jennifer was a Master Teaching Artist for the State of Connecticut Commission on the Arts for over four years. She is frequently called upon to guest lecture and conduct vocal workshops at universities, schools, Native communities and at festivals throughout the United States and Canada. She has done background vocals for various groups and voice-overs for commercials some of which feature her own compositions and highlight her production skills.

Jennifer made a guest appearance as Salmon Girl in Sherman Alexie's film The Business of Fancy Dancing. The film features her singing the Deer Song which she composed in 1997 for the Aboriginal Women's Voices project in Banff (subsequently featured on the Grammy nominated DVD "One Giant Leap"). In addition, she also contributed to two other tracks; Amazing Grace, and Osinilashatin--for which she composed the melody and produced the track, singing with renowned Native Actor and longtime collaborator Michelle St. John.

Jennifer composed, produced and performed the acclaimed song Have Hope for the film Unnatural and Accidental. Her rich and haunting voice can be heard throughout the soundtrack as well. Michelle St. John is featured on Have Hope doing background vocals. Jennifer also composed a song that she and Soni Moreno sang for a Nickelodeon TV public service short about September 11th. She and renowned Native Storyteller and Activist Dovie Thomason, founded The Native American Scholarship Fund at Lynchburg College in Virginia. Jennifer is also a Core Advisory member of the First Nations Composers Initiative and is a recipient of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Artist Fellowship Grant for 2007, for music composition. In February 2007, The Genie Awards (Canadian Oscar) awarded her with the Achievement in Music-Original Song Genie for her song Have Hope (which also received a New York Times "Critic's Pick"). In October of 2007 Jennifer was also awarded with a NAMMY (Native American Music Award) for Have Hope for Best song. She sings a song in the upcoming PBS/National Geographic children's production Momma Mirabelle. Jennifer is also featured alone and with Ulali on the soundtrack of the upcoming Canadian television film Elijah.

Her work with Ulali has carried her all over the world and extensively throughout Indian Country. As part of the group, she has contributed to many soundtracks including the TBS series The Native Americans and subsequently contributed to two songs on Robbie Robertson's album of the same name. Some television appearances include: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show (London, UK), Egg The Arts (NYC), Keeping Time: New Music from America's Roots I (Sundance Channel), and the Joe Suarez Show (Brazil). Over the years Jennifer has been a recipient of the Eagle Spirit Achievement Award from the American Indian Film Institute in San Francisco; and a winner of the Native Women's Recognition Award from Ganondagon, NY; along with the Key to the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. As co-writer and vocalist, Jennifer also contributed to the Soundtrack of the Miramax Film Smoke Signals, with the song Wah jhi le yihm.

Jennifer has happily shared the stage with such performers as Buffy Saint-Marie, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Ritchie Havens, Sting, Floyd Westerman, Charlie Hill and many others. In addition, she has performed at such venues as Woodstock 94, the Smithsonian Institute, NMAI, the 1996 and 2002 Olympics, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl (for the Dalai Lama). She has also performed for V-day in Madison Square Garden and in the Vagina Monologues film.

She is currently working on her much anticipated debut solo album titled Wah Thye Yeh Rak (She Mixed It Tuscarora language) due out this winter. Jennifer is collaborating with Tuscarora (NC) Activist, Actor, and Artist Christopher Lowry for the Tuscarora language translations on her upcoming album. She is also teaming up with renowned Creek/Cherokee/Seminole painter Dana Tiger for the album