Me Talk Pretty

The story of MeTalkPretty has been quite remarkable for an independent band.

Formed in 2006 in New York, NY, the rockers quickly released 1 EP and embarked on a journey of relentless touring and promotion. They built up a loyal fan-base, amassing over 500 shows in The US and Canada including three years on The Vans Warped Tour, and appearances at the prominent SXSW and CMJ festivals. Their Hot Topic and Best Buy chain acoustic tours have made the band favorites at the retail level.

2009 saw the band win a MTV VMA for Best Breakout artist in NYC. The band completed a music video for their debut single "Wake Up!" - which is available for purchase on iTunes The video won them MTVU’s FRESHMAN award (voted for by the fans) shortly after its release. "Wake Up" has also been placed in video games - EA Sports NHL 2010 and The Sims 3: World Adventures.

MeTalkPretty released an EP last month and their debut full-length record, entitled WE ARE STRANGERS, this Fall/Winter. The EP will include material from the upcoming album, which will include, their first single, "Wake Up", as well as "Brokenhearted", "Say You Will", "Why Are You Here?" and "Say You Will". The EP will serve to whet appetites for MeTalkPretty's signature brand of music.

The band's music practically bursts with passion from the very beginning of the album. Vocalist, Uliana Preotu, has a breathless urgency to her vocal style and her counterpart, songwriter/guitarist, Leon Lyazidi, brings a darkness and texture to the music that makes it so much more than radio-ready-rock. The rhythm section of James Kluz (drums) and Nate Meng (bass) provide the most solid of foundations for the band's dynamic sound. Jesse Beer Dietz of The MGMT co-manages the budding stars and PR is handled by Big Machine Media.

More information can be found on www.MeTalkPretty.com.
- ROCK BAND, T-MOBILE

New York rockers Me Talk Pretty received the 2009 MTV Video Music Award for breakout artist in NYC earnestly. Since 2006 they've performed more than 500 shows in the US and Canada. Among the dates were stops on The Vans Warped Tour, at SXSW and CMJ festivals, and various acoustic sets for retail giants Hot Topic and Best Buy. They just wrapped a run with Neon Trees, Paper Tongues, and Civil Twilight.

This summer they released their album, We Are Strangers, and received a strong reaction to their single "Wake Up," a piercing guitar track with rhythmic drums and brash, sharp vocals from Romania-bred lead singer Uliana Preotu.

In addition to their musicianship, comprising Leon Lyazidi on guitar and keyboards, James Kluz on drums, and Nate Meng on bass, the band's appeal is tightly connected to its matter-of-fact outlook on relationship woes. Preotu sings with aggression. She is ready to move on if necessary, as opposed to sitting at home, crying into a box of tissue.

Me Talk Pretty keeps the tone in-your-face on "Brokenhearted," "Say You Will," and "Why Are You Here."

It makes sense since that their music has been featured in video games, EA Sports NHL 2010 and The Sims 3: World Adventures. They make theme music. - Yahoo Music.com

MeTalkPretty is an "alternative noir" band with "pop elements, dance grooves, and introspective lyrics." After being given the VMA’s Best Breakout NYC Artist Award, MeTalkPretty has been working with a new label to release their new album, "We Are Strangers." Learn about their pasts in cake decorating and rat decaptitation, their democratic creative process, and their pre-show hugging ritual.

Who is MeTalkPretty?
We are a modern rock band from NYC. We formed a little over 4 years ago when we were looking for a male vocalist and found Uliana, lol. Since 2006, we've played over 500 shows, all over the States and Canada, with appearances on The Vans Warped Tour (08/09). We make friends everywhere we go, we love being on the road; the live show is what we care for the most.

What is "Love Is In The Air" about?
About the very first moment when it strikes you that "OMG...I'm in love"



How does it feel to be the MTV Music’s Needle In The Haystack?
Its amazing. You guys rule! Thank you!

Favorite song you’ve made?
Wake Up! Its the song that means the most to us, and the song that got us to where we are today.. Its also in 2 Video Games, the first single off of "We Are Strangers" and we just made an awesome video for it!

Favorite music videos to watch?
Oh man!!! So many...let's see, any Foo Fighters because their sense of humor is inspiring! My Chemical Romance, "Welcome To The Black Parade," was amazing production and same for Alpha Rev for, "New Morning." Paramore, "Ignorance," Lady Gaga, "Telephone,"Aphex Twin's, "Come To Daddy" are sick! And of course Michael Jackson's video for "Smooth Criminal."

What is your creative process like?
Usually it starts from guitars (Leon) and voice (Uliana) than we kinda jam it out with the whole band in the rehearsal room. We have hundreds of ideas that we record all the time, but only few make the cut, because we have a democratic process. We even record stuff on our phones if inspiration catches you, let's say...in the subway.

What do you love about music?
You can change the world around you; make it a better place through music. You can bring strangers together and make a new friend because of music. Life is better when music is around.

Music influences?
oh man.. Santigold, Muse, Foo Fighters, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Cure, My Chemical Romance, just to name a few.

Spare time activities?
LOL...We all love to work out and look sexy:-)...going to the gym is a big one.
Other than that, Uliana likes drawing and sculpting, Leon looooves cooking, and trust us, its really good. James is a Warcraft guru, and Nate is after girls all the time.

Odd jobs?
YES!!!
Uliana-Decorated weird looking cakes that sometimes included 24k gold leaf
Leon- Cut off the heads off rats for clinical drug studies at Columbia University
James- Cleaned Airplanes
Nate- Sold concessions at a Harlem Globetrotters game

Favorite tour food?
Subway... $5 dollar foot loooooong!

Favorite city you’ve played in and why?
Thats a tough one cause we love playing everywhere! Other than NYC, probably Chicago, Omaha, and Phoenix. All for different reasons.. Home, Friends, Family, and warm and crazy people!

Pre-show rituals?
We usually warm up, stretch, and hug it out, right before we leave it all out on stage...

In 5 years I see myself ____!
Touring the world!

Anything else you want people to know about MeTalkPretty?
We love you all and we love how you react to our music. Its all because of you. Come say hello at one of our shows when we come through your area! We WILL talk to you!
Check out www.MeTalkpretty.com! And finally, our debut record, "We Are Strangers" comes out in the summer.. Support us by buying a copy and telling your friends about us! - MTV.com

Me Talk Pretty (questions answered by Uliana -vox)
http://www.myspace.com/metalkpretty

1. How did you get your band name?
MeTalkPretty comes from David Sedaris' book, Me Talk Pretty One Day. You probably are thinking one of the two extremes - love it or hate it. But it only makes sense if you know that there are big parallels with my (Uliana -vox) story. I emigrated here from Romania five years ago and did not speak a word of English. So, its tongue and cheek.. making fun of myself.. as I obviously was making a ton of English mistakes, sometimes hilarious ones.

?2. How did this band get started?
We started in early 2006 in NYC. I met Leon on a musicians forum. Leon had a band already and was auditioning new vocalists. He was looking for male vox, and was surprised when I walked in to audition. I kinda fooled them because I didn't tell him I was a girl over the emails. I had been getting a really one-sided answer when I replied to posts online.. males only! It was an instant connection when we started to jam.

?3. What bands are you influenced by?
So many! I love a lot of music, old and new. I'm a big fan of Santigold and Muse. I love My Chemical Romance (cant wait for their album to drop!!!!), and, of course, Paramore and the The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It's so nice to see so many young/hip females in music now. It doesnt matter if you like them or not, as a female, it so rewarding to finally see a resurgence in females singing rock! Yay!!!

?4. If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
All the bands I've mentioned above plus Anberlin and 30 Seconds to Mars. Also all of our friends that we've toured with already this year. I will do it all over again: Neon Trees, Paper Tongues , Civil Twilight and Warped Tour. In terms of older bands I'd go for Blondie and Led Zeppelin.

?5. If you were a furry, what animal would you be? Why that animal??
I don't wanna be any furry animal. So many people don't treat them right so I think I'd be very scared. The thought of ending up killed by humans kinda frightens me. I love all animals unless they are some cold reptiles. :)

?6. Why should people listen to your band??
We have a message that comes from our hearts.

?7. What song do you have in the ROCK BAND game? How hard do you think it would be to five-star on expert on ROCK BAND?
"Wake Up!" is on Rockband (Xbox and PS3). Ummm, I couldn't even play on on beginner! There are some videos on youtube of people playing the guitar on expert and getting perfect scores! Dude, they have my respect for that!! LOL

?8. If you won a Grammy, who would you thank?
I think if it were ever to happen, I would probably faint on stage before saying my thank you's. But I would definitely want to thank my mom and dad ( R.I.P. both ).

?9. If you could change something about the music industry, what would it be?
I will invent a system where the public decides who should get signed and who should go on tour with whom. I think people should be heard on what they like. It's getting there more and more anyway, thanks to communities like absolute punk who give people a chance to speak their minds.

?10. Memorable tour experience?
We have way too many! Ok, just a couple...
Leon cooking for 19 people on this past summer's tour (he's amazing at it!)
Another one: One of our crew members actually sleepwalked into the wrong white van at a rest stop in the middle of the night! LOL LOL LOL Walked right into to their assigned bench and interrupted an Asian family watching a movie with their kids!

?11. What does ABSOLUTE PUNK.NET mean to you?
It's such a strong community and a great place to discover new bands. I read you guys all the time since back in the day when we first started as a band. You guys are intense, but I love it! You say exactly what's on your minds. We've been roasted on here before.. its Awesome! AP is a community of rad kids who talk about what you like.. For me its an amazing source of information. But Yeah...here I am couple of years later giving you an interview. It's soo amazing!!!! I love ya!

?12. What is your favorite song to play?
My favorite song to sing is our single "Wake Up!" It's written in my mom's memory. She passed away two years ago.?

?13. What is your vacation spot of choice?
Always by the beach!!! I'm coming from a mountain area and I loved it but never had the beach and the sand growing up! I'm fascinated by the water waves and surfers. I could watch it for hours, for real LOL

??14. What music reminds you of your childhood??
System of a down - Chop Suey , No Doubt - Don't speck , Alice Cooper - House of Fire

15. If you could have any super power, what would it be? Why?
?ummm.... Bring my parents back.
But, you know?, we all have the superpower to change a lot of things around us. I just want to help people and stop losing the loved ones. A fan wrote us a letter after he lost his father to Leukemia. He said that our music helped him a lot making it through. I know what it means to lose your father, then my mother. I cried reading his really long letter. Now he is one of our closest friends and we are very involved with charities who are raising money for Leukemia and LLS.

?16. Do you feel that your band has "made it"?
Definitely not. We are just getting started. We have been touring the country, releasing music, and making fans all over the states for the past 4 years.You are nothing without fans and friends on your side. We Are Strangers is our debut full length album and our introduction to the big world. The album talks and explores all sides of loneliness. From feeling like a stranger amongst others or in a relationship, to bringing people together and not being strangers anymore.

17. What is something that most fans don't know about you??
Five years ago I didn't speak any English!

?18. What's your favorite holiday??
Christmas!... I still imagine my family is around.

?19. What do you like to do in your spare time??
Talking to our fans on Facebook. I literally open up the chat window and talk to fans on my personal profile, for hours and hours. Many of them I've met at the shows on tours, and I like to keep up with what they do and their lives. Also a big part of my time is dedicated to fashion. I love making my own stage outfits. I would love to have my own fashion line one day.

?20. What kind of hidden talents do you have?
Baking, sculpting, painting. I actually made the drawings that You see on the walls in our music video. I really wanted to have scenes from my mom's life.I didn't want to use photos and I drew the pictures in the morning of filming. The video for "WAKE UP!" talks about her life and our relationship. - AbsolutePunk.net

It's a Saturday night in April, and Me Talk Pretty is rocking the house. Not a very large house, mind you. The kind of dank, beer-stained shoe box frequented by up-and-comers. But the sound is sharp, and the vocalist, Julia Preotu, can sing. Me Talk Pretty has potential.
Between songs, however, Preotu offers a very odd invitation. "Come party with us at Denny's later on," she tells the small, somewhat liquored-up crowd in Danbury, Conn. Say what? These hip 20-somethings are taking the after-party to Denny's? Isn't that the place where old people powwow over coffee? Later, the lead singer of another band, called Man on Earth, tries to whip the fans into more of a frenzy. "Celebrate over at Denny's with Me Talk Pretty," he yells. "We'll tear the s___ out of the place!"
Guard your Grand Slam breakfasts, people. The recession has hit casual-dining chains like Denny's, Chili's and the Cheesecake Factory particularly hard, as consumers have traded down to less expensive fare at McDonald's. To draw more customers, Denny's is sponsoring shindigs like this one, building on its reputation as an after-party haven for young, hungry drunks (and, the company is quick to point out, sober people too). From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., the 56-year-old chain has started playing alternative-rock music in its restaurants. It has sponsored more than 30 emerging bands, like Me Talk Pretty, which get free meals on the road as long as they occasionally head to Denny's for a postshow jam session. The chain has also added cheap items to its late-night menu (Pancake Puppies, Kickin' Flavor Wraps), designed to be shared by groups of amped-up rabble rousers.
Through its Allnighter program, Denny's is trying to give members of the late-night crowd a social experience they can't get at fast-food drive-throughs, which are now staying open later and eating into the chain's graveyard-shift revenues. Denny's has instructed its servers to chat up tipsy customers. "We want them to say, 'Looks like you guys were having some fun tonight--who wants coffee now?'" says Michael Polydoroff, director of sales promotion and licensing at Denny's.
In Danbury, Joe Kyek, a college student who at 1 a.m. on a Sunday seemed to fit the chain's target demographic, says he has started going to Denny's more often and sees it in a new light. "Every time someone mentioned Denny's, I'd picture that couple over there," he says, nodding toward a middle-aged husband and wife sitting in a booth. "Now it's kind of New Age, up with the trends."
As for tearing the place apart, well, the after-party was fairly well behaved. In fact, Me Talk Pretty sang an acoustic number that even the middle-aged couple enjoyed. "The girl has a fabulous voice," said Ron Barriault, 54. "It's dinner and a show." At the last place you'd expect it. Rock on.
Catch the After-Party To see a video of Me Talk Pretty playing at Denny's, go to time.com/dennys


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1896744,00.html#ixzz14LKefn6p - Time Magazine , Time.com

MeTalkPretty is all about defying odds. Overcoming language barriers, a lack of resources and gender stereotypes, the New York City-based rock group with a female immigrant lead singer has found success through an intense DIY work ethic and emphasis on live performance. They craft a heavy rock sound with a penchant for drama, catchy hooks and a pop sensibility. But as hard as they rock, they are equally disarmingly genuine and humble. MeTalkPretty, led by Romanian import and lead vocalist Julie Proetu along with bandmates Leon Lyazidi (guitar, keyboard), James Kluz (drums) and Nate Meng (bass), has appeared several times on the Vans Warped Tour, at the SXSW and CMJ Music Conferences, and has collaborated promotionally with retailer Hot Topic.

Their first official single, “Wake Up, Wake Up!” has been featured on EA Sports’ NHL 10, The Sims 3: World Adventures, and Rock Band, an incredible reception for a debut track. And now, armed with a new label and producer and plenty of buzz, MeTalkPretty is poised to let loose their heavily anticipated full-length debut, We Are Strangers on July 27th. Preotu and Lyazidi took a break in between touring to call Playback to explain the band’s compound name, their no holds barred creative process and the importance of building relationships with fans.

What is the significance behind the name MeTalkPretty?
Leon Lyazidi: It came from the David Sedaris book Me Talk Pretty One Day. It talks about the experiences that Sedaris had while he was overseas in France and trying to acclimate. And there’s a pretty funny parallel with Julia because she’s only been here in the United States for a little over five years from Romania, and she basically taught herself how to speak the language and learned all the cultural differences and tried to acclimate in a very similar way.

JulieProetu: I believe that it’s my guys’ way of making fun of me.

Speaking of Julia’s story, when you were first forming she actually responded to an ad the band put out for a male vocalist. What made you guys decide to take a chance on a female singer and how has that affected the evolution of MTP?
LL: It was a major shift when Julia walked into the room; when I immediately knew that that was the right vocalist for me. And it was true, we were looking for a male vocalist, or let me rephrase that: we weren’t looking for a female vocalist. In all honesty, she didn’t really ever express that she was a female when she showed up. She just signed the email with a letter J. So basically after that, when she started to sing it was over. We’re a heavy rock band. We’re dance, we’re alternative, we’re loud, and Julia can pretty much compete with any male vocalist out there in terms of the power.

As far as the creative process of writing goes, does music or do lyrics generally come first?
LL: It’s a mix. When we first started off as young songwriters, we kind of put ourselves in a box. We didn’t really allow the flow of ideas or music and lyrics to happen. The more that we grew up as songwriters, the more we realized that there aren’t really any rules. If the music comes first, or the melody or lyrics, so be it, as long as a statement is made and it basically fits.

Do you all share writing duties?
LL: Yeah, it’s a pretty open forum in terms of the songwriting process, but most of the time Julia and I come up with the bulk of the music. Julia writes all of her lyrics. We start somewhere and present it to the rest of the band—James and Nate—and they color it with rhythms and textures.

Julia, is it a challenge to write in English?
JP: It was very challenging in the beginning, and it was very scary for a lot of people when I told them I would like to write my own lyrics. As years passed by, I was really trying very hard to catch up on a lot of things, reading and all that, and right now I’m very happy. Every single word I wrote, it’s mine and I’m very grateful that my guys give me this huge trust.

LL: You know, obviously the accent is never going to go away but I find that to be very charming, and I don’t want her to lose it. She put in a lot of work so that she could express herself properly in English. She has the ability now to say and express what she wants, and for me that was the biggest turnaround for this band, having your vocalist express deeply what he or she really wants to express.

So before working on We Are Strangers, you released an EP and a demo. Was it different working on a full-length album with We Are Strangers?
LL: Yeah, absolutely. Having more than three songs, five songs, which were our previous releases, kind of broadened our perspective in what we can bring to each song. I know that sounds kind of counter-intuitive, but we had more time and we really dissected and really looked into what each song needed—layers and sounds, harmonies, things like that—which we were never able to do when we didn’t have a lot of money or time to do it.

JP: I feel like we were given an amazing opportunity to write our first record. Every band is dreaming to do that. And when we had the opportunity to write a full-length record, for some reason something just happened and suddenly everybody got so inspired, and we were just shooting out songs. The bottom line right now is the record is done, and we feel very proud of what we wrote. It came from all our struggles in making it as a band and our personal lives. Everybody has big crazy stories, and We Are Strangers is our introduction to the big world.

Speaking of which, what inspired the albums first single, “Wake Up, Wake Up!”?
JP: It’s my mom’s story. She passed away, so the song reflects her memory. Leon had a riff and then I went back home to Romania for the funeral, and when I came back we put the song together.

Could you talk a little bit more about your vibe or experience in the studio? Do you come in with material written, just a rough idea, or do you start experimenting there?
JP: Everything.

LL: Well, the way that we did this record was very different from any other recording that we did. We had a really strange road to get to even starting pre-production on this record. When we got to actually writing or recording tracks, we understood what kind of record we were going to make and that was no rules, no strings attached, everything goes, and whatever happens, happens. And for the next two and a half months, all the way leading into the last mix of the record we were still writing and still tweaking and remixing and adding parts and changing. It wasn’t because we weren’t happy with what the songs were; it was just because we decided that we didn’t want to put a stop to the creative process.

JP: There were moments when we had to let go of entire parts, like entire choruses in certain songs, or entire bridges that were either too happy or too slow. We had to learn that even if you wrote a part, you have to let go if it doesn’t make sense to the song and if it does not support the main idea of the song.

In the studio, you have more of a heavy rock sound, but for live shows, you’ll sometimes play an acoustic set. Is that acoustic sound something reserved for only certain live performances?
LL: The funny thing is that we never thought of ourselves as an acoustic or a soft band, and it wasn’t until last summer when we were doing the pre-production of the songs that we starting doing acoustic shows just to hear what these songs really were about. We really understood that if you strip away all the distortion and all the effects and if you can play a song with an acoustic guitar and a voice and it stands up to any other song, then you really have something special.

How else would you say your live performance differs from recording in the studio?
JP: I believe seeing the people performing their own music you understand why the music or the lyrics are the way that they are. Like suddenly everything makes sense to you more. Seeing live a band, it’s like a door opening into their world.

It’s no secret that the record industry and how albums are sold has changed drastically over the past few years, but you seem to have a very steadily increasing fan base. How have you, and how do you plan to market yourselves?
LL: For us, it’s all about relationships. We made it very important to develop relationships from day one with everyone that we met, whether it was a casual fan that walked into a bar or a music writer or a label head or whoever it may be. I think it’s a testament of this band’s history of just doing the right thing and being good people and basically never burning a bridge and never really not understanding what the other side is going through. It’s a building process and we’re taking it slow and doing it the most correct way we can possibly do it to develop a long relationship with our fans. - ASCAP.com

Me Talk Pretty's debut album We Are Strangers draws inspiration from the struggles of making it as a band. Check out our exclusive interview with lead singer Julia Preotu in which she talks fashion, her favorite bands, and the new album.

BUZZNET: What kind of statement are you hoping to make with your debut album?

ME TALK PRETTY: You can call it rock but it has so many elements, from pop, new wave and even industrial. We are so diverse and come from so many different places and are very proud of who we are. We are young but our life experiences are strong and powerful. Some of us emigrated from another country and lost family members recently, some of us have had life changing experiences, but we all had to deal with these major events in our lives during the life of this band. We coped by writing about all of it.

BN: What band do you consider a role model for your band/for your live show?

MTP: We love so many bands and keep falling in love with new ones, so it's going to be hard to give you just one name. Our show is very energetic and intense. We interact with the public and sing and talk to them, so we do like bands who love their public and give them a lot of attention. Bands that collectively inspired us after seeing them live are Muse, Paramore, 30 Seconds to Mars, My Chemical Romance, and Nine Inch Nails.

BN: How are you going to celebrate on your album release day?

MTP: When our single, "Wake Up!" comes out on June 8th on iTunes we will be on tour in Jacksonville, Florida. But, for our in-store release date, we''ll be throwing a big bash in NYC with all of the people that got us here.

BN: What is the most amazing outfit you’ve ever worn on stage?

MTP: I make most of my outfits and tops because i like designing clothes. Last year we were driving to Austin for SXSW. While in the van, I turned my metal mesh purse into a top. I cut and modified it and added some new stuff to it. It took me 17 hours to complete it. I was still putting finishing touches on it an hour before going on stage. I love that top!

BN: What was the band/album/song that inspired you to join a band?

MTP: It was No Doubt with “Don’t Speak”. I was really, really young but I remember that was the first time I fell in love with an artist. Later on, it was System of a Down with “Aerials”. Soon after that “Aerials” song, I was rocking in a band.
- Buzznet.com

Lead vocalist of rock band MeTalkPretty talks about overcoming the stereotype that all bands should have male lead singers.

There are thousands are burgeoning bands putting ads in newspapers and online sites, desperate for a shot at the brass ring. Male vocalist wanted. What's a girl to do?

Rock singer Julia Preotu was not about to take no for answer. She had recently emigrated from Romania. She left her friends and a successful local band there for Buffalo, New York, where her mother had settled after remarrying.

"It was really hard to leave an entire life with friends, jobs and my band," she says. "But I understood that I was being given the opportunity to start over at a bigger level in America, which is the dream."

Buffalo offered a massive culture shock, and Julia didn't speak English. She did land a job at the local McDonalds. "That is where everything started for me," she says. "One of my co-workers was a drummer in a wedding band. He told me to go to NYC. I took that advice. I need to follow my dream and
find a band."

Already a stranger in a strange land, she left the only thing familiar to her, her mom, and headed to the big city.

New York did not welcome her with open arms. She struggled for two years to find the right band. "Those were really difficult years," she says. "I doubted my decisions all the time."

She had two things going against her: She was female and she didn't speak English.

"Not speaking perfect English was a major problem in fronting an American band," she explains. "Also being a female was a huge problem, as every rock band was looking for a male vocalist."

So she went to work learning English. She moved in with American roommates and religiously watched the news and cartoons to pick up vernacular.

Finding a band was a harder task. She didn't lie about being a female singer; she just withheld information. "Before the audition, I would only use email to talk to (prospective bands), and I didn't sign my name. When I showed up, it was a surprise. I was a female."

After a successful audition, she convinced a group of guys that having a female frontwoman was a good idea—the band MeTalkPretty was formed with James Kluz on drums, Leon Lyazidi on guitar and Nate Meng on bass.

That was just the first hurdle. "The issues transitioned to dealing with (more) prejudices of being a female in rock," she says. "The bottom line is we are few and we shouldn't let all the resistance stop us from doing we want. It's going to be a hard road, and nothing will be handed to you. You are going to have to work
hard for every little bit of it."

MeTalkPretty's indie label debut album will be released this summer. The first single, "Wake Up!" will be available on iTunes June 8, and the video is already on YouTube.

The song pays homage to Julia's mom, who passed away from pneumonia a few years ago. "She didn't have health insurance," Julia says. "It is still difficult to comprehend. I know the U.S. is going through healthcare reform right now. I would do whatever it takes, whatever, to make sure someone doesn't lose a loved one to such a treatable disease."

Julia now feels at home in the United States. MeTalkPretty has been doing clubs tours across American and Canada. She considers NYC her hometown. "There are so many people in the city from difference places. I fit right in."
- Oprah.com

Me Talk Pretty
”Ana”
Self-released
4 stars

A lot of bands these days rely on no one but themselves and put out their own records hoping to achieve not only an audience but some sort of success. Me Talk Pretty appears to be one of those bands and it’s safe to say that they are well on their way having already gathered a following. They make their debut with the release of “Ana” a 6 track EP full of serious rock guitar mixed with top notch vocals by lead singer Julia Preotu. While their bio makes mention of various bands as influences that I agree with I must also add that Julia’s vocal style reminds me of early Nancy Wilson (Heart) stirred in with a bit of Grace Slick and a dash of PJ Harvey…making it the perfect blend, which is very mature sound for a younger vocalist but also very pleasing to the ear and it works well with the band’s vibe. “Illusion” opens the disc and pretty much sets the overall mood of the album with each additional song forming a branch from the same tree. Despite having only 6 tracks (a full album would be great!) they certainly do pack a punch into the listener’s ear and command attention. This is not only a band to enjoy but also one to watch for there are better things to come. - Scott Faithfull

Me Talk Pretty have a sexy lead singer, and they clearly want you to know it: while the three guys in the band dress in ordinary dude-wear in the inside cover of the band's debut EP Ana, lead singer Julia Preotu appears in low-cut, hip-hugging jeans, a midriff-baring V-neck shirt, and the world's most taut push-up bra. In another picture we see her jumping in profile, to emphasize her distinctly shapely figure.

No reason to begrudge the band their pandering to the Maxim crowd; it's a tough scene, and a band's gotta do what a band's gotta do to get noticed, so self-commodification is hardly an unforgivable sin. The pleasant thing about Ana is that the band might not need to win hearts with its eye candy when the music is this solid. The seven tracks follow a general formula, but with enough variation to remain consistently engaging. That formula consists of quiet passages amassing strength as they build up to moments of explosive catharsis, before receding back into a pacific calm.

It's been done before, and it will surely be done again, but Me Talk Pretty show real talent, with complicated, prog-inspired passages and a firm grasp on the dynamics of shifting from soft to hard and back again. Bassist Chris Foster trots his nimble fingers across the fretboard with agility, with some surprising and clever upper-register fills on "Save Me" and an effectively Tool-esque intro to closing track "Measures of Silence."

Indeed, that band's imprint is frequently audible on Ana, but Me Talk Pretty rarely sound like bush-league imitators, absorbing that influence into their own sonic template without resorting to outright imitation. A major factor in that equation is Preotu, whose sometimes operatic vocals insure the band a distinct personality. Able to escalate intensity without growing overwrought, Preotu brings more than mere sex appeal with her soaring voice that often strikes a balance between threatening and erotic, a tension bolstered by the band's command of tone. Me Talk Pretty will need to vary their songwriting patterns a bit more to achieve success on a full-length album, but the ingredients are in place here for real success.

-Whit Strub

- Whit Strub

"Me Talk Pretty are one of the more interest hard rock bands to come across my desk lately. In essence they are really just an alternative rock band, taking cues from the Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and Mudhoneys off the world, but two things set them apart from the myriad of other bands playing this style. The first is the simply but essential fact that they are pretty freakin good at what they do. The second is frontwoman Julia Preotu, she could probably make me interested in any band she was fronting, luckily she is backed by a good band. Her dynamic and emotional approach leads the band fearlessly through songs like the dark and brooding Letter, the hard rock Save Me, and the hauntingly beautiful title track.

There is a lot of emotion, both vocally and musically, on this EP. When Me Talk Pretty are riddled with angst you feel it, when they are contemplative they draw you into it, and when they have something to say they make you want to listen. I am confident that this is a strong start to a long career. You should check these guys and gal out as soon as possible. "


Reviewed by: Mark Fisher


- Mark Fisher

Imagine Tool without the oppressive gloom fronted by Bjork without the grating shrillness; now you have a close approximation of Me Talk Pretty. Sound like something different? It is, and in this case, different is good ... Very good. Sprouting from the incestuous New York underground scene, the band offers up an attractive EP of somberness anchored by Julia's powerfully melodic vocals. With Leon Lyazidi on guitar, Chris Foster on bass and James Kluz behind the kit, the seven tracks are awash in heavy rhythms and sharp fretwork. But the EP avoids traveling the well-trodden route of gratuitous darkness and doom. Instead, the compositions resemble miniature operatic productions, resonating with a wide spectrum of emotions. Song segments alternate from bludgeoning to dream-like, yet all flow seamlessly together. One moment, Julia lulls listeners into a false sense of security with her breathless semi-whisper, then without pause, jars them awake again by holding notes that could break glass. Ana is a fascinating exploration into sophisticated song craft, and is as enjoyable for its keen musicality as it is for its deviation from the standard pop/rock template. Tough to accurately categorize, but brimming with individuality and artistic potential, Me Talk Pretty dares to be different, with exceptional results.
- Adam Williams

New York City’s hard rockers Me Talk Pretty enjoy to keep you guessing about what direction their songs may soar off into. On their debut EP, “Ana”, the quartet blends progressive rhythms with aggressive melodies and emotional hand wringing. Julia Preotu is the band’s leader and singer; her vocals show off her Romanian roots (she is a recent émigré) but displays her intelligence as she has a hard grasp of English and its verbal tones. Produced by Arun Venkatesh whose bio reads of bands like Thursday, My American Heart, and Taking Back Sunday at the famous Big Blue Meenie Studios in New Jersey, “Ana” rocks with inner sneers and careful aggression.

- J-Sin
- J-Sin

"...a little Grace Slick from early Jefferson Airplane at one moment and maybe some Debbie Harry in another. ".....

"....somewhat reminiscent of Alanis Morrisette's "Jagged Little Pill", such as their song "Save Me","....

"These members bring an interesting mix of cultural influences and a great deal of talent to the band. Leon, who founded the band has his Spanish roots to draw on and Julia, who emigrated to the United States just three years ago, has her Romanian heritage".....

"The EP consists of seven original songs. That may seem like a pretty small number but this EP is complete and doesn't need any more."....
- ENKI

Band spotlight - 3/6/2006
Band of the week
with "Letter" as song of the week - Alternative addiction