Yewande
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Yewande

| INDIE

| INDIE
Band R&B Rock

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"MOUNTAIN DEW/AMP ENERGY DRINK (College)"

Two of America's favorite drinks recently invited Yewande and some of the top independent artists sweeping the college market today to hit the airwaves. DJ's, music programmers and fans of college radio will get the inside scoop on Yewande and her music on a special "Amp 6 Pack" compilation CD (6-minute audio interview and music segments). Visit AMP.com to download your very own copy today!
- Yewande.com


"WHEN LENNY MEETS NINA (Paris)"

"When Lenny Kravitz meets Nina Simone, the result is astounding! A powerful vibrato, an undeniable writing talent and an artist that breathes freedom!"
- OnlyGroove.com - Excerpt


"THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED (CDBaby Listener)"

"What Alicia Keys can only DREAM of doing on a major label (fat chance!). Yup, yup, yup, see what happens to music done by artists that are THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED with the current state of the music industry? You can certainly count Yewande among them. I mean this woman truly "gets it" in every sense of the term. Not only does she have genuine singing talent (kinda reminds me of a young Angela Bofill sprinkled with some Etta James for an added kick),her songwriting chops are especially well-developed. No way you're gonna hear her belting out throwaway 3-minute pop ditties to a crowd of under-aged weenie tots who think real music is something only "old people" listen to. Her songs speak of issues that matter (or SHOULD matter) to us in light of the world as it stands today. It's also good to hear songs that are backed up by REAL INSTRUMENTS!!! You just don't know how much of a difference that makes until you hear the tracks on this EP for yourself. There's honestly NO substitute for the "old-school" way to making music. You either have it in ya or you don't, plain and simple. [I] guess the indie route IS what's happening these days!"
- CD Baby Listener - Excerpt


"SHE IS TINA TURNER, NINA SIMONE... (London)"

"Suddenly before me she is magnified, her voice so large I am surprised that it is coming out of her body, and then I begin to understand…I begin to realise what this woman is all about, her message, her energy, and her struggle. She is Tina Turner, she is Nina Simone, she is Sarah Vaughan, she is Tracey Chapman, she is every woman of colour who has stepped outside of the box and dared to represent something greater." - Amplified Magazine - Excerpt


"A HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVE (London)"

"Yewande is destined to turn heads wherever she goes. Given her breathtaking physical charms – she’s petite and curvaceous with an angelic face framed by a cascade of corkscrew curls – it’s certain that she would stop most people in their tracks. But it’s her unique singing voice that has an even greater arresting effect. Sultry, smoky and yet imbued with a honey-like sweetness, Yewande’s voice resonates with a spellbinding, earthy soulfulness. As a songwriter, Yewande displays a remarkable storyteller’s gift. Yewande has certainly made a lot of new friends and fans over here [London] with her music, which is a free-spirited blend of organic soul, blues, jazz, funk and even rock. Those who missed this soulful chanteuse in concert will be able to hear what all the fuss is about shortly when Yewande releases her “Evolution” EP on her own Lotus Records Label. Prepare to be impressed." - Blues and Soul Magazine - Excerpt


"BIG VOICE...SMALL PACKAGE (London)"

"I did not expect such a powerful voice to come out of this little woman,a beautiful person with a voice that reminds me just how generous God can be with his blessings, Yewande is already a star!" - Choice FM Radio


"MORE THAN A SINGER (College)"

"Let it be known that Yewande’s style of singing is not to be confused with contemporary celebrities that have little substance and even less talent. She speaks of real world issues that have blackened the face of humanity.
This woman is destined for greatness that will not be denied, instead embraced by the masses. She is more than a singer or entertainer she is a realist with a mystical way of enchanting her audience, awakening the senses, and rejuvenating one’s soul. As soon as she opens her mouth a new day is born."
- Fairleigh Dickinson University - Excerpt


"HER TIME HAS COME (Germany)"

"This is one of the most soulful vocal performances I've heard all year. If you're looking for a singer who's different from the rest and brings back the musical and lyrical depth that is missing from so many records these days, then Yewande is your new favorite singer!" Full interview is available at JazznotJazz.com.
- Jazz Not Jazz.Com - Excerpt


"BEST IN THE COLLEGE MARKET (College)"

"Yewande is the best new performer I have seen on the college circuit this past year! She is the only unsigned artist CD in my car CD changer. With a unique sound and compelling look, the kids go nuts wherever she appears. If anybody can draw the record labels away from developing new boy/girl garbage and back to producing music, she'll be the one." - Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities - Excerpt


"WHAT THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR (Japan)"

"Yewande's bluesy, funky, rocky voice shines through every soulful groove!" - Tokyo FM - Excerpt


Discography

"Just Soul" Digital Download - Just Soul Records (London), 2006

"Evolution" EP - Lotus Records (Indie), 2005

"This Is Soul" Compilation CD - Soul Brother Records (London), 2005

"Best of Organic Soul" Compilation CD - Universal Japan (Japan), 2004

"Organic Soul III" Compilation CD - Soul Brother Records (London), 2003

"Best New Writers" Compilation CD - Songwriters Hall of Fame, 2003

"Soul Expedition" Compilation CD - Ford Motor Cars (U.S.A.), 2002

Unreleased Demo - "Rufus", 2002 Featured Song

Unreleased Demo - "Float Away" and "Rufus", 2001 Featured Songs

* All releases have been streamed or received radio airplay

Photos

Bio

* 2005 AMP Energy Drink/Mountain Dew Artist
* 2005 RadioIndy.com "Gold Arist"
* 2005 Campus Activities Magazine's "Hot New Music Acts"
* 2005 Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities' "Best Solo Artist of the Year" - Final 4
* 2004 Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities' “Best Solo Artist of the Year” - Winner
* 2004 2nd Place International Winner (out of 11,000 entries) - International Songwriting Competition
* 2004 American Entertainment Magazine’s “Top 5 Music Acts”
* 2004 Campus Activities Magazine’s “Top 20 Campus Acts”
* 2003 1st Place National Winner - Steve Madden/VH1’s national Rock n’ Sole Competition
* 2003 International Finalist - Billboard Magazine World Songwriting Competition
* 2003 International Finalist - U. S. A. Songwriting Competition

In an industry that promotes one flavor after the other, Yewande (pronounced E-wán-day) has become one of the most sought after independent artists in the world. In just over two years since founding Lotus Records, her socially charged brand of Urban Rock music has captured audiences from B. E. T.'s "106th & Park" to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and taken center stage with the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Enrique Iglesias, Michelle Branch, India.Arie, Sean Paul, A Simple Plan, Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, Clay Aiken and Katy Rose. As one of the "Best Solo Artists" on the national college scene, her music and compelling lecture-concerts on popular culture are inspiring a new generation of listeners to rock life on their own terms. And her critically acclaimed self-written/produced debut EP "Evolution" (funded in part by Steve Madden Shoes) brings the dawn of change in today's music. But it is likely her Yoruba birth name (meaning "reincarnation of grandmother") that has already placed Yewande amongst the great storytellers of our time.

Her Louisiana roots tell Blues-tinged stories of human frailty with the angst of Rock and the power of Soul. Classically trained in piano and voice from an early age, Yewande was once poised for the Metropolitan Opera, but always felt her calling was far removed from hitting high E flats in corseted gowns. In a sea of indistinguishable voices, her powerful vibrato has been hailed as “a voice heard only once in a lifetime.” And much like her progressive contemporaries – Outkast, Lenny Kravitz, Ben Harper, Meshell N’degeocello, Kina and Black Eyed Peas – Yewande’s soul-stirring songs dare to be bound by genre. “My music is written from the depths of our everyday struggles to just make it through life…that can’t be categorized.” Because this unique sound never "fit" mainstream airwaves, Yewande often struggled to find a place for her music. But in spite of mounting pressure to conform to nursery school rhymes and video seduction, she was convinced that being a “conscious” artist could equate commercial success. And so with unshakable faith and demand from listeners around the world, Yewande set out to bridge the gap between music, race and culture....on her own terms.

In this mixed up, crazy world, perhaps it is this young artist’s relentless search for truth that has captured the hearts of so many. Injected with a fusion of “live” band, international sounds and Pop sensibilities, her refreshing approach to writing and production has been critically praised from Seventeen to the U. K.’s Blues & Soul magazines. Love, struggle, freedom, race and religion are only some of the themes that will carry you through this raw sketch of the human race. With airplay as far away as the BBC and Tokyo FM, Yewande has secured her position as a leader in the movement to reclaim today's true music. And with 5 recordings distributed throughout nearly 13 countries throughout Europe, Ireland and Japan, Yewande's soul-stirring sound is clearly redifining how we look at life and listen to music. Are you ready for a change? The journey begins with Yewande....

"Yewande is the best new performer I have seen on the college circuit this past year!” – Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA)

“Sultry, smoky and yet imbued with a honey-like sweetness, Yewande’s voice resonates with a spellbinding, earthy soulfulness.” - Blues & Soul Magazine, London

"This is one of the most soulful vocal performances I've heard all year. If you're looking for a singer who's different from the rest and brings back the musical and lyrical depth that is missing from so many records these days, then Yewande is your new favorite singer!" - JazznotJazz.de, Germany

“Yewande’s style of singing is not to be confused with other celebrities that have little substance and even less talent. As soon as she opens her mouth a new day is born." – Fairleigh Dickinson College “Equinox”

"Yewande's bluesy, funky and rocky voice shines through every heartfelt soul groove." – Tokyo FM, Japan

“Soul-stirring and fresh. Yewande is a refreshing force in a musically stagnant industry.” - Honey Magazine