YOLA
Gig Seeker Pro

YOLA

Band Pop Adult Contemporary

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"BEST NEW MUSIC"

Top Pick

YOLA
"I Wanna Be Loved By You" (Top Shelf)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polish-born singer/songwriter Yola offers up a very intriguing first single with "I Wanna Be Loved By You." Her sultry, yearning vocals play perfectly against the subtle piano backdrop and tasteful orchestration. Produced by veteran musician Ted Nash (saxophonist with Wynton Marsalis), this is one you should get familiar with right away.
FMQB 04.09.04 - FMQB Music Magazine


"CD Review"


“Another Girl"by Yola
------------------------------------
a Review by Amy Producer of Collected Sounds

First of all, cool CD cover. Luckily the music is pretty cool as well.
Yola's voice reminds me al little of Gwen Stefani. She has the same
pouty-girl thing happening.
The music is rhythmic pop that makes you want to bounce around.
Most of these songs would fit nicely on a party mix CD. She does a
cover of Bananarama's "Venus". It's much more growly than the
original so she makes it her own. Very nice.
Stand out Songs: "I Wanna Be Loved By You" (nice piano, mellower),
and "Saying Goodbye" (her voice really shines here).
Posted on May 14, 2004 - Collected Sounds


"Emcee's nursing skills help save ailing performer"

Emcee's nursing skills help save ailing performer

By Anne Bakalis, staff writer
--------------------------------------
Yola Naklicka, a singer from New York, took quick action when a performer became ill at a festival in Somerville
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marian Bogdanowicz was in the middle of performing magic at a Memorial Day festival in Somerville (NJ) when he felt faint and turned pale. That's when the emcee worked her own CPR magic and saved his life.
Bogdanowicz, 76, left the stage and told the host, Yola Naklicka, he wasn't feeling well. She saw the signs: A pale face turning blue. Moments later Bogdanowicz went into cardiac arrest. Naklicka, who had been a registered nurse in her native Poland, immediately started CPR.
She called out to the audience for a doctor. A man responded, and the two of them continued to perform CPR for the next 20 minutes.
"I yelled to the people to call 911, but many of them just stood by the stage in panic," Naklicka said. Bogdanowicz had to be revived eight times, she said, before an ambulance arrived about 20 minutes later.
Naklicka, 28, a radio personality and singer from New York, was hosting the festival for the third year. She knew Bogdanowicz from previous appearances.
"If we didn't do what we did, he would be dead," she said.
Naklicka said the ambulance worker asked her to call Bogdanowicz's wife, Jenina, who was at their home in Clifton.
"I told her it's bad, but it's going to be OK," she said.
She told his wife, who couldn't drive, to take a taxi to Somerset Medical Center in Somerville.
According to Naklicka, Bogdanowicz was in the hospital for a week.
This was the second time Bogdanowicz had a heart attack. Today he is set for surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
"He is feeling better, much better, thanks to Yola," Jenina Bogdanowicz said.
Naklicka said the situation reminded her of when she saved the life of an 11-year-old girl who had been in a serious traffic accident.
"This reminded me of that little girl," she said. "I am just glad I could use my skills to help out." - Courier News


"YOLA SAVES LIVES"

While acting as emcee for the Polanka Sokolow Somerville Festival in New Jersey, Polish born singer/songwriter Yola put her training as a nurse to use as she saved the life of a fellow performer who suffered a heart attack in the middle of his performance.
The singer, known for her radio show on WRKL 910 AM and WLIM 1580 AM in New York, instantly recognized the problem and remained calm as she had done in a similar situation when she saved the life of an 11-year-old girl whe had been in a traffic accident.

- Music Connection


"Yola save's performer's life"


SINGER-SONGWRITER YOLA SAVES PERFORMER'S LIFE AT MEMORIAL DAY FESTIVAL  IN SOMERVILLE NEW JERSEY

Emcee YOLA performs CPR onstage as thousands look on

Polish born singer-songwriter, radio personality, and registered nurse is credited with quick life saving procedure that brought performer back to life 8 times

SOMERVILLE, New Jersey - (Sunday, May 30th, 2004) - While acting as emcee for the Polanka Sokolow Somerville  Memorial Day weekend festival in Somerville New Jersey, Polish born singer-songwriter YOLA ( www.yolamusic.com ) put her prior training as a nurse to use as she saved the life of a fellow performer who suffered a major heart attack in the middle of his performance. 

Internationally-known magician Marian Bogdanowicz mentioned to YOLA on stage that he was not feeling well when he disappeared offstage and collapsed.  The beautiful blond singer, well known for her radio show on WRKL 910 AM in New York and WLIM 1580 AM in Long Island, instantly recognized his bluish purple complexion and lack of a pulse as an emergency and her medical training took over.  The recording artist remained calm as she had been in a similar situation when she saved the life of an 11 year old girl who had been in a horrific traffic accident where YOLA's quick actions were credited with saving her life.

As YOLA performed CPR she asked for a doctor over the festivals PA system.  Luckily a young doctor (whose name is unknown at the time of this release) rushed to the stage to assist YOLA in her life saving attempt. 

"The doctor was very nervous as he kept yelling at me to push harder on his chest as he blew air into his lungs!   I felt I was going to break his ribs from the pressure as the doctor assured me this was necessary as the performer was not responding and was basically dead. I counted at least 8 times that Mr. Marian's heart had stopped beating." Yola said when asked to recount the 20 to 30 minute ordeal.

An ambulance arrived and rushed Mr. Bogdanowicz to Somerset Medical Center  in Somerville New Jersey where he is recovering after surgery.

YOLA's latest hit, " I Wanna Be Loved By You "  has reached # 24 on the AC FMQB radio chart and is from her latest release Another Girl (Top Shelf Records) 

Hopefully YOLA's next onstage appearance at The Cutting Room in New York City on June 21st will be less stressful!




 

- press release


"From oppression to expression"

THE STORY OF YOLA:
FROM OPPRESSION TO EXPRESSION.

POLISH PRINCESS ESCAPES COMMUNISM, FAMILY ABUSE AND SLAVERY TO RULE THE AMERICAN AIRWAVES WITH POPULAR RADIO SHOW -- AND HER OWN MUSIC

Yola reinvents herself with Another Girl on Top Shelf Records, April 27th

From great suffering
comes great art, and singer-songwriter and musician Yola proves this out as a miracle to her own talent, courage and fortitude.  The Polish princess – a title she has earned through grace, not birth – lives a story that grows more remarkable by the day.  The latest chapter: a stunning collection of original songs on her Top Shelf Records debut, Another Girl, poised for release April 27th.  The first single, the emotive and vulnerable “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” is capturing hearts at A/C radio.

“It’s a special song for me,” Yola says quietly.
And as it climbs the charts, it no doubt will be for others, as well.
Born and raised in abject poverty in Communist Poland, Another Girl is Yola’s autobiographical soundtrack, but at the same time, a phoenix-like reinvention.  As if starvation wasn't hardship enough in the land of her birth, the musical prodigy not only suffered at the hands of her abusive, alcoholic father, but also was denied by the socio-political infrastructure the artistic education that she so desperately wanted.  Despite winning several vocal competitions and awards throughout Poland, Yola was not allowed to continue her musical studies in college. Unbent and unbroken, Yola defied her father’s cutting discouragement and the stifling Communist climate to receive a proper education.  Working several jobs to put herself through school, she studied Fine Arts and Psychology, receiving a masters degree in the latter. 

     One summer, answering an ad in a local newspaper, Yola applied for a waitress job with several other girl students, only to be kidnapped and sold into slavery by the Italian and Polish Mafia.  With a lovely Eastern European cadence that isn’t quite broken, but not quite fixed, either, the eloquent Polish princess can describe the incredible details of her months-long ordeal, trapped in a remote area of Italy, as well as her brilliant escape.  It’s another astonishing chapter in the story of Yola.
 
     After trudging through hell for most of her young life, she has finally been able to knock on heaven’s door.  America answered.  Realizing a dream that she held dear for so long, Yola was one of only 50 people out of 600 who was awarded a Visa to come to this country.  And for the last few years, she has been living out that dream.

     “When I came to America, I woke up,” she says.  “I embrace my time here.”

     In addition to creating Another Girl, which she wrote and produced with Ted Nash (saxophonist with Wynton Marsalis), she’s living out a fond and elusive dream of musicians from here to Poland: Yola gets to play her record on her own radio program.  Loosely translated as Be Crazy with Me, the Polish language show began as an hour-long broadcast out of New York, but its engaging host and former TV reporter gained immediate popularity with a rich balance of information, issues, fun and entertainment, and now rules afternoon drive time from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST in eight states.  Though not released yet, she has been premiering various tracks from Another Girl for her devoted audience to desired effect: she’s won countless fans that are counting down the days until it’s available.

     Yola’s radio show has become so successful that the general manager has offered her the rare career opportunity to step up as the program director for two radio stations.  While grateful for the opportunity, it didn’t take her long to make a decision: she turned the position down in favor of pursuing her dream.

  “When there’s something that you have in your heart so deep, you just want to do everything to make it happen.  Singing has this kind of meaning for me,” reveals Yola, who also plays the guitar.  “I was always trying to sing, but there were obstacles in my way.  Maybe this is what made me so strong about it, and made me fight for it, and it means even more to me – the whole idea of singing and telling people what I have in my heart.”

     While dodging bullets has been a nine-lives survival technique, winning accolades for her golden voice has made it all worthwhile.

     “It showed me that life could be beautiful,” she half-whispers, trying to control the joyful tears in her voice.
  From oppression to expression, Yola has faced adversity, triumphed over it, and lived to sing about it all, giving her the chance to be Another Girl.








- Luck Media


Discography

single: "I Wanna be Loved by You"
full album: "Another Girl"
Radio airplay: ballad "I Wanna be Loved by You,"
and upbeat songs "Tomorrow," and "Venus."

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

NYC based singer, songwriter, radio personality YOLA has released her debut album "Another Girl" on April 27th 2004.
Shortly after, she started climbing the AC Radio charts, with her beautiful, emotional ballad "I Wanna be Loved by You." The single became a hit.
During it's first week out the song got to #1 place as "Most Added" to the radio playlists around the country.
The "heart-sqeezing" ballad reached 24th position on AC Radio, charting Yola's name between such stars as Nora Jones, Dido, Sheryl Crow and groups like Train, 3 Doors Down, and Matchbox Twenty. The single was also chosen as Best New Music by FMQB music magazine.
"I Wanna be Loved by You" has been heard by thousands of people around the USA while played on AC FM and selected college radio stations.
Yola's album is being called "an edgy Pop with Rock and Jazz influence."
Her soultry, bluesy, strong vocal coresponds magically with her music making it all personal, emotional and unique.
As the Collected Sounds critic describes: "Yola's voice remindes me a litle of Gwen Stefani from No Doubt.
She has the same pouty-girl thing happening." "Stand out songs: "I Wanna be Loved by You" -- nice piano, mellower -- and"Saying Goodbye" -- her voice really shines here."
YOLA was signed by indie label Top Shelf Records, with the support of Nile Rogers' company Sumthing Distribution. Her exciting CD was produced by jazz veteran and well known musician and producer
Ted Nash, who works as saxophonist with legendary Wynton Marsalis in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
Lyrics for "Another Girl" were written by Yola. Music and arragements were co-written by Ted Nash and Yola.
Seven members of Yola's live band are top musicians from NYC, with many accomplishments of their own. No wonder the live performance is full of kicking energy, fun and soulful grooves.
From the very first song she fires up the audience enganging them with her music and entertaining them by sharing her anecdotes and stories about her life and musical experience.
YOLA also works as radio host on WRKL and WLIM New York stations.
She has her own three hour show every day.
A couple of million listerners in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut as well as the Illinois and Ohio area know Yola's name, her openness and great personality.
She loves being creative, funny, crazy and connected with her audience. Her afternoon show is prepared, hosted and produced by Yola.
This strong media and performing experience sets her apart from other singers.
Yola's career is now mainly focused on promoting her new album "Another Girl." She is gaining popularity and media attention, not only because of her music but also her incredible life story.
Just recently she taped an in depth interview for the popular TV show "NYC Profiles" with host Mickey Burns. Yola appeared between such great music guests as Roberta Flack, Amber, Gloria Gaynor, and Chuck Mangione. Also, a few weeks ago she was invited to L.A. to be a part of "Women in Rock" series, on the well know "Cued Up" radio program. This becomes even more exciting when you learn that Yola was among such great stars as Cindy Lauper and Joni Mitchell.
About a month ago Yola made headlines by saving another performer's life. It all happened when she was hosting Summer Festival in Somerville, NJ.
She was on the stage when a performing magician suffered a major heart attack in the middle of his show. His breathing and heart stopped. To save his life Yola performed CPR in front of hundreds of people.

To find out more about Yola -- her music and her interesting life stories -- go to:
YOLAMUSIC.COM