Sacha Vee - described in the programme for the Cavell Leitch New Zealand International Jazz and Blues Festival as a "neo-soul singer" - performs her show in the Jazz for Lunch Series at The Piano, 156 Armagh Street on Friday, 31 May at 1pm to 2pm.
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The Cavell Leitch New Zealand International Jazz and Blues Festival website is on from Thursday 30 May to Monday 3 June 2019. I asked Sacha some questions ahead of her performance:
What is your first musical memory?
My grandpa loved music so every chance he got he was on the piano and I was right beside him learning classic jazz tunes.
Did you come from a musical family?
Music is a super important part of our family time together and it is always playing in our family home.
Are you a self-taught musician or did you train somewhere?
I started learning piano from a young age and then saxophone. When I could see a quicker chance to get into the school jazz band as the lead vocalist, I changed to vocal training. From there I went on to get my BMus (Bachelor of Music) specialising in jazz vocals.
This is very unfair, but what is your favourite song?
So unfair...
What musical genres do you enjoy listening to?
As a songwriter I get inspired by all genres, so it really depends on the mood I'm in.
What musical genres do you enjoy performing?
I first established myself as a jazz singer and then went on to discover soul and R'n'B and then finally rested on neo-soul which is a nice mix of everything. Nowadays, I also love to revisit jazz and also have a few house and electronic collabs.
Who do you feel are your musical influences?
They come in decades: ages 0-10 Whitney Houston & Celine Dion, 10-20 Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, 20-30 Erykah Badu, Jill Scott & Chaka Khan and nowadays I am more non-genre specific. A good song is a good song!
Do you have any musical heroes?
Same as above.
Have you met or performed with any musicians that you really admire?
I met and performed for Lenny Kravitz and Michael Buble during my time on The Voice of Holland. Also Dianne Reeves after her Jazz concert in Wellington. I went on tour with Boney M and have opened for many others whom I admire.
Is there something you consider the highlight of your career so far? Any lowlight (you don’t have to answer this one if you don’t want to)?
Highlight - So many! Recently singing with the CSO for Sparks in the Park. Top 10 in The Voice of Holland, performing on the main channel on Polish TV, opening my new business, SOLE Music Academy. Lowlight - Signing a contract without a second opinion, but you learn from it.
Considering artists in all fields face all sorts of challenges, what difficulties have you faced to establish your career?
The main difficulty I had was not knowing how to establish a music career. I spent a lot of time and money and still wasn't sure whether what I was doing would get me anywhere near it. I realised after a while you have to be the most motivated because no one else is going to make the music for you or keep the vision evolving. This is the main reason why I have established SOLE Music Academy. I wanted to bridge that gap into the music industry and help aspiring artists like me make a music career possible by sharing my knowledge and helping with a few short cuts.
Anything you’d like to say about your upcoming show?
I'm very excited to revisit some of my favourite jazz songs and perform with Tim Driver on keyboards and Michael Story on double bass.
Thanks very much for taking the time to participate, Sacha, and we hope you sell out your show.
About Sacha
Neo-soul singer, Sacha Vee, scorches her stage, exuding slow burn power with every note. She has established a global following with more than 40 million YouTube views, has contributed to multi-platinum records and been support for the likes of Jhene Aiko, Boney M & Hollie Smith.
Her album, Luminous received multiple review accolades and the song Trigger was nominated in the R&B & hip-hop category in the prestigious International Songwriting Competition in 2018. (information from Cavell Leitch New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival website).
Visit Sacha Vee's YouTube channel.
Sacha Vee's Discography
- LUMINOUS (Sweet Soul Records, 2016)
- GING Remix EP (BBE Records, 2016)
- Rising One EP (BBE Records, 2015)
- Sacha Vee EP (Sweet Soul Records, 2010)
The Cavell Leitch New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival
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