ALEA, LISET - Heart-Headed

Digi / Poster. Liset Alea has the name of chance. Chance that is tossed in the air like the roll of dice, following her footsteps like destiny brimming with surprises and unexpected possibilities. She has lived a thousand lives: born in Havana to an impulsive country man who was working in Fidel's kitchen and from whom he often stole the occasional piece of meat for the family and a literature major mother who has published some of her erotic poetry. At an early age, she already mastered the art of escape, the immigrant's task of learning how to leave behind one's home, family, friends, language, comforts and survive in an unfamiliar place. At 15 she begins to study the voice with America Crespo, a Cuban opera legend known as the Callas of Cuba. In order to pay for her lessons, she cleans homes on the weekend with her mother. She also studies Musical Theater at Miami's New World School of the Arts. Then She moves to New York, a waitress by night, she enters the New School Jazz Conservatory for Vocal Jazz and buys her first guitar. She becomes the front woman of the electronic band Etro Anime, cowrites their first album which is released through V2. After witnessing the Trade Center fall before her eyes, she decides it's time to leave the United States and moves to Amsterdam with the band. They embark upon a tour supporting Kosheen and later Llorca where she meets Alexkid with whom she writes and records 'Come with Me' on his Mint' album. Come with Me' becomes an instant electro club and radio hit and she joins Alexkid's band for a 46 dates European tour. Seduced by the European way of life, she settles in London for a while, travels to Milan, Athens, Madrid, Berlin for songwriting sessions, many of these collaborations entered the charts in their respective country. In 2012, she decides that Paris will be her new home' and from then on will be touring extensively with Nouvelle Vague as a lead vocalist, with Yasmine Hamdan and Elodie Frégé (a chanson française major figure for whom she also co-writes) as an instrumentalist (bass, percussions, guitar). While not on the road she starts working on what will become Heart-Headed', her new album co-produced with Marc Collin. Months in the making, HeartHeaded' displays a balance of craft and emotion and exhibits the refined craftsmanship of her writing. Her voice, reminiscent at times of Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields), Marianne Faithfull or even a Cuban Lana del Rey, is set against string and flute arrangements, vintage synthesizers and urgent guitars. The first single Hunter & Tiger', heralds Heart-Headed' as an album that comes straight from the heart but remains grounded in the early Rock'n'Roll era echoing Wanda Jackson's Hard Headed woman. Record Label: Kwaidan Style: Pop