Samantha Siva

Rhythm Of The Voices is truly a tour de-force that heralds the arrival of an artist with an innovative musical approach and a universal lyrical message that is sure to have global appeal"

David Nathan, a/k/a British Ambassador of Soul. Contributing writer, Billboard.

Rhythm Of The Voices reveals itself as no ordinary collection of songs. With its rich blend of jazz influence, pop overtones and urban under-currents, this scintillating debut album from writer, producer and singer Samantha Siva, serves as a fine introduction to this multi-talented artist. From the dreamy quietstorm 'feel' of the first single "Angel" to the hypnotic lyrically uplifting "Eeyeah-Hope In The River", Samantha's Rhythm of The Voices is in her own words "a record that is like a musical journey - that takes the listener through different moods, and emotions, each painted with their own colors, tones and textures.

Born in Britain, of parents from Sri Lanka, Samantha has crafted an album that draws not only upon her rich musical training as a classical pianist, but also her experiences as a global traveler who has made her home in Australia, India, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and the US. The result is a record that is distinct and unique in sound and style.

Samantha's free-spirit and unconventional approach to life is exuded in all aspects of her songwriting and production cuts such as "Sound of Summer" an upbeat, jazz-fused cut that recalls "the playful memories of growing up in the English countryside" while the album's kaleidoscopic title track mixes classical guitars, ensembles strings, tribal drums and a forty part vocal arrangement into a mysterious chantlike mantra. Other standout include the infectious, hip "Rain", the seductive slick dance-groove, "Mister Loverboy" and the pop-slanted "Don't Say Goodbye", which Samantha notes "was one of the first songs I ever wrote in high school."

Growing up in Manchester, England, Samantha began playing the piano at the age of four and three years later, she was awarded a full scholarship to Chethams School of Music. Clearly advanced for her age, Samantha continued to develop her skills, performing before Prince Charles within her first year at Chethams, and moving on to the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music where she attained distinctions in piano, violin and music theory. While she began to venture into the world of popular music by listening to a diversity of artists including Elton John, Julia Fordham and Sting, Samantha continued her formal musical education, becoming first chair in both school and college orchestras.

In 1991, she began her adventurous journey that took her to SouthEast Asia, Japan and Australia where she met principle cohort Mario Grigorov. "When I first got to Sydney", Samantha says, "I joined a metal band as a keyboardist After hearing one of my own songs recorded I knew instantly that I wanted to develop my career as an artist."

Journeying from Australia to the US, Samantha's first port of call was Los Angeles but she settled on New York as her base and began pursuing her musical dream with optimism, enthusiasm and determination. "When I arrived in New York, I knew nobody so I started calling record companies and managers in the phone book." Samantha states. Gaining the attention of further talented collaborators including Andy Marvel (whose credits include work with Diana King and Maxi Priest) and Timmy Allen (who has worked with Freddie Jacks on and Hi-Five), Samantha began to experiment further with her writing and she recalls that "discovering the idiom of jazz was like walking into a candy store for me. All of a sudden a new musical world opened up to me."

Working consistently on creating a catalog of her own songs, Samantha finally decided it was time to create her own album. From a body of songs that comprised over forty songs, she picked the eleven tunes that comprise Rhythm of The Voices. My approach was to choose songs that were unique, that pushed musical horizons, were somewhat unconventional and challenged the listener's imagination. Take "Angel", people think at first that it's a love song but in reality, it's about spirituality. It is a self-empowering song about God lying within us all and not on a pedestal". It was written directly after the earthquake in LA in '94 and I think some of the energy from that event might have affected how I wrote the song.

Exuding confidence and a passion for life, Samantha's upbeat personality and energy are stamped on every track on her exciting first album which includes co-production from collaborators Grigorov, Allen, Marvel and Roland Rand, As award-winning producer Nile Rogers notes, "Samantha's album took me on a wonderful musical journey she paints with rich colors, varying tones and beautiful images. Her diversity and ability to mix styles is not only exciting but fits together well." Using her finely tuned skills as a keyboardist, musician and songwriter Samantha Siva's Rhythm of The Voices is truly a tour de-force that heralds the arrival of an artist with an innovative musical approach and a universal lyrical message that is sure to have global appeal.