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Home , 4 Non Blondes, Just Like, Sarah McLachlan, Songwriter

singer-, essence, has released her much anticipated third entitled ‘Feels Like the Future,’ available now on iTunes, it’s sound is a distinct hybrid of and indie pop. Deeply influenced by the sudden loss of her father in 2007, and inspired by the birth of her son, Rhys, only a few months later, “Feels Like the Future” is a collection of fourteen intimate and spirit lifting tracks that preserve essence’s trademark sound of blending sweeping vocals and honest . With this record, essence naturally communicates an arresting spectrum of emotion through .

Highlights of her new album include the opening title track ‘Feels Like the Future’ which won the GRAND PRIZE for The Great American Contest, as well as placement on NBC’s Access . A prime example of life imitating art, basically wrote itself, upon meeting her future husband and father of her child. Its message is that of of the great wonders of life: a declaration of and a brave departure from the past.

“Music is in my blood, this is what ’ve always done - it’s who I am. It’s non-negotiable.”

This is essence talking about a suggestion from her grandfather that she consider going to law school, give up making music and get serious. And you’ve gotten the sense that she declined, turned away from the well-worn path to conventional success for the sake of her music, you’re right.

So - just to clear things up - essence is her real name. Her parents were flower in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury, trailblazers of the Cultural Revolution. In a supernatural meeting of manifest destiny and bohemian spirit, her mother was visited in a dream by her unborn daughter - who announced herself as essence. And so essence named. Not that this sat particularly well with the young girl. “As kid, I wanted to fit in. I didn’t be named essence,” she says. “I wanted to be a Michelle, or an Alice. But I’ve grown to appreciate my name.”

Though born and bred mostly in San Francisco, the city she calls home, essence moved extensively with her parents as a child - by her early teens she had already lived on three continents and at- tended over a dozen different schools. Growing up in a creative and chaotic environment, essence felt compelled to express herself from a young age. While her parents practiced the fine arts of sculpture and painting, essence worshipped and Bob Dylan, along with her first female pop heroine, . After studying theater briefly at The American Conservatory, essence de- cided to her own muse rather than bring to life the works of others. She began writing at fifteen, finding music to be the ultimate medium to articulate her inner thoughts, and has kept on writing. She worked her way through San Francisco State University as an artist model while devel- oping and refining her songwriting, vocal and skills.

www.essencemusic.com With a remarkable sequence of transitions, “Feels Like the Future’ takes the listener to a dizzying time of adolescence with the upbeat, and whimsical tune “Yum Yum.” This song depicts the playful innocence of childhood like a nursery rhyme and is yet peppered with double entendres. The spinning vocals and sugary melodies make this song unforgettable. essence -forwards to a more somber place to salute her father, in her ballad “How to Good- bye.” In a similar vein, “” spotlights the aftermath of loss, and the path to healing. It is prominently featured in Jennifer Steinman’s critically acclaimed independent film entitled “Motherland.” www.motherland-thefilm.com.

The album is punctuated with two transcendent tracks “Just Wanted to Dance” and Solar- stone’s internationally-embraced re-mix of “Lunar Rings.” These uncompromising electronic soundscapes create intermissions to the more sentient songs.

“Feels Like The Future” is a collaboration among a handful of world class producers: Karl Derfler (No Doubt, Tom Waits, and countless film ), Count (Rolling Stones, Lyrics Bjorn, DJ Shadow, Galactic), Garth May (producer of previous essence releases “Conception” & “Mariposa,”) David Della Santa and Dan Wool. Each producer brought something unique to the mix, so there is dimension to the record as a whole, and yet unity is achieved by the common thread of essence’s songwriting and soaring vocals. essence has earned a devoted following in San Francisco where she has sold thousands of CDs and headlined some of the city’s most prestigious venues. She has also shared bills with Tom Petty, Shawn Colvin, Jason Mraz, Sarah McLachlan, , Ani DiFranco and of 4 Non . essence her music career after partnering with independent music producer Garth May and recorded her first album “Conception” in 1997. In 1998, essence won The National Talent Competition, standing out among 5000 entries with her song “Sleeping With The Driver.” In 2003 essence released, to wide critical acclaim, her groundbreaking album “Mariposa” and later earned a “SIBL” award (Songs Inspired by Literature) song “Still Crying”, landing her placement on a CD alongside Bruce Springsteen, , and Suzanne Vega. essence also gained exposure as a featured performer on VH1’s music special “Women First”, NPR’s “World Café”, KFOG radio in SF, and A&E Network’s hit show “The Division.” In addition, she has received heavy press coverage including features in the San Francisco Chronicle, Acoustic Guitar Player, Billboard, SF Examiner, the Bay Guardian, and SF Weekly.

Michael Paoletta, Billboard Magazine, on essence: “...layer upon layer or aural sensations (part acoustic, part electronic) just waiting to be discovered and savored. With nods to female contemporaries like Nelly Furtado, , Alanis Moris- sette, , and Sarah McLachlan, essence remains very much her own artist. ...a singer, who, like Madonna, isn’t afraid to take musical chances.”

www.essencemusic.com It would seem appropriate to compare singer/songwriter, Essence to the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin and Tori Amos – whom she has either toured with or admires. But this gem of an art- ist, whose track Glitter Gone from her freshman album, Conception, exemplifies how melody, pathos and lyricism can be fused to the level of a classic, is inevitably going to be categorized as such. Don’t be fooled. There is so much more to this 6th generation Northern native who won the National Lilith Fair Talent Competition in 1998 and has just released her smashing third album of infectious indie-pop and electronica tunes, Feels Like the Future.

“My goal is to write emotionally evocative, vulnerable songs,” says Essence. “Songs that are rich in story-telling and metaphor.” This should come as no surprise to those that have followed Essence faithfully through the years and listened to her honest, captivating music – just as stirring in a remixed, electronically produced context as it is in an acoustic rendition. It’s no wonder, since her include such artists as Willy Nelson, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and , all of whom mine life experiences for music that is profoundly relatable and resonant through the ages. Feels Like the Future was greatly inspired by my meeting my husband wrote it after the first time we hung out,” she explains. “ earth-. great music, it could not be ignored and I was compelled to follow it through.”

But the album is not just an ode to newfound love. Feels Like the Future is bright and upbeat, but it’s also a farewell to the past and an enthusiastic embrace of the future. Deeply influenced by the passing of her father and the birth of her son a few months after, Essence demonstrates her versatility in tracks like How to Say and Shape of You which helped her to celebrate and also let go . And then there is also the pulsating mix of Lunar Rings and Numb, a standout track that grabs hold of you and embodies all the qualities that make a song not only personally relevant, but an enduring hit.

-Ghalib Dhalla Indulge Magazine (Los Angeles) April 2010 www.essencemusic.com www.essencemusic.com