Lili Añel Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist
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Lili Añel singer/songwriter/recording artist For Lili Añel, music is a calling. There is nothing else she sees herself doing. “I don't think I could be anything but a singer-songwriter- performer; I truly believe this is why God put me here,” she said. The six-foot tall singer-songwriter, who has had a lengthy career she continues to build on, grew up in New York City. She discovered her passion while singing along to albums she listened to as a child and singing in church. Her grandfather encouraged her to keep singing if it made her happy. To this day, Lili thinks that is one of the forces that put her down the path she is on right now. Her mother also encouraged her. “My Grandfather was very influential and was instrumental in my deciding to pursue music full-time later on in life. I sang in the church choir and he would sneak in to the mass without telling me. I would ask him later, after letting him know that I saw him in the back, why he came to church at all and then leave before it was over. His response was “to hear you sing; I can hear your voice above the others.” After I discovered my musical self, my Mom was also influential. When she became ill with cancer, I was going to put music on hold and dedicate all my time to caring for her. She forbid me,” recalled Lili. “She told me if I stopped performing and she died, she'd haunt me – it was her way of saying that I should keep going. She used to always tell me to never let go of my dream of becoming a successful musician. Playing music helped me with the stress that was her illness.” Her music reflects her background; born of Black/Cuban parents she utilizes rhythms primarily as the basis of her songwriting. “I often play guitar as if I were playing a drum of some kind, keeping time, playing against time. It’s what I grew up listening to at home,” she said. Her mother also exposed the young future singer-songwriter to a good dose of jazz. Her neighbors blasted reggae, and once the British Invasion began there was no turning back. “When The Beatles arrived in America, the damage was done,” she recalled. “Mom bought me Introducing The Beatles (Vee Jay Records) and my sister Meet The Beatles (Capital). From that point on I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up”. Along with the constant exposure to music, Lili expresses emotion and passion in her songs. Her connection with those feelings draws her listeners in. Her audiences empathize with the heart and soul on display through her unique music. She has been compared to Joan Armatrading, Joni Mitchell, and Steely Dan. She admits that trio is an influence, but she also credits the influences of varied artists like Janis Ian, Garland Jeffreys, The Beatles, John Coltrane, Patato Y Totico, and Celia Cruz. She is flattered by comparisons, but admits her sound is all her own. “These artists, these songwriters took me to school as well as made me dance, made me laugh, cry and do a great deal of soul searching. I believe I’ve been successful in incorporating what they’ve given me into my music”. page 1 of 1 Knowing that she wanted to sing, Lili was accepted into the Leonard Davis Center of Performing Arts at City College of the City University of New York. After a successful first year in university, Lili was at a crossroads. “I was bored out of my shoes; I had great grades but didn’t know which way to go. I decided to go after what I always dreamed of doing, to perform, sing, write songs and play guitar,” she said. Lili studied with legendary jazz singer Shelia Jordan for one year in her vocal performance workshop and continued traditional music training for an additional year. Lili took a leave of absence from CCNY and never returned. Instead, she enrolled in Eddie Simon’s “Guitar Study Center.” Only able to afford to pay for one class, she audited as many classes as possible. Her diligence gained the respect of her instructors. She often participated in class like the students who were fully enrolled. Her experience with the Guitar Study Center proved invaluable. Lili had developed a talent for the instrument and it would give her a complete package – an interesting voice, a gift for emotional songwriting, and recognition as an excellent guitarist. During that time, she also began to attend open mics in New York City’s Greenwich Village and other clubs. She began to get gigs and subsequently put a band together. She honed her skills in the Village’s thriving music scene. Alongside such peers as Cliff Eberhardt, Carolyn Mas, The Roches, and Steve Forbert, she developed her sound that floats between jazz and acoustic music. Lili and her band opened for legendary acts Etta James, Taj Mahal, Stuff (featuring the Saturday Night Live Band) and The Persuasions. In the early 80’s, a group of singer-songwriters met at the Cornelia Street Cafe for the first time. Inaugural members included Cliff Eberhardt, David Massengill, Lucy Kaplansky and Lili. It was called The Songwriters Exchange. In 1994, Lili was signed to her first label, Palmetto Records. Palmetto released her album “Laughed Last.” She followed that with “Hi-Octane Coffee” on OJB Records. In 2004, Lili relocated to Philadelphia. She has quickly built a local fan base performing at venues such as The Point, World Café Live and Tin Angel. Lili was asked to participate in two Katrina benefits shows at World Café Live and the Grand Opera House in Delaware. She also played to a standing room only crowd at the Perkins Center for the Arts. In Philadelphia, she recorded her most recent full-length album, “Dream Again,” co-produced with bassist Cooke Harvey, who had been performing with Lili since 2006. She has received airplay from famed Philadelphia station WXPN and has appeared in The Courier Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Ticket. Her albums have also received acclaim nationwide from publications like JazzTimes Magazine. While in the Philadelphia area she continues to appear as a headliner and opened for national acts such as Rhett Miller, Teddy Thompson, Alana Davis, Alejandro Escovedo, Richie Havens and Vance Gilbert. page 2 of 2 Having signed with German label ESC Records in 2008, “Life or Death” a CD containing a compilation of songs from “Hi-Octane Coffee” and current release “Dream Again”, Lili’s music has been released throughout Europe and Japan. Reviews have been excellent and a tour is in the works. Lili is presently recording her next album of new material, at Morningstar Studios with Grammy Award winning producer, Glenn Barratt. * * * * Contact: [email protected] Website: www.lilianel.org MySpace: www.myspace.com/lilianel Publicist: [email protected] page 3 of 3 .