“I have to connect with what a song is saying in order to cover it; I have to be into what I do” says Jazz/Blues singer Anya Singleton. While this simple concept should be of the utmost importance to any singer, it is one that many fail to grasp. Proving that she does practice what she preaches, the rich, smoky voice of Anya Singleton radiates the one thing that the “American Idol” generation does not; sincerity.
Raised in South Africa and briefly, England, Anya caught the Jazz bug in High School through her father, an avid Jazz aficionado. Citing Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin as her main influences, she forged a deep connection to the Blues and Jazz, but would soon begin a new musical chapter before returning to her main love once again.
Coming to the U.S for her college education, she studied acting and musical theatre at Emerson College in Boston under the tutelage of acting legend Kristin Linklater. Studying everything from Shakespeare to musical theatre, Anya graduated ready to take on projects as varied as her award winning, one woman play “The Odd Couple – Female Version”, “Annie Get Your Gun”, numerous commercial voice over work and appearances on “Law And Order”, “Sex And The City” and most recently, “Mona Lisa Smile”.
When Anya did return to the Jazz world, she put to use all that she had learned to realize her artistic vision. Sounding coolly confident, she interprets her songs as if she were “taking apart a monologue”, making sure the storyline of the song is the main focus at all times.
Covering Jazz and Blues standards such as “The Very Thought Of You”, “The Thrill Is Gone”, and “I’ve Got A Crush On You”, Anya has created quite a buzz with her warm, inviting sound and passionate vocals. So far, this buzz has allowed her to get re-booked (on the spot no less) at every New York City venue she plays, a top-rated appearance on the Joey Reynolds radio show and receiving steady rotation on Spanish radio. In fact, Anya is so popular overseas the she has sees a large portion of her album sales come from Spain, Japan, and Belgium. And hopefully traveling to those locales will happen in 2004 as Anya is trying to work out tour plans in addition to recording a new full-length album.
While the positive response to her music is partly due to the fact that “people forgot how amazing those songs were”, the songs themselves are merely the vehicles while the voice itself is the engine that brings the listener along on their emotional journey.
