Xclusive! prides itself on showcasing emerging talent from
our community and this week presents Maria Evangelou. A Cypriot
singer-songwriter born and raised in Palmers Green (or 'Palmers Greek' as she
fondly calls it), who is making her mark with a host of original jazzy pop
tunes.
Inspired by soul greats such as Nina Simone, Etta James,
Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye; the essence of their sound effervesces within her
music alongside her own unique vocal flair. A classically trained pianist,
having studied at the Guildhall School of Music, Evangelou will be performing
live with her six piece band at The Dugdale Centre in Enfield this Friday 14th
March 8pm.
With a passion for live performance there are definitely
more gigs in the pipeline over the coming months including an acoustic evening
of Jazz at Enfield's Forty Hall on 17th May. The singer’s debut EP is also
ready for release. I caught up with Maria to find more about her musical
inspirations and the busy year ahead!
Maria, what inspired you to follow a career in music as a
singer-songwriter?
I've always wanted to sing I actually can't remember ever
wanting to do anything else. I grew up in a very musical house where there was
a lot of singing and dancing going on. My uncle is a professional musician and
my mum would always play lots of different genres of music in the house from
classical, Jazz to soul and pop. However when I was taken to see a musical for
the first time called 'Mamma I Want to Sing' based on the life story of singer
Doris Troy that really just confirmed it for me it had some great gospel and
soul songs in it and the theater was just filled with this wall of sound of
these amazing voices and i was mesmerized the whole way through. After that
there really was no going back LOL
You are currently working with and under the guidance vocal
coach Joshua Alamu who has worked with the likes of Will Young, Beverly Knight,
Daniel Bedingfield and Joss Stone - how has that impacted your career? He is one of the top coaches in the country and is the
person I owe helping me develop my voice into what I can do now. I see him
regularly and also studied teacher training under him too as I also teach voice
and piano too.
In three words how would you describe your sound? Retro-Pop, Jazz, Soul
What can audiences expect at one of your gigs? I have a 6 piece band consisting of keys, drums, bass,
guitar and backing vocals. We perform my original material which has influences
of Soul, Jazz and Pop as well as re-worked covers and classics that fit into
the style of my own sound.
What is playing on you Ipod at the moment? Haha that is a good question! 'Mamma Said' by the Shirelles
followed by Bruno Mars 'Locked out of Heaven'! LOL
What are your big ambitions for 2014? This year I'd really like to build on the success of last
year and aim for artist management and hopefully interest from some record labels.
We have an EP being released at our show at the Dugdale this Friday 14th March
which will feature some of my original material. The show is the official EP
Launch Party.
You do a lot of gigs in the local community, is it
important for you to make a name for yourself in the area where you grew up? Yes very much so. The local community in Enfield have been
so supportive and have really helped boost my presence. There's such a strong
sense of community in the area and they are really good at supporting local
talent. It gives me the drive to keep working hard at my music and do
them proud too.
You've mentioned you have an EP ready for release what can
you tell us about it? I have a sample EP being released at the gig at the Dugdale
theatre this Friday. But the full version should be available in the next few
weeks on CD and Itunes.
Your grandparents are from Lithrangomi and Famagousta
- has your Cypriot background influenced your music or work ethic at all? Yes very much so. Certainly in my work ethic, I have always
been brought up being taught that you have to work extremely hard for anything
you want and I have to say the music industry is extremely hard work but you
also reap the rewards of that too. Singing has always been my dream and my mum
and the rest of my family have supported me for many years and have never let
me give up. At times it can be very hard work and you have to be able to take a
lot of knock backs and keep picking yourself up again and developing and
learning until you get to where you need to be. That mentality has really kept
me going. that and self belief. You have to believe in what you do and not let
anything stop you. I love greek music and am a big fan of Marinella and Despina
Vandi. LGR is also always programmed into my car stereo!!! LOL
How can our readers find out more about you and your music
and keep updated with any news?
If they like my facebook page Maria Evangelou and
twitter @MEvangelou they can keep updated with all the news there and all
my forthcoming gigs where they can come hear me live too. My Website www.mariaevangelou.com
will also be up soon too and fans will have the option to join the mailing list
by emailing info@mariaevangelou.com You can also hear my music on
soundcloud.com/maria-evangelou.
To see Maria Evangelou live this
Friday 14th March at the Dugdale Centre call 0208 807 6680. Tickets are priced £13.
******
That’s all for now ~ more music and
entertainment XCLUSIVES coming soon…
Until next time x Mwah
***********************************************************
Catch all the latest music Xclusives on Katerina’s Live DJ
Show: ‘Young & Connected ~ Scandalous! Two hours of unadulterated
Modern Greek hits; 1st for new music, celebrity gossip, chart news,
interviews and of course listener’s special requests and dedications! Not
to mention a few surprises along the way! Live on LGR 103.3fm and online
at www.lgr.co.uk on Tuesdays
8-10pm. SCANDALOUS! If you would like your CD or event featured or
reviewed in Xclusive! Contact Katerina: via email: katsmusiq@gmail.com / Facebook: Kat NeocleousPublished in The Parikiaki Newspaper - 13th March 2014
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