Peruvian first generation immigrant Anaís Azul (they/them) is a Bay Area based singer-songwriter, composer, and teaching artist. Described as “stunningly honest and vulnerable,” their artistry engages with music as a tool for community building, cross-genre collaboration, and collective healing. Anaís writes music that is in conversation with jazz harmony, classical melodies, and Latin American singer-
songwriter traditions. Their songs are bilingual (Spanish and English) and primarily about mental health and queer love.
Artist Category: Pop
Aurora D’Amico
Thanks to a classical music background and a deep passion for Pop and Folk music, Aurora shapes her skills as a songwriter in her hometown (Palermo, IT). She studies Composition at the Music Conservatory and won a scholarship at the Berklee College Online.
After a life changing performance at the world-famous Bluebird Cafè in Nashville TN, Aurora finally decided to bring her songs to the audience. Quickly she became a notable artist in the local music scene, winning contests for Best Act and Best Original Song. In 2015 Aurora traveled to England to record her first EP & “Barefoot” in her friend’s home studio. The warm sounds and the pure voice soon captured the interest of Italian producer Fabio Rizzo, and the two worked together on her first LP “So Many Things”, published by 800A Records in February 2018.
The album received positive reviews from local newspapers and National press such as Italian marieclaire, and Aurora took part in many radio shows and TV shows, reaching a much wider audience. The power of Aurora’s music lies in the combination of sophisticated lyrics, memorable melodies and a unique and energetic voice. She has now become a Fender and G7th The Capo Company endorser, and has collaborated with the US Embassy House in Rome and Washington D.C.
Lizzy McAlpine
Lizzy is a vocalist and songwriter from just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently studying Songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Influenced by an eclectic group of people such as John Mayer, MARO, Dodie and H.E.R., Lizzy blends jazz, pop, and R&B together to create her own unique style.
Alisa Amador
Praised by NPR’s Bob Boilen as a “powerful voice whose tender performance commands attention and fosters connection,” Alisa Amador made history in 2022 with the first-ever Spanish language song to win the prestigious Tiny Desk Contest.
Now, two years later, the bilingual singer/songwriter has formally introduced herself with her stunning full-length debut, Multitudes. Recorded with co-producers Tyler Chester and Daniel Radin, the album is a bold, captivating self-portrait, one that serves not only as a testament to how far Amador has come (she’s earned dates with everyone from Hozier and Brandi Carlile to Lake Street Dive and Maggie Rogers), but also as a celebration of where she comes from (her roots span Puerto Rico, New Mexico, Argentina, and New England). Slipping effortlessly between Spanish and English and featuring appearances from Gaby Moreno, Madison Cunningham, and Quinn Christopherson, the collection is raw and vulnerable, at once steeped in devastating loss and uncertainty, but also laced with the hope and resilience of a young woman learning to find her voice and stand her ground. Certainly, Multitudes is a beautiful record—the way Amador’s crystalline voice cuts through the album’s lush synthesizers, dreamy guitars, and cinematic string arrangements is nothing short of spellbinding—but more than that, it’s a fierce work of discovery and affirmation, a profound, revelatory meditation on triumph and loss, endings and beginnings, identity and belonging.
Rebecca Correia
Up-and-coming singer-songwriter, Rebecca Correia, who Vance Gilbert called a ‘broken-winged angel’ after their first shared performance, is a young veteran with already over 200 songs to her credit. Most recently, she co-wrote the song ‘So Long Goodbye’ with three-time Grammy-winner Keb’ Mo’. ‘So Long Goodbye’ can be found on Keb’s latest album Bluesamericana which was nominated for Best Americana Album @ the 2015 GRAMMY Awards.
Growing up on a rural horse farm in the little town of Rochester, Massachusetts, Rebecca savored her natural surroundings and began writing songs at age nine. After having earned a degree in music education vocal emphasis from the prestigious Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, CT., Rebecca paved her way on the road, averaging 150 shows a year, from Boston and New York to Miami and Los Angeles. She now splits her time between Rochester, MA and Leipers Fork, TN (the haven for music lovers and legends just outside of Nashville), where she has been embraced as a formidable talent by fellow musicians and garnered a loyal following of discerning fans.
LEW
LEW, is a twenty two year old local singer-songwriter who translates something intangible, emotion, into an embrace that is rough but real. His voice is a melodic silky sound that hugs you like a friend, and takes you home.
In 2017, LEW released his debut album “Lullacry” at his sold-out album launch. “Lullacry” reached #1 on the Singapore iTunes Charts, #6 in China and #9 in Taiwan respectively, and has now amassed over 3.8 million plays on Spotify. The acoustic-pop artist is now based in Boston, pursuing a degree in songwriting at Berklee College of Music, and has more recently released two EPs in 2018, entitled “There’s Something In My Eye” & “ENFJ” respectively.
LEW participated and completed the Noise Singapore Music Mentorship Program, and was very honoured to receive the NOISE Award for 2015. He has performed for many festivals and on various stages including “SHINE Festival 2017/2018” , ‘MOSAIC Music Series‘ at The Esplanade Outdoor Theatres, “Bandwagon Nights’ at Hard Rock Cafe and was also part of the SCAPE Invasion Lineup for 2016.
LEW’s debut album ‘Lullacry’ was released in July 2017 and has already garnered over 2.1 million plays on Spotify. It also hit #1 on the Singapore iTunes Charts, #6 in China, #9 in Taiwan, #11 in Hong Kong and #12 in Indonesia respectively.
Kris Allen
On New Year’s Day in 2013, Kris Allen and his then-pregnant wife Katy were in a head-on collision that left the singer/songwriter/guitarist with a career-threatening shattered wrist.
In the two years that followed, he underwent three surgeries, re-learned how to play guitar (despite regaining just 30 percent movement in the damaged wrist), recorded his third album, and toured relentlessly – including a two-month-long stint that started just one week after his accident. The American Idol season 8 winner ultimately retreated from the whirlwind and immersed himself in a songwriting spell that yielded more than 70 new tracks. Culled from the collection of songs, Allen’s fourth full-length album Letting You In finds the Nashville-based artist delivering his most intimate and dynamic work to date.
ATLYS
ATLYS, the classically trained, all-female string quartet pushes the boundaries of their genre to create an infinite world of possibilities for string quartet.
Hailed for being incredibly passionate and interactive, they create a concert atmosphere that is absolutely mesmerizing. By using looping pedals and extending the traditional string instrument technique to include atmospheric and percussive textures, ATLYS creates captivating twenty-first-century symphonies from just their four instruments. Since their founding in late 2016, ATLYS has performed nearly 1,000 concerts together, had their music featured on several collaborative albums and music videos, in motion pictures, and they were selected to represent New York’s Lincoln Center in performances around the world, including a private performance for Oprah Winfrey.
SnugHouse
SnugHouse is Nikhil Dasgupta, Alex Millan, Rosie Borden, Laura Pauline and Sam Kyzivat. In the studio and on stage, the quintet explores its full expanse of influences which includes indie-folk, bucolic acoustic balladeering, frisky soulful pop, and delicately textured indie rock. This eclectic palette is masterfully tied together by a sweet sincerity captured in emotionally direct lyrics, stunning four-part harmonies, and profound interpersonal bonds that shine through onstage and in recordings. SnugHouse tracks fit comfortably alongside songs by Darlingside, The Ghost of Paul Revere, and The Head and the Heart.
The band name is a tip of the hat to the beloved local watering hole, The Snug, conveniently located below Nikhil’s apartment where he hosted countless formative rehearsals. Since forming in the fall of 2017, the quintet has made profound headway in the local scene. To date, SnugHouse has made appearances on Portland’s two biggest televised music programs, and garnered regular radio airplay on all local stations, most notably 98.9 WCLZ. In addition, CLZ has featured SnugHouse on their station stage at Portland’s biggest summer food and culture festival, Old Port Fest. The band has released two EPs: 2017’s self-titled, and 2018’s Like Water, with plans to work toward a full-length album.
Katie Matzell
Katie Matzell is an up-and-coming singer and songwriter from Portland, Maine who released her debut EP at the start of 2018. MaineToday called the debut “fierce and dazzling,” adding that Matzell’s vocals are “sweet, full and gorgeous” with a “richness to them that make the songs burst all the more.” The Deli Magazine said “Matzell’s voice, both effortless and simple, floats above a sea of washy keys and pocket grooves, calling comparisons to not only her influences of the past (Bonnie Raitt and Aretha Franklin), but to her contemporaries — Norah Jones and Emily King immediately come to mind.” Matzell was nominated by the New England Music Awards in 2018 for Female Performer of the Year. Matzell is hard at work on new music for a 2019 release.
