Anya Parker-Lentz looks like your typical, All-American teenage girl. The sixteen-year old Short Hills, New Jersey resident loves practicing yoga, running, writing, sewing and hanging out with friends. Anya is prone to giggle fits with her closest friends, and shows a unique and inquisitive mind in conversation and in her academic pursuits. Everything changes once Anya sits down at a piano, however. The sweet shyness of a teenager falls by the wayside, and she becomes an intense, brooding and eccentric artist who thrives in the maelstrom of creation. With a distinctive ear for melody, and a perspective on the world that reaches far beyond her sixteen years, Anya is an old soul spinning songs written under the influence of youth. While many teen artists are espousing the sort of stream-of-emotion poetry that dots diary pages, Anya digs into emotions and experiences with the fine eye of a veteran storyteller; crafting visions of the world how it is, and how it should be, in lucid and compelling language. Anya’s songs illuminate people, places and moments with life; bringing listeners closer to the human experience while maintaining the perspective of a troubadour. Anya can’t remember a time when she didn’t sing, but it was just three years ago when she found her niche as a solo singer. Anya has spent five years performing with the New Jersey Youth Chorus, twice singing on stage at Carnegie Hall. An impromptu family performance of Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide” changed Anya’s musical trajectory, however. With a voice that’s been compared to Nicks, Fiona Apple and even Sara Bareilles, Anya has a vocal charisma that stops people in their tracks. She’s already performed at New York City’s famed B.B. King’s as well as the New York Songwriter’s Collective, and shows the depth of an accomplished songwriter. One of Anya’s very good friends is Jake, is a young man who has endured the neurological movement disorder Dystonia. He and his family are active fundraisers for the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation. Three years ago, Jake’s mother asked Anya on a lark to write a song about Jake with no real expectations. Anya responded with “Mission Possible”, digging deep into the emotions generated by watching a friend struggle and survive. In the process, she managed to a write a deeply moving song that both defined Jake’s life and his meaning to those around him. “Mission Possible” has become an unofficial anthem for the annual fundraiser Jake’s Ride, and was recently featured in a stirring Fox Teen News segment along with interviews of Anya and Jake. Now, with a number of small festival dates under her belt during 2011 and the early part of 2012, Anya takes the next step with the release of her debut EP, The Giving. Building on the artistic success of “Mission Possible”, Anya has crafted a seven-song EP of youthful, yet surprisingly poised observations in song. Dealing in the reality of her life, Anya explores love, loss and the constant angst of living amongst the detritus of dreams. One such creation is a song entitled “Wake Up Alice”, a recast of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of the entrapments of adolescence. Haunting and insightful, “Wake Up Alice” is part Tori Amos and part Sarah McLachlan, yet fully Anya. The depth of imagery derived from Carroll’s opus and given fresh life in the song is intriguing, and Anya’s voice paints it all in the maudlin-yet-provoking colors of melancholy. For Anya, the future looks bright. With a deep understanding of the interconnectivity of art and the human condition, and a talent that is only now shaking itself from the joyful slumbers of youth and demanding to be heard, Anya Parker-Lentz is a voice of tomorrow. Anya isn’t even certain what she’s capable of yet, but any discerning music fan will recognize the signs of a future icon in this unassuming Jersey girl. If you’d like to learn more about Anya Parker-Lentz and her music, make your way quickly to www.anyaparkerlentz.com. Word will get out quickly and there’s bound to be a line. If you’d like to book Anya or contact her for an interview, please submit requests to anya.parkerlentz@gmail.com.