- 歌曲
- 时长
简介
Born in Italy to Eritrean parents, Ellee’s love affair with entertainment began early on as a child with the young starlet staging what she laughingly cites as her “Watch me! I’m going to be famous!” concerts for close family and friends. Encouraged by a photographer friend of the family, the green-eyed belle began auditioning for commercials in Rome and appeared in several television spots and print advertisements before the family immigrated to Canada when she was seven. They settled in Calgary, and there she began to supplement her impromptu sets with a rigorous schedule of classical ballet training. “Ballet was awesome - I didn’t realize it at the time but it gifted me control, discipline and grace. Although I’m not sure I’ve retained much of that grace as my friends will all attest to how clumsy I am!” Buoyed by the explosion of R&B super groups such as TLC, Bell Biv Devoe, Jodeci and Boyz II Men during the nineties, Ellee recruited three close friends to form all-girl group Koality. “Our music was a fusion of New Jack Swing and Hip Hop, all things popular at the time. This was my first experience with songwriting and touring. The girls went on to perform in and around her hometown of Calgary for the next few years, eventually parting ways during high school. Taking a hiatus to complete her economics degree from the University of Calgary, Ellee returned onto the music scene in 2002, appearing as a finalist in hit Canadian reality TV show “Popstars”. Speaking on the process she says: “At the time, not making the band really upset me. I saw it as a lost opportunity to show the industry I had what it took. But it also reinforced my desire to make it.” With the experience further propelling her drive she set to work on a demo -- co-producing, writing, arranging, mixing and engineering the entire 12 track effort. During this time, the singer/songwriter continued to perform extensively as one third of newly formed hip hop group Aftershock, lending her blend of sultry vocals and easy-flow rhymes to the urban collective. A chance meeting between another member of the group and Jamaican reggae stars Tanto Metro and Devante led to Aftershock opening for the duo’s Calgary show date, subsequently garnering the group national and international airplay with their hit single *Gangsta Chick*. The group disbanded amicably in 2002. In 2003 with her demo completed, Ellee embarked on a six month pilgrimage to her parent’s native homeland, Eritrea. There she continued to work on various music projects and performed alongside Dutch neo-soulster Tasha’s World and Eritrean singing star Wedi Tekabo. She released the single *Money Don’t Matter* and with the assistance of several European embassies and local sponsors, culminated her trip by headlining a cross-cultural music festival to raise money for the country’s orphanages. In 2004, Ellee re-located to the UK, settling in London to record new material. She went on to perform at favored London hotspots, 10 Room, Aqua Lounge and private members club Mercury and was approached to write new tracks for popstar Britney Spears and Bad Boy recording artist, Cassie. Ellee now resides in New York City and when she’s not putting the final touches on her album she appears as a celebrity judge on the popular TV show “Community Auditions”. As she prepares to promote her upcoming release- look for this songstress in your area soon!