CREATIVE GENRE: Music - Musician, singer-songwriter, performer. INSTRUMENT: guitar, piano. STYLE: Alternative pop-rock. Also instrumental relaxation . FROM: Japan/Hawaii. Born and raised in Japan in the mountains under the shadow of Mt. Fuji, home schooled. Relocated to her mother's native Hawaii after high school. EXPERIENCE: Has played piano since young, picked up guitar in high school; she's always sung...one of those great natural voices...she's a songbird for sure. Her first EP, Vertigo, showcases her first self-written pop songs. AWARDS: the Artist Advance MainStage Music Development Award a mentoring award, granting time and opportunity to assist a music artist uniquely ready to refine their musical vision, songwriting, and to record a demo. CDs: First EP, Vertigo; Second EP, A New Way MUSIC REVIEW: Her first EP is exceptionally strong, has compelling moods and great songs, there are several songs here that really hook the ear, there's great production, a fresh full sound, Producer Ralf Illenberger. EP two, self-produced with a local Hawaiian engineer, is also good. A more simple sound, very nicely done and a couple of songs that are new favorites of mine. Website: Coming Soon! MySpace:www.myspace.com/kianamusic MySpace: www.myspace.com/equilibriumkiana
Kiana and her parents came to my home in Washington State in November of 2005 for a three-day intensive about Kiana's career. We had terrific fun and all grew to hold great respect and love for one another. Her parents are savy, dear, dear people - professors in Japan. It was there that I heard two songs Kiana had hurriedly written for a contest in Hawaii - her first song-writing attempt. Amongst all the miscellaneous materials she had sent ahead for me to review, these were the standouts. It was clear Kiana could and should write. I told her that if she was able to write 6-8 good songs in time, we could record an EP in January. She took up the challenge and soon was sending me songs. She came to Sedona with some great new tunes.
Beautiful, fast-thinking and fast-talking, Kiana is very fun and enthusiastic, with an energy that no one can keep up with. She showed up at the studio in Sedona, AZ full of terrific ideas for her songs. That 6 song EP, Vertigo, is an exceptionally strong first effort. I just started to list track favorites, but I think all six songs deserve a listen. On her second EP A New Way, Kiana worked with local Hawaiin engineer, Pierre Grill. They did a good job for her and three new favs show up there for me.
Since her move to Hawaii in 1999, Kiana
has honed her craft on stage in convention and show bands around the
islands, singing and dancing four nights a week until she left to
pursue her own music career. Kiana has also performed in concerts
across Japan as a solo artist, and has been trained in Jazz, Hip-hop,
Salsa, Modern, and other forms of dance, which she enjoys
incorporating in her stage performances while singing. She also enjoys
street singing and always draws a crowd. With this type of experience,
she has become a very compelling performer.
By the way, besides
her very fun alternative pop music, Kiana has put out three CDs of her
piano compositions (“Heartstrings,” “Anamnesis,” and “Transcendence”),
as well as a relaxation CD entitled “Equilibrium,” and a compilation
album of songs from around the world which she created with her mother,
Janet. These CDs are more in the Relaxation/New Age genre and satisfy
another side of this multifacited artist.
