MONIQUEA "YES NO MAYBE"

Moniquea was born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Pasadena, California. She vividly recalls watching her mother rehearse as a lead singer alongside other relatives and friends in the Pasadena-branded group The Roses. As a youth, she was exposed to countless volumes of 70’s soul and the electrified sounds of 80’s R&B, which shaped her sound immeasurably. Today, she counts a wide range of artists as influences, from Deniece Williams and Etta James to Stevie Nicks. Her voice carries two distinct characteristics that play into each other perfectly – A “so-retro-it’s-actually-new” twang that harks back to Evelyn “Champagne” King; the second, a jazzy vibrato that easily evokes the tender, smoky voice of Erykah Badu or even Billie Holiday. Moniquea is vocally equipped to sing contemporary R&B/soul, go the Amy Winehouse route, or bring back the synthy, dance-friendly sound of 80’s boogie funk – her current musical direction.  MONIQUEA