| Sonya Kitchell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sonya Kitchell |
| Born | March 1, 1989 Northampton, Massachusetts |
| Genres | Rock, Jazz, Folk |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Unsigned |
| Website | http://www.sonyakitchell.com |
Sonya D. Kitchell (born March 1, 1989 in Ashfield, Massachusetts[1]) is an American singer-songwriter. Sonya Kitchell formed her first band and began writing music in 2001. In 2004 Sonya signed with Velour Records and was named the second Starbucks Hear Music Artist, releasing her first Internationally selling Record: “Words Came Back to Me” on Velour Records, touring globally to Japan, Europe and across the US many times in support of the album.
Sonya has appeared on numerous late night TV shows including Late Night with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CNN, CBS and garnered rave reviews from the LA Times, Boston Globe, NY Times & NPR; gracing venues such as Carnegie Hall & The Hollywood Bowl amongst numerous notable stages around the world. In 2007 she joined forces with Herbie Hancock singing on his Grammy winning Joni Mitchell record titled, “River: The Joni Letters”. Herbie Hancock invited Sonya to join him on tour to sing in his band, in support of the record for the following year. Giving her the chance to work alongside such greats as Wayne Shorter, Joni Mitchell, Milton Nascimento, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, and many more.
Shortly after her year spent touring with Herbie Hancock, Sonya released her sophomore album, "This Storm" on Decca Records produced by Malcolm Burn (Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris) 2008) in collaboration with renowned rock band, The Slip, to much critical acclaim.
In 2009, Sonya joined forces with long-time friend and collaborator Garth Stevenson and together they created a collection of string quartet based music, releasing “Convict of Conviction” in 2010 with producer Stewart Lerman (Antony and the Johnsons, David Byrne). Sonya Kitchell & The Brooklyn Strings were born and Sonya spent the next year performing with a string quartet ensemble exploring a more dramatic, cinematic side to her music.
Her songs have appeared on numerous TV shows and films including "Perfect Stranger" (Bruce Willis, Halle Berry), "Private Practice" and "The Unit."
She currently lives in Brooklyn NY and is working on her fourth album
Kitchell was born in Massachusetts. Growing up in Ashfield, Massachusetts, she attended the Hilltown Cooperative Charter School in the Williamsburg village of Haydenville, and continued her education at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School.[2]
She is the daughter of artist Peter Kitchell, and has a younger brother Max Kitchell,.[3] She and her father had a father/daughter photography exhibit at Gallery 137 featuring 15 large prints and 20 smaller prints.[4]