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Hometown: London, LDN, UK
Management: Freedom Music Ltd freedommusic@live.co.uk
Website: www.tanjamaritsa.co.uk
Sounds Like: Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Joni Joan Mitchell
Genre: Folk
With a name like Tanja Maritsa one might guess that the London based singer songwriter, has some exotic connections. Indeed they might be even more exotic than you first imagine....
Born to an English mother and Croatian father, Tanja spent the first five formidable years of her life living in Paris, France. It's no irony then that her first spoken words were spoken in the language of love - French! Her early years growing up in Paris were extremely vital to her development as an artist and as is evident from her latest album 'Fragile', these images and sounds remain seared into her soul, and to this day are a vital part of her compositions.
In 2005 Tanja formed her own jazz folk covers band with guitarist Paul Sogaard, performing in jazz venues in the UK and New York. 2008 saw the release of Tanja's debut album 'Child in My Heart', produced by the legendary arranger Richard Niles and featuring the remarkable piano instrumentation of Gwilym Simcock. Originally intended to be an album of covers, after hearing her own material, Niles strongly encouraged Tanja to write more and ‘thats how I caught the writing bug’ !
Delighted by the response to 'Child in My Heart', Tanja was eager to get back into the studio and start recording her second album ‘Fragile’. Tanja once again teamed up with Niles, as well as Gwilym Simcock, not to mention Richard Cottle, Sam Burgess and Gary O’toole. Also featuring on the album as a special guest, is the highly esteemed oud player Naseer Shaama, who Tanja first met on her travels to Egypt 'I was thrilled when Naseer said he would join us and we recorded the album in London and Cairo – its great to have a collaboration of international artists' . Tanja is currently working on more songs for her third album !, inspired by new beginnings and dreams... :
“'Joni Mitchell, Dory Previn and Madeleine Peyroux fans will really love her! '
Blues and Soul Magazine”
Emrys Baird - Blues and Soul Magazine
“Fragile is a delightful album from start to finish, Tanja's warm heartfelt vocals never fail to impress, whilst the blend of influences and genres leaves the listener with a sweet taste and insatiable thirst to hear more.”
Rhythm and Booze
“An album so full of style, panache and je ne sa qua that even Mr Lacroix would whole heartedly approve - and for want of better terminology in this instant, an absolutely beautifully delivered piece of genre crossing quality. - Review of Fragile”
Blues and Soul Magazine
“'There’s craftsman kind of work in putting something like this together. And then there’s master craftsman quality, painstakingly assembled by hand, and that’s where this one resides. Very highly recommended.' Review of album Fragile”
Girl Singers
“If we hear an album more beautiful than this in 2010 we’ll be well and truly shocked. - Review of Fragile”
Pip - Entertainment Focus
“a very talented songwriter..an air of Blossom Dearie”
Steve Duffy - BBC Scotland Jazz House
“Simcock’s typically sensitive arrangement and accompaniment helps to bring out the beauty of Maritsa’s melody, the fragility of her voice and the poetic delicacy of her words.”
Ian Mann - the JazzMann - review of Single 'Fading Grace'
“'She sounds understated and stunning'”
Entertainment Focus - review of Fading Grace
“has a gently confident voice that evokes both Edith Piaf and Blossom Dearie – the single is smooth, quirky and endearing.”
GirlSingers -review of Live For Today
“Live For Today hails from the 1940s, and is the kind of music that soldiers and their sweethearts fell in love to before war and death blew them apart............ a guilty, but definite pleasure.”
Chris Gillever - CityLifers - Review of Live For Today
“'a very beautiful voice and wonderful songs. she is really worldclass.'”
Darling Magazine
“Set against the laconic tinkling of the piano,Tanja Maritsa's
voice has a purity and vulnerability which draws you into the
emotion and meaning of her songs"
”
Anver Anderson DJ - Saint FM
“'A timeless emotive voice'”
Time Out
“”A voice which deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald”
-”
Gareth Foreman - Music Journalist - The Guardian
