Jana Vasileva: A Star is Born

Some days ago, I was fortunate to meet in Sofia one of the most incredible and most promising singers I've known in years! Born on August 9, 1984, Jana Vasileva is an amazing talent, gifted with a beautiful tone, warm & fresh approach and excellent choice of material. Listening to Jana singing Glenn Miller's old hit "At Last" at the Sofia Live Club gave me goose bumps due to her adventurous phrasing and impressive range. The purity of her voice also sounds fascinating on the two tracks - "Wave" and "Dindi" - she recently recorded for a "Tribute to Jobim" project by Bulgarian artists.

Having had the opportunity to work briefly with her in an arrangement of "Girl from Ipanema," she surprised me by singing the Portuguese lyrics with almost no accent. "The first time I heard bossa nova was 5 years ago," Jana explains. "My teacher at that time, Angel Zaberski, gave me some of Antonio Carlos Jobim's CDs, and I couldn't stop listening to them. I also love Ithamara Koorax and Gal Costa."
Although listing Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan among her favorite jazz vocalists, Jana says she listens a lot to such pop artists as Angie Stone, Sade, Beyonce and Gwen Stefani. "Currently, my favorite singers are Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Lil' Kim and the reggaetón star El Medico," she reveals. Obviously, this absence of prejudice helped a lot in making her a highly versatile artist, equally impressive in multiple contexts. Add her stunning beauty to such an astonishingly seductive stage persona and you have an astounding new diva ready to impress the world. Welcome, Princess Jana!