Alternative rock/pop created by concert pianist â something you wonât hear very often. Singer/songwriter Sonya Kahn shows a melodic fusion of hard edge rock and string laced ballads in her latest creation.

13 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Adult Contemporary, POP: Pop/Rock



Details:
Sonya Kahnâs attitude toward her music is simple. Itâs her way or the highway.
âPeople say if you want to get it done right, you have to do it yourself,â says the talented singer-songwriter.
Sonya is the first to admit that when it comes to her music and career, she definitely likes to be in control and that attitude is much in evidence on her recently completed album âNew Beginningâ. Serving as singer, songwriter, producer, multi instrumentalist and arranger, Sonya Kahn, on such songs as âFriendâ, âHunterâ and âWhere Do You Goâ, has forged a high energy, emotional and ambitious rock sound that, while firmly entrenched in the best the past has to offer, has its creative sights dead set on the future.

âItâs a little bit of everything,â declares Sonya in describing her music. âThereâs classical elements to it because thatâs my background; which is why youâll hear bits and pieces of influences by composers like Bach, Shuman and Rachmaninov. These are influences that are almost unheard of in rock. But thereâs also that modern edge and that comes from everybody from Pink Floyd and Genesis to Metallica and Prince. My music comes from a lot of places but at the end of the day, itâs all about passion.â

And it is passionate rock that takes flight on the strength of Sonyaâs vocals, a deft mixture of raw inflections and polished vibrato. âItâs a soulful singing style,â explains the singer. âItâs a powerful sound, an honest, emotional approach.â

All of which combines into the perfect engine to propel Sonya Kahnâs songs to extreme levels of storytelling, emotion and power. âI write about personal stuff and all the life experiences that go into telling real stories with songs. The struggles you go through to find your soul mate or when it seems like there is no justice or fairness in the world. My songs have always been about the happy times as well as all the obstacles and challenges that people face in their lives. Things that have a big emotional impact on me are the things I like to write about.â
Sonya is proud of the fact that her musical makeup defies stereotypes and instantly sets her apart from the clichés of rock and roll women. âIâm not going for the 19 year old bimbo singer image,â she says. âIâm an accomplished musician and an educated person and Iâm damned proud of that. What I do is not all about sex, drugs and rock and roll. My goal has always been to break away from the expected notions and to forge my own identity. I would like to be compared to some of the great women musicians. But Iâm different.â

Sonya Kahn was born into a musical family. Her mother is a noted concert pianist and university professor and her sister an accomplished saxophone player. Her grandmother was a noted theater actress, radio performer and talented singer. So it came as no surprise that Sonya was introduced to the joys of classical music at an early age. A true prodigy, the young girl began playing piano at age 3, began singing at age 5 and wrote her first song at age 6. âI fell in love with the idea of music at an early age. It was a whole different world for me. Classical music was the backbone of everything.â

Sonya Kahn settled in Los Angeles in 2003 where there continued to be challenges at every turn. While continuing to further her education with occasional trips back to Europe where she ultimately earned a Doctorate Of Musical Arts Degree in concert piano performing, and musical theory, the 23 year old Kahn began taking her first steps toward capturing pop music stardom.
âI would regularly perform at coffee shops and comedy clubs in Los Angeles,â she recalls. âAnyplace I could fit myself and a keyboard or acoustic guitar was where I played. I was excited and determined to write more songs when I felt the energy coming from audiences during my performances. They felt the music. They were moved.â

Word of mouth soon spread about this talented performer making the rounds of Los Angeles clubs and Sonya Kahn was soon fielding offers from producers whom, she remembers, completely missed the boat. âWhen these producers heard my songs, they automatically assumed that I was trying to be a rhythm and blues or pop singer. I said, âNo, canât you hear it? Itâs not those genres. Itâs rock combined with other elements of contemporary music.â But they had a completely different vision of me.â

The misconception did not stop Sonya from receiving several offers based on the fact that she had matured into a powerful rock vocalist. âI would get crazy offers,â she recalls. âI had an offer to go with a label that was being distributed by EMI. But they just did not understand that I was not just a singerâ¦but a songwriter and arranger as well. And there were other interested producers and labels but all they wanted was somebody to sing their songs. So I told them I was not interested.â

Sonya continued to pursue her musical goals on her terms. She bought her own production equipment, learned how to use it and began to record her own compositions in her bedroom. She started her own Myspace site and posted several of her songs which succeeded in building a grass roots following for her music. Soon she was fielding offers that took her to the east coast where she performed before appreciative audiences in New Yorkâs famed East Village and at a club near the famed Pennsylvania university, Penn State.
By 2006, she had gathered together what would turn out to be an ever changing lineup of musicians and began performing her songs in such Los Angeles hot spots as The Mint, The Cat Club and The Viper Room.

âI knew from the beginning that what I was writing were big songs,â she says âand that I needed a band to make them work.â
In 2006, Sonya broke through to some notoriety when a film producer approached her to have one of her songs, âDonât Go Awayâ, appear on the soundtrack of the horror film âThe Thirstâ. Session work that emphasized her instrumental and vocal prowess began to come her way.

Encouraged by this sudden upturn in fortune, Sonya returned to the recording wars, completing âNew Beginningâ in a North Hollywood recording studio and, entering 2007, continuing the never ending challenge of bringing her music to the world.
Sonya Kahn admits that the challenges have been many and there have been stumbles along the way. But as she prepares for what will most certainly be a bright, shining future in modern music, she remains committed to the fact that the music she creates will come from her heart and soul.

âFor me, itâs all about the music. Itâs all about the art. This is my passion. This is what gets me off.â