The Study of Racialism

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2942 }

Alana Davis is an American singer-songwriter, born May 6, 1974 in New York City. Her father, Walter Davis, Jr., was a pianist who played alongside such jazz greats as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

A record deal with Elektra Records produced Davis' first two albums; Blame It on Me, which was chosen as one of TIME Magazines five best albums of 1997, and 2001's Fortune Cookies, which featured production by The Neptunes and Ed Tuton. She released videos for the songs "32 Flavors" and "Crazy."

Davis achieved a radio hit with the single "32 Flavors" from her debut album. The song is a cover version of a track written and previously recorded by Ani DiFranco. Blame It on Me stayed on the Billboard Top 200 for 7 weeks, peaking at #157 in February 1998.

After guest appearances on the soundtrack to The Mod Squad and Jay-Z's Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter, Davis left Elektra and signed a single deal with Sony Records. She released the single "Carry On" on this label, and the song was featured in a Super Bowl commercial for Sony Electronics.

Tired of the major record label, Alana went independent in 2005 and formed the label Tigress Records. She released a third album, Surrender Dorothy, on this label, featuring the single "Wide Open."

Alana is a fan of not only music, but also cats, particularly Tonkinese cats, which she breeds. She currently lives in Upstate New York. In 2006, Alana toured with Thievery Corporation for a couple of dates as a guest vocalist.

Born May 6, 1974
Origin New York City, United States
Genre(s) Pop
Years active 1997 – present
Label(s) Elektra
Sony
Tigress
Website www.alanadavis.com

daughter of African-American jazz pianist Walter Davis, Jr. (sideman to Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and others) and white chanteuse Anamari

http://s.yottamusic.com/i/auLk.sUnG

http://www.tastyclips.com/content/images/AlanaDavis.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/84/32_Flavors.jpg/675px-32_Flavors.jpg

With her debut album 8 years ago, ALANA DAVIS was lauded as one of the top new artists by Rolling Stone, Good Morning America, and other media observers. Now the husky voiced singer is back with Surrender Dorothy, the 1st release on her own label, Tigress Records. "I do more than just sing," she told Tasty Clips. "[Being able to decide] who I want to play for, why, what venue, and who we're going to reach is exciting. I can't say I know for sure who's going to like it, but I put myself in front of everyone. I figure it's about being a force as opposed to being a star."

With your 1st hit, [a cover of Ani DiFranco's 24 Flavors], you became a sort of poster child for bi-raciality. Does your audience reflect that? "They do. My audience was like semi-bi-racial, no doubt. As a kid, I used to feel like an outsider. Nowadays, I'm not really an outsider anymore. I'm just one of a billion. I hope that other hybrids see me and know I'm one of their people."

I found some songs on your new album to actually be a bit unromantic. Where were your emotions when writing them? "They ran the gamut. That's what I try to do with a record. You have the whole spectrum. I don't want to just do one record of all hate or all love in life. That would be boring. I don't think there's a person in the world that doesn't have a problem. It reflects life. And you know the old analogy, if it doesn't kill you.... If I can go through one heartbreak and write it down in a way that makes one person not to have to go through quite that pain, that seems valuable to me."
You cut your signature mane. What happened? "You just get to a point where you want to change and you wonder if you can. I'm used to getting a compliment on my hair at least once a day. How silly is that? It's very easy to feel that your hair is your crowning glory. I personally feel life's too short to spend three hours in the morning getting ready to walk out on the runway of life. It's very liberating now to not have to deal with that."

You seem to be leaning more towards reggae music. "I'm all about groove. I love the bass. I've been in reggae forever. The genuine energy. The strong notes. The beautiful mistakes. Reggae has that. And not only that, but some of the most conscious lyrics. I need to be positive and real and about the oneness in particular. I need that. Right now, I need that a lot."

G-Man · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2990 }

She looks alot like her late father.