Received a message in my Last.fm account from Nika17, suggesting an artist I might like… A nice way to be introduced to the voice and lyrics of Paola Jean.

I know I still have to further dig in the possibilities of Last.fm, as it is my main radio station, yet I listen wayyy not enough… Happy that every now and then I am notified and made aware again of what else there in my flavor of music.

Paola Jean

Paola JeanIn Bern, Switzerland an 11 year old Paola Kraehenbuehl sings in her school choir and discovers her desire for the stage. Choir practice led to competitions and winning led to the conviction that music is her message.

Vocally trained at the Swiss Jazz School, her singing/songwriting career since then has only moved in the positive direction. Shortly after recording her first demo with producer Ben Thaler, the two became known as pioneers of soul music in Switzerland, Paola’s song “You gotta know what you want” was aired in Montreal, Canada. Using this momentum her singing ability was noticed by national and international artist’s R&B singer Emel, and rapper Kamel of the famous French group Alliance Ethnic with whom she co-wrote several songs with. Paola knew exactly what she wanted. She recorded her first single “Strong” with Session All-stars Compilation released on Universal Records as well as re-writing and performing the anthem of her hometown in Switzerland.

[more & source: paolajean.org]

Her voice and style do resemble do remind me of Lina, yet the color is different. Will dig a few more songs of her soon.

Artist impression

The impression I get from the below video overview is good… Though must say that her voice does seem to fit the up-tempo songs less than the easy ballads I heard on her Myspace site.

Enjoy and show her some love!