Jessy Lanza

Jessy Lanza
Lanza performing in Philadelphia
Background information
Born	1985 (age 30–31)
Origin	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Synthpop, R&B, dance-pop, experimental pop[1]
Occupation(s)	DJ, music producer, songwriter, vocalist
Instruments	Vocals, drum machine, keyboard, synth
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Hyperdub
Associated acts	Junior Boys, Caribou (band), Dev Hynes, XXYYXX, Grimes, The Drum
Website	jessylanza.com

Jessy Lanza is a Canadian electronic songwriter, producer, and vocalist from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.^[2]

Life and career

Jessy Lanza grew up playing piano and clarinet before going to Concordia University to study jazz.^[3][4][5] Before starting her career as a singer and music producer, she was a music teacher at school.^[6]

She was listed as one of the best new artists of 2013 by XLR8R.^[7] In a review of her debut album, Pull My Hair Back, she was described by The Guardian as "the latest and possibly greatest of the new ethereal soul girls"^[8] and ranked #4 on Resident Advisor's Top 20 Albums of 2013.^[9] Pull My Hair Back was co-written and co-produced with Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys and released on the UK's Hyperdub record label. The album Pull My Hair Back was a shortlisted nominee for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.^[10]

In 2014, she collaborated with Caribou on his album Our Love. In 2015, she recorded vocals for The Galleria EP Calling Card / Mezzanine.

Her second album Oh No was released in 2016, and was shortlisted again for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize.^[11]

Influences

Jessy Lanza posseses a soprano vocal range, comparable to a missing link between Cocteau Twins and Aaliyah.^[12] As a kid, Jessy Lanza listened to Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul.^[13] The singer said that having a background in studying jazz helped her to have "the ability to hear and lift chord progressions", which led her to an understanding of R&B music that permeates her recent work.^[14] Laced with funk, soul, R&B, and haunting high-register vocals, Lanza cites Missy Elliot and Timbaland as early influences on her songwriting.^[15] Also, the singer has cited such artists as Evelyn "Champagne" King, Melba Moore^[16] and 1980s Japanese pop music artists such as Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi as her key influences.^[17] She has a postmodern approach to writing music, comparing her songs to a mashup of all the pop songs over the last 40 years that she likes.^[18]

Discography

Studio albums

• Pull My Hair Back (2013)
• Oh No (2016)

EPs

• You Never Show Your Love (2015)

Singles

• "Kathy Lee" (2013)
• "Keep Moving" (2013)
• "5785021" (2014)
• "You and Me" (2014)
• "You Never Show Your Love" (2015) (ft. DJ Spinn & Taso)
• "It Means I Love You" (2016)
• "VV Violence" (2016)

References