About Me
Amanda Davids has been an aspiring musician since the age of three. At this early age, she began her training as a classical pianist under the instruction of her father. Her talent as a classical performer soon became unquestionable as she achieved one of her greatest accomplishments, an honors distinction for the completion of her grade 10 in classical piano, with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Garnering attention from Cardinal Carter Academy for the performing Arts, Amanda was asked to attend their school. Her interests expanded to the Alto Saxophone, in which she began playing in various jazz ensembles. This won her accolades as she was awarded first place at the Kiwanis music festival in two subsequent years for saxophone quartet ensembles. Upon entering university, her musical diversity expanded to her voice, where she began singing in jazz choirs, including the University of Toronto Hart House Jazz choir.
Amanda’s compositions take inspiration from various artists and genres. Artists such as James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin inspire the funk and soul feel to her music, while musicians such as Michael Jackson, The Roots and Corinne Bailey Rae add a more modern influence. Contrasting with these artists she also revisits her classical roots, taking inspiration from composers such as Rachmaninoff and Beethoven. The fusion of these various genres has enabled Amanda Davids to develop a unique sound of her own.
Beginning her solo career in 2004, Amanda Davids has performed at a variety of venues and worked with many Toronto musicians since. In 2004 she not only performed at the Taste of Lawrence Street festival but also performed in the televised opening of Mejazz.com, which aired regularly on CHIN TV. The following year Amanda Davids alongside DJ Xplisit placed as a finalist in the Toronto Urban music challenge garnering attention of the Toronto music scene. That year she also became a resident performer for the Singer Songwriter Series held monthly at the El Mocambo, in Toronto. In 2006, one of the highlights of Amanda’s career was sharing the same stage as one of her idols, hip-hop artist Nadira Shakoor, a former member of the 90’s urban group Arrested Development. In 2007 Amanda has performed in Canadian Music Week, sung the national anthems and performed at the 2007 Dragon Boat Festival, performed at Caffé Vivaldi in New York City and had a published interview in the first print edition of Toronto Exclusive Magazine. As well, this year Amanda completed her first recording project at Skycrib Studios in Toronto. With producers Luca d’Addario, Scott Keenan and Daniel Mendelsohn (Codex, Esthero and Divine Brown), the 3 song demo which includes, ‘I’m In Love’, ‘Hey No Way’ and ‘Day After Day’, reflects a talent that has not only grown musically but has developed Amanda into a blossoming artist. Amanda continues to perform throughout Toronto and in surrounding cities, with several upcoming performances. You can expect to hear the Amanda Davids full length debut album in the spring of 2008./param
