KATIA

A classically trained pianist who remains one of the youngest vocal soloists ever to perform with the Russian Philharmonic, New York-based singer-songwriter Katia has a pop music style as unique as her background. Songs like her debut single "Girl Like Me" reveal her classical melodicism within a pure pop context, in which her lyrics-about the "day-to-day stuff that girls go through," she says in typically engaging perfect English-are nailed by her beautiful but insistent singing voice.Ten years old at the time of her highly publicized performance with the Russian Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg native, who is now sponsored by the Baldwin piano company, came to America shortly thereafter.She has studied music on her own ever since, absorbing along the way influences ranging from Madonna to Norah Jones-both of whom, incidentally, have been mentioned among artists whom Katia evokes. Indeed, renowned producer David Kahne was so impressed by Katia's talent that he offered to produce "Girl Like Me" in between recording projects for Paul McCartney and Sting. But Katia has attracted other noteworthy collaborators as well for her debut EP, which is also titled "Girl Like Me." Steve Greenwell, notorious for his work with Joss Stone, and Vic Flowers, a producer and musician whose credits include Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, have assisted on the production side; producer/engineer Tony Maserati (Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, Jason Mraz) did the mixing. The EP release is due in August, but Katia will continue her busy schedule up through then and beyond.She has already written and performed the end-title song for "The Bleeding," a horror film starring Michael Madsen and Armand Assante that is slated for release later this year. She also sat down in May for a 40-minute interview/performance segment on the Internet's cutting-edge BreakThru Radio site. And she has been invited to perform at a Make a Wish Foundation benefit in New York in October. And of course, she is playing regularly with her band of like-minded musicians in numerous locations in her home base.