IVA

BIOGRAPHY: IVA

IVA is a siren with a quality somehow ... otherworldly.

It began with a voice, a powerful voice born into a small town girl. IVA is captivating on stage, mystifying in the studio. IVA is a new voice with a sound all its own, one that moves seamlessly from pop goddess to opera diva.

In the sacred language of the birds (an old gaulic druid language), IVA means “The Vehicle of the Spirit of the Trinity”. And to IVA, it means the connection each person has to the sky above and the earth below. “So often we forget our connection to the ground beneath us. That is how we have lost our balance with mother earth. But with our wings in the air and our feet on solid ground, we can live our dreams by the laws of nature. Nothing is more glorious, more divine.”

IVA is gearing up for the launch of her first single, "Dreams", in Sweden, which she wrote with top Swedish pop songwriting and production team Kbros, who in addition to platinum sales in Scandinavia and France also wrote the breakthrough album for Jenifer, the first artist to win France's Star Academy (Mercury, 900,000 copies sold). This past year has been a big one for IVA. She's been tapped for a leading role at the Royal Opera in Stockholm "Batseeba", by newly composed by Sven-David Sandström, that will showcase her singular ability to bridge opera and pop. IVA also had her first "cut" for Arielle Dombasle at Sony Columbia, France, “Ou tu veux, quand tu veux” written with French Artists Molecule and Nemo. She's been working closely with Swedish celebrity voice coach and singer Kishti Tomita (Swedish "Idol" judge) to find her own sound, and her unique talent as a songwriter has landed her much attention with the major labels and publishers, being tapped as top liner by Universal, Sony, Murlyn and EMI, and working with producers/mixers such as Max Martin collaborator Lasse Mårtén at Decibel Studios (Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Backstreet Boys), songwriters Lorenzo and Henrik Nyander, and Swedish artists Brandur Enni and Ulf Charlez. In the meantime she's been performing in both pop and classical venues to rave reviews throughout Sweden (where she currently resides) as well as Belgium, France, and now New York where she sings and acts as "The Opera Singer" in The Civilians "Paris Commune" at The Public Theatre.

IVA was the first artist to be signed to Vurse Artist Management and Productions, to be managed globally to develop the IVA Brand. In addition to her music, she works closely with brands that share her love of the earth. She has partnered with the Green Cross, the United Nations Environmental Programme, Organic Clothing Designers Ekovaruhuset and Ecological shoe designers PJUX.

IVA sang constantly as a child and her parents got her started professionally at the age of nine when she started in children's roles at her local opera company. Her voice won her numerous voice competitions and landed her in the Vocal Performance program at Princeton University. She then moved to New York to study at the world renowned Juilliard and Manhattan School conservatories. While training at the gym, she was discovered by Conan O’Brien’s casting director, Cecelia Pleva, who asked her to sing opera on the show. Max Weinberg was taken by IVA's voice and presence and IVA was invited back to the show numerous times as a singer and actress. It was at Conan’s Christmas party that she met Manex Ibar through their mutual friend, violinist Joshua Bell, whom IVA had met while performing at the Aspen Music Festival. Manex, youngest director at Sony Music from 2000-2003, and IVA began to collaborate on tracks which developed into IVAs first album, produced by Vurse, the artist management and productions company Ibar started with veteran producer, engineer and professor Paul Geluso. While IVA continued her formal training uptown, IVA and Manex worked on their different tracks combining electro-pop, rock and opera in Brooklyn at the 80 Franklin Street Vurse Studios. She performed and tested this new material at downtown clubs like The Cutting Room, Pianos and Off-Broadway.

IVA won a Fulbright Scholarship in 2004 to study opera in Sweden, where she moved to learn more about the music of her ancestors. During the same year, Manex parted ways with Sony and moved to Europe to dedicate his full time to expanding Vurse. Recording the whole year of 2005 in the Basque country and later in Brussels and New York, Manex, Paul, and IVA finished their album and released it in late 2006 through the Orchard.com digitally worldwide. The debut album features a wide range of sound, called Electric-Organic-Operatic-Pop with several stand out tracks like “Descent”, the remake of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” and “Govinda Hold On” which was licensed for film & TV as well as “Maybe This Time” written by Bai Kamara, a well known Belgium Artist, and “Demons” which landed a spot on a Netherlands dance compilation. The entire album was also licensed by international mobile leader Three for their online portal in Sweden.

With a sound all her own, IVA is poised to be the next great breakthrough artist.

Listen to IVA at http://www.ivasound.com and http://www.myspace.com/ivasinger Find Vurse at http://www.vurse.com