About Me
Hello everyone,(http://www.myspace.com/ivanasantillinet ) is a Fan Created site, and It always Has been. It is in No way Run or maintained by Miss Santilli. Although I do know that she frequents the page often, and is very much appreciative of all your comments. Also, With her permission I will be posting dates of her live performances, and appearances as soon as I receive them.As a musician in every sense of the word, this singer/songwriter/producer who's fluent on keys and trumpet burst onto the scene as part of Canadian funk group Bass Is Base. She then moved on to a solo career with her highly acclaimed debut, Brown (1999), which touched on her French/Italian heritage and became one of the best-selling independent albums in Canada that year. After two years of touring, awards (Urban Music Association of Canada) and nominations (MuchMusic Video Awards, Juno Awards), as well as a tough bout of writer's block, Ivana has emerged with her much-anticipated sophomore project, Corduroy Boogie."It's important to me to explain what my music is because I cross a couple of genres and make them one sound," Ivana says. "I try to coin a term to give people an idea, a feeling. I've gone with a colour, so this time it was more about texture. Corduroy is about digging in, plus it's an attractive word to me because it evokes fond memories and is accessible to people of all classes. Boogie is also about digging in, in terms of groove."Nowadays, there are lots of things that make Ivana happy. "I'm happiest when I'm inspired and when I feel like I'm capable of inspiring, and it's definitely music related," she says. But there was a time when this emotion didn't come easily to her. "I went through a really difficult period after my last record creative block and artistic confusion," Ivana reveals. "The business aspect of the industry can really drag down your spirit sometimes. It felt like a hopeless situation because I wanted to turn to my music to uplift me, but music was the source of my pain."It was during a writing trip to Philly when things started turning around for Ivana, who felt self-validated when her talents were well-received outside of her own city. "When you realize that what you do for a living works in other places, that opens your eyes and ears to so much more." She discovered the sounds of brokenbeat and began surrounding herself with people who were excited about new music. This quickly became contagious and she started crafting the beginnings of Corduroy Boogie. "I'm not a person who can write during my turmoil, because I'm very passionate and it would only come out blubbery," she says. "I prefer to write when I've understood what I've gone through, when it's more contemplative, philosophical and can be more helpful to other people."Helping and meeting these other people is what Ivana enjoys most, and judging by her immensely loyal fans that turn out for her live shows, the feeling is very mutual. Whether she's accompanying herself on the Rhodes (her favourite instrument) or jamming with her band mates in the tradition of Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder or Quincy Jones' production, there's something about seeing Ivana perform live that takes your breath away. You experience the warmth of her soul firsthand and get swept up in her intimate vibe. She's captivated crowds all over Canada, the U.S., Europe and Japan, and shared stages with the late great Tito Puente, King Britt, The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, Omar and De La Soul. "I think one of the most amazing parts of performing live, is I get to experience the relationship between music maker and music listener as pure and raw as possible." And if you ask Ivana what it's like when those two worlds collide, she'll be quick to tell you, it's nothing short of magical.
