Official (abbreviated) Bio: Cheryl Aranda is a singer/songwriter from the Los Angeles area whose music can best be described as Sarah McLachlan with a twist of Amy Grant. "Looking For The Lightning," her debut album was released in 2001. She wrote all the songs herself, played guitar and keyboards, programmed sequences and handled the engineering tasks as well. Guest musicians include Dave Murdy (Kilauea, Second Story) on electric and nylon guitars, Eric Rigler (Titanic soundtrack) on Celtic pipe and Gary Unitt on bass.
The first single off the album, "Fight To The Finish" was picked by Contemporary Christian powerhouse KFSH in Glendale, CA as the Pick of the Week. In talking about the album Cheryl says, "The songs on "Looking For The Lightning" are centered on a common theme. They explore my personal take on faith and spirituality. I'm not out to convert anybody and I try very hard not to be preachy."
She has had songs published and recorded by other artists and was a two time semi-finalist in Tonos songwriting challenges. She is featured in Jai Josefs' (author of "How To Write Music For Hit Songs") interactive CD ROM, "Secrets of Songwriting Success." When the new Cathedral in Los Angeles opened in September of 2002, Cheryl was tapped to sing at the event. That same year, in a televised 9/11 anniversary memorial service Cheryl sang "One By One" from her CD and also sang "What the World Needs Now" with Burt Bacharach. She is at work on a follow up CD.
