GEM

With a keen sense of heritage and an undeniably angelic voice, Malena Perez is poised to make a memorable international debut with the release of her first full-length album, “STARS.”

Born in Atlanta, Georgia to a Cuban father and German mother, Perez grew up listening to stories of her father’s homeland and the sounds of Omara Portuondo and Celia Cruz. In her own music, which blends Latin-flavored soul with downtempo, progressive jazz, the songstress explores these early influences and updates them for the modern lounge scene.

“My mother is a pianist and organist and so by default I was singing in Atlanta's Sacred Heart Children’s Choir at a very early age. My father started one of the longest-running Latin music radio shows in Atlanta on WRFG/Radio Free Georgia in the late seventies. I grew up listening to Latin and Brazilian artists like Flora Purim, Mercedes Sosa and Astrud Gilberto and I feel like Latin music will always be at the heart of the music I make. But I’m also inspired by artists like Everything But the Girl, Sade and Minnie Riperton,” says Perez, offering an explanation for her multi-dimensional sound.

While her parents were busy instilling a love of music in their daughter, they didn’t forget to educate her on her heritage. “My father once put together an exhibit of rafts that Cuban immigrants used to come to the U.S. by water. Some of them just looked like broken branches. It amazes me what people went through and still go through to come to this country,” says Perez, whose interest in the Caribbean diaspora has informed her artistic choices ever since.

Malena's debut 12" vinyl single, Free To Fly (Divine Recordings), written and recorded with Atlanta producer Michael Johnson (KetchaVibe) and remixed by JustOne of the acclaimed production duo KemeticJust, introduced her bilingual vocals and jazzy Latin grooves to the house scene in 2004. When DJs from around the world began playing the track in clubs and lounges and Atlanta's jazz radio stations made her music known on-air, the song quickly created a buzz around the blossoming artist. But Perez seemed not to notice. On the contrary, she had been back in the studio, pouring her heart into her music. She also performed throughout Atlanta with a live, seven piece band, honing her skills as a vocalist even more.

Nearly a year after the release of 'Free To Fly,' Malena was shopping in an Atlanta record store one day when the store owner informed her that Free To Fly had sold out internationally. The dialogue that ensued led to the creation of the much anticipated “STARS,” a two-year labor of love to be released in Summer 2006 that will feature original compositions and collaborations with a renowned production lineup: Carlos Nino, Osunlade, Alix Alvarez, Michael Johnson and Kenny Dope.

Malena currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she is preparing for live performances to support the release of "STARS."