Ariana Savalas

Ariana Savalas
Ariana Savalas
Background information
Born (1987-01-09) January 9, 1987[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.[2]
Genres Burlesque, cabaret
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, comedian
Instruments Vocals, Piano, Ukulele
Years active 2013–present
Website www.arianasavalas.com

Ariana Savalas (born January 9, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter, burlesque performer, and comedian. She is the daughter of film and TV actor Telly Savalas. Savalas is a resident headlining performer and emcee for Postmodern Jukebox.[3] She was one of the original members of the group alongside Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, Robyn Adele Anderson, and Morgan James. She tours with the band and has appeared in a number of the group's YouTube videos.[4][5][6][7] Often referred to as The Pussycat, Savalas is known for her risqué on-stage music and comedy.[8] She has been called the modern day Mae West, fusing her original songs with elements of traditional vaudeville and burlesque.[9]

Early years

Savalas was born in Los Angeles in 1987 but was raised in Minnesota following her father's death in 1994.[2] She studied Shakespeare and acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and is a member of Playhouse West, a repertory theater directed by Jeff Goldblum.[10] Before turning to jazz, Savalas toured and recorded in Europe as a pop singer in her teens with European producer Jack White.[11] She also released her first original song "Perfect Man" independently in 2012, the video featuring Eric Dane from Grey's Anatomy.[12] She made a guest appearance as Bobby Lainsford on the CBS hit drama Criminal Minds in 2010. Savalas began her music career in Los Angeles as a singer/songwriter playing venues on the Sunset Strip,[13] such as the Whisky a Go-Go and Hard Rock Cafe, before quickly transitioning into jazz.

Jazz and Burlesque

Her first jazz EP, "Sophisticated Lady", is a combination of Savalas' original compositions as well as two standards from the Great American Songbook, including the song Sophisticated Lady by Duke Ellington, Mitchell Parish, and Irving Mills which she named the record after.[14] Savalas was widely known in the cabaret world headlining in venues such as the New York Friars' Club and Michael Feinstein's late New York cabaret Feinstein's.[15] Her solo performances are a showcase of music, songwriting, dance, comedy, and burlesque.[16] Since her departure from traditional cabaret, Savalas tours with her solo act and with Postmodern Jukebox as a headlining artist and their first female emcee. They have performed at venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Greek Theater, and the O2 Academy in London.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Ardmore, Jane (August 18, 1987). "Street-smart Savalas image hides Telly's tender heart". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Streeter, Leslie Gray (August 26, 2011). "Singer Ariana Savalas is proud of her dad Telly, but is making a name for herself". pbpulse.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  3. ↑ Sarah Barness (March 3, 2017). "Live Review: Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox". Varsity. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Fiona Apple's "Criminal" Sounds Pretty Incredible as a Vintage Torch Song". Slate magazine. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016. The main reason this works, though, is singer Ariana Savalas, who matches Apple's pained, pirouetting vocals and adds her own jazzy grace notes to boot.
  5. ↑ Sarah Barness (June 10, 2014). "We Like The Way Postmodern Jukebox Covers Blackstreet's 'No Diggity,' All Vintage-y". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  6. ↑ Simon Collins (September 14, 2015). "Jukebox crew just the bee's knees". Yahoo! News. The West Australian. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  7. ↑ Weingarten, Rachel (May 15, 2015). "Postmodern Jukebox: Behind the Retro-Pop YouTube Sensation". Parade Magazine. New York: Athlon Media Group. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  8. ↑ BWW Team (March 17, 2017). "Go Back in Time with seductive vintage-pop chanteuse Ariana Savalas". Broadway World. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  9. ↑ BWW Team (January 30, 2015). "Postmodern Jukebox entertains in their O.C. debut concert". Broadway World. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ BWW News Desk (March 1, 2010). "Ariana Savalas Comes To The Metropolitan Room 3/19". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved April 11, 2016. After touring Europe, Ariana was accepted by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London to study Shakespeare and acting. Following her RADA training, she moved to Los Angeles to work with Robert Carnegie at the prestigious Playhouse West Theater, planning to return to London in the fall of that year. After just one month in Los Angeles, with no previous professional acting experience, she auditioned for and won the title role of Miriam Shafer in the feature film?Miriam,?a true story of a Lithuanian Holocaust survivor. The part required the 18-year-old Ariana to play a grueling range of emotions while portraying Miriam from age 15 through 50 years old. Her most recent film is Akrasia by Polish director Xavier Tatarkiewicz.?
  11. ↑ Heather Phares. "Ariana Savalas: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  12. ↑ aretti (January 11, 2012). "Arianna Savalas Releases New Music Video with Grey's Anatomy Hunk Eric Dane". Greek Reporter. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  13. ↑ Army Archerd (April 16, 2007). "Showbiz Second Generation". Variety magazine. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ admin (December 28, 2012). "Herb Alpert's Vibrato, Grill, Jazz, Etc. Presents Ariana Savalas – "Sophisticated Lady"". Arcadia Weekly. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016. Following in her father's footsteps, she also had a guest appearance on one of television's top cop shows CBS' "Criminal Minds." Ariana also appears on famed jazz harp player/pianist (and wife of Mike Stoller of renowned songwriting team Leiber & Stoller) Corky Hale's latest CD release, "Corky Hale…And Friends – I'm Glad There Is You," singing her rendition of the song, "I See Your Face."
  15. ↑ Mavis Manus. "Adriana Savalas embraces her musical roots" (PDF) (March 2011). Hellenic Journal. pp. 4, 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  16. ↑ Patrick Carone. "Ariana Savalas: Biography". Maxim. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  17. ↑ Radio City. "Ariana Savalas: Biography". RadioCity. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
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