Alejandra Ribera

Alejandra Ribera is a Canadian pop and jazz singer-songwriter who performs material in English, French and Spanish. Rariber is an emerging artist starting to attract some serious attention and when you catch her show, it’s easy to see why. She has international musical roots and uses unconventional banter to lead you from aching jazz ballads to Mexican folk tunes, and back to her original alt-pop. Her wildly bizarre vocal range and eclectic writing style have led to comparisons stretching from Edith Piaf to Tom Waits to Joan Armatrading. Her wit and disarming humor leverage against the often dark subject matter of her songs. Woven throughout her sophisticated melodies are unrepentant lyrics conveying a yearning that take you off guard. She comes by the passion honestly; born to an Argentine waiter, a Scottish actress and raised in the heart of Toronto’s gay village, Alejandra Ribera's journey, much like her music, is spiced with vagabond adventures and lyrical love stories. Growing up, Alejandra studied violin, viola and classical choral music. As a teenager her habit of sneaking into cabaret bars and her obsession with greats such as Mercedes Sosa, Odetta and Jimmy Scott began to shape the distinctly unique vocal style she would later apply to her own compositions. After abandoning York University’s Vocal Jazz program after only four days, she headed off to Europe to study energy healing. “Yeah, I dropped out of school to study with a witch doctor in the mountains of Slovakia … it seemed like a good idea at the time… ” she chuckles, “but this is where it lead me, so I think it was an important detour.” Unable to deny the call of music she returned to Canada, this time to build her career as a gifted singer/songwriter. She has since been featured on JAZZ FM, CBC, c.i.u.t. and Proud fm. She has played various festivals (Canadian Music Week, Winterfolk, In the Dead of Winter, Pride), fundraisers (Canadian Cancer Society's Toast!, Eva's Initiative's Home for Life Auction) and performed at prominent Toronto venues (Lula Lounge, Cadillac Lounge, Clinton’s, Fermenting Cellar in The Distillery, ). She is now joined by pianist Joel Visentin, trumpet player, Ben McConchie and bassist Charles James, all graduates of the Humber Jazz program. alejandra's debut album NAVIGATOR NAVIGATEHER is available at the Cameron House where she plays every Tuesday at 10pm. "Alejandra is a multi-talented woman of vocal and style distinction. Her unmistakable voice takes you on a geographical journey." - Deb Pearce, PROUD fm “Alejandra Ribera’s live show is electric and engaging . She is so much more than your typical singer/songwriter ... Along with her incredible vocals and wide range Ribera brings a wide array of flavors to her music as well as being extremely charming and witty in-between songs ... I can’t wait to hear her CD!” ~ Bonnie Fedrau Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.