Liz Menezes

Featured Artist: Liz Menezes

Liz Menezes is a singer/songwriter emerging onto the Latino pop music scene. Liz ?credits Brazilian culture as a major influence on her music, as she spent several years living there. By presenting her songs more as a “storybook,” Liz strives to make her music stand out from typical love songs. In 2011, she released her debut album “YO.” Listen for her song “Si/No,” which plays twice during this episode of East Los High.
Check out Liz’s Official Website, or her album YO on iTunes.

- East Los High

En la música “underground” de la ciudad de Nueva York, el nombre de Liz Menezes es uno de los más reconocidos. Debo confesar que mi falta de conocimiento en materia musical, no me permitió apreciar como se debe, la música de esta cantautora Dominicana-Neoyorquina, que poco a poco, está saliendo a la luz pública con el pie derecho.

Romántica, dulce y apasionada, Liz Menezes , nos entrega, en cada una de sus canciones, toda la sensibilidad que la ha marcado como mujer y como artista, y que viene de haber vivido a profundidad momentos buenos, y no tan buenos, que ella ha sabido convertir en música.

Gracias a lo que expresa en cada una de canciones, 4 de ellas, fueron las escogidas por los productores de East Los High como la música que identificará este film. Así que tenemos tremendo banquete de talento para este próximo 3 de Junio, cuando se estrenara esta película de 24 episodios, que narra el drama de amor entre tres jóvenes adolescentes hispanos.

Te invito a chequear este video -sin editar- donde Liz nos cuenta, al detalle, todo sobre este nuevo proyecto y donde también, le da un mensaje a todos los que quieren hacer su sueño realidad.

Leer más: http://www.lachicabloguera-usa.com/news/liz-menezes-no-mas-undeground-/ - Claudia Morales

SI-NO to be featured in episodes #10 & 11
SERE to be featured in episode #24
ALIVIO to be featured in episode #9


Series premiering June 3rd
- East Los High

Publicado el 23 de Abril de 2012 por Paola C en Musica y Tv


Liz Menezes, es una artista de origen dominicano, que brinda frescura a sus fans, fusionando distintos géneros musicales como el rock, funk, pop y bossa nova. La cantante es considerada como una multi-talento, ya que desde los 9 años comenzó a escribir y a componer sus propias canciones.

Esta cantautora, creció en New York, ciudad que para ella está llena de diversidades, ciudad que la inspiró a escribir sus temas, así como también cuando descubrió el género bossa nova, que la marcó cuando vivía en Río de Janeiro, y así decidió integrarlo en sus nuevos temas.

Si quieres saber más de ella o ver sus videos, síguela por su twitter @LizMenezesMUSIC, en su facebook Liz Menezes Music o en su página web oficial www.lizmenezes.com.

- Noticias TNO

Liz Menezes es una cantautora que comenso su carrera musical entrenandose como ecritora a la temprana edad de diez años. Ella escribia poemas cuales mas luego tomarian vida con melodias, asi convertiendose en canciones.
En su musica no encontraras typica historias de amor siendo que ella define las emociones de una manera fresca e innovadora presentandolas como un libro de fabulas.
Liz ha sido influenciada por la cultura musical de Brazil ya que vivio en Rio de Janeiro varios anos. Durante su estadia en este pais grabo American Standards en Bossa Nova, que fueron lanzados en Japon y Europa.
En 2007 dos interpretaciones ” For No One” y ” Nowhere Man” de Los Beatles cantadas por Liz fueron incluidas en la compilacion “BEATLES EN BOSSA” lanzados en Japon llegaron a ser 1 en iTunes-Japon.
2008 Liz gano el primer lugar en la categoria latina con su cancion ” Medidas” elejida por sus fans en la competicion de internet FAMECAST.

En los últimos 4 años, Liz ha crecido musicalmente y en popularidad. Su CD lanzado el año pasado se está escuchando en todo el continente americano y más allá. Actualmente estamos trabajando en algunos proyectos nuevos y esperamos tener su viaje a lo largo de los EE.UU. y América Latina muy pronto.

Recientemente su música tenía licencia para ser programado en un nuevo programa de televisión llamado “East Los High”. Canción de Liz, “Alivio” se presentará en el episodio # 9, “Si / No” en el episodio # 10 y # 11, y su canción “Sere” en el episodio # 24. Por lo tanto, estad atentos y no te pierdas la nueva serie de televisión o la música de Liz. - Conciertos America

In this truly exciting, upbeat, fun interview with the beautiful and talented singer/songwriter and recording artist, Liz Menezes, Carmen Amoros (Host of the New York Podcasting Cafe) reveals the human being and the extraordinary persona behind the brilliant music and voice that made Liz Menezes a household name in Brazil, Japan and Spain with two songs recorded - Beatles in Bossa Nova style which was a huge sell on iTunes,

Liz discusses her deep faith, her career, her music and songwriting and provides friendly tips on the importance of maintaining a harmonious, romantic, loving relationship in a very busy musical household. There will be a live segment for 20 minutes at the END of the show, when Liz will be taking calls from fans, dialoguing and answering questions. Calls can only be answered while you see the red "ON AIR" sign.

Episode content:

1. Two commercials - Red Cross / "New York Tenors" Tour Dates & artistry of tenors Andy Cooney, Daniel Rodriguez and Michael Amante.

2. Interview with recording artist & songwriter Liz Menezes.

3. Three of Liz Menezes songs.

4. LIVE 'ON AIR" Segment at the end Nov 29, 9:00 pm - Liz will be taking calls from fans at the end of the episode. Fans are asked to call (646) 200-3938. - New York Pod Cafe with Carmen Amoros

Liz Menezes is a multi-talented singer and performer from Queens, New York and is our latest SoncBids competition winner. When we first listened to Liz’s sultry voice and profound songs we were really impressed and were delighted when she agreed to complete a full feature interview with Song Revelation so that we could share everything with you. Read on to discover, amongst other things, which modern day artists Liz is inspired by, what she’s currently working on and what advice she’d give to all aspiring musicians.



Liz Menezes



Q: If you could classify your music in a genre or a number of genres what would it be?

A non-typical mix of pop/rock/jazz and acoustic blends.



Q: If you could use a tagline of less than 20 words to describe your music and who you are what would it be?

Rich, sultry yet at times aggressive, voice leading the listener to a never before heard storybook of song.



Q: What is your musical background?

Well, growing up I listened to a lot of merengue, salsa, disco and lots of Elvis. Yes, my mom loved Elvis!



Q: How was 2010 for you?

2010 brought me more attention, I was awarded honorable mention by Billboard as a lyricist and interpreter for my song “Tengo” in the Latin category.

My fan base has continued to grow with fans in Argentina, Peru, Spain, Colombia and many more.

I launched my official website www.lizmenezes.com in colaboration with MONKEYPIG.



Liz Menezes

Liz Menezes - NY AL DIA

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaaSExEMkLw





Q: Who inspires you musically?

My inspiration is drawn from a good lick on a guitar, from life, from everyday occurrences.



Q: Which modern day artists do you look up to?

I have an endless list of artists which I love to listen to and think they are fantastic at their craft.

Spanish artists

Shakira
Luis Fonsi
Laura Pausini
Soraya
Julieta Venegas
Ricky Martin



English Artists

Adele
Gary Go
Foo Fighters
Kelly Clarkson
Mutemath
Carrie Underwood



Brazilian

D’javan
Maria Rita
Jota Quest
Jorge Vercilo
Rosa Passos



Q: Is there anyone you would like to collaborate or gig with?

I would like to sing with Shakira, Ricky Martin, Kelly Clarkson and Laura Pausini.



Q: What songs are on your ipod at the moment?

I would say everyone I mentioned above on endless rotation.



Q: What is your creative process for creating a track?

I wish I had a template each time I had an inspiration but, I do not. I’m inspired at the oddest moments and from the unconventional things. I most definitely have to have paper, pen or pencil and my recorder with me, my essentials. :-)

Once the idea is set in motion, I sit with my guitarist and we work on changes and the skeleton of the song followed by a ruff recording of vocal and guitar. This is enough to work around and get the foundation going.



Liz Menezes

Liz Menezes Article - People en Espanol

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk-XxCfGc5E



Q: What’s more important, melody or lyrics?

I think they are two peas in a pod. The lyrics are just as important to me as the melody. I see it as a beautiful dance a relationship that works together for a greater good.



Q: Where are you based?

I’m based in Queens, New York



Q: What’s it like being where you’re from?

There is a lot of inspiration and diversity here. My neighborhood is a melting pot and it all works together so nicely.



Q: What are you currently working on?

Well I just released my first Spanish CD which I’m promoting at the moment but I’m also working on my English cd as well. Music never sleeps it is a constant!!!



httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPPkY_3hRKc

Liz Menezes

Liz Menezes - Spin Mag July 2008 Issue



Q: What’s been the highlight of your career to date?

The highlight of my career thus far has been just the fact of going for what seemed a dream and making it a reality. Connecting with fans around the world and having them really love what I do and support my journey.



Q: What are you hoping to achieve in 2011?

I’m hoping to gain more fans to do more shows to continue introducing my passion and love for music to the world. I want to become an international entity.



Q: Do you have any gigs or shows that you’d like to tell us about?

Yes I will be performing the following dates:

Drom NYC on Sept 20

http://www.dromnyc.com/events/1127/liz-menezes-momposonica-american-jettison

Fat Baby on Oct 3

Café Wha on Nov 5

And more to be confirmed and announced…..



Q: What do you do to relax?

I absolutely love watching old movies from the 30’s 40”s etc. My favorite channel is AMC.



Q: Is there anything else you’d like to let our readers know about?

I would like to leave them with words of encouragement. Whatever your dream may be, work - Song Revelation

New York’s own Liz Menezes is an indie singer-songwriter whose music, even though she doesn’t like to categorize it, is best described as Latin pop/rock. This trilingual artist released her first album, Yo, in 2011 and will soon be releasing a video to her song “Veneno.” The interview with Spanglish Noise gives us a glimpse into her writing process, influences, and even a tale of a memorable open mic night in Brazil. It’s not often easy being an indie artist, but in Liz’s case, her passion for music doubles as motivation – tune in at SpanglishNoise.com or download the podcast on iTunes!
Transcript

JM: This is an exclusive Spanglish Noise interview with Latin singer-songwriter Liz Menezes. Liz is an indie artist from New York and she released her first album, titled “Yo,” in 2011. Today we’ll introduce you to her life and explore her music. (Sound clip of the song “Sere“). Hi Liz, welcome to Spanglish Noise. I want to start by asking you a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up and what were some of your musical influences?

Liz: Well I grew up in the lower east side of Manhattan, beautiful area of New York..very creative and a lot of artists..so it was a good childhood. Around that time I heard a lot of Whitney Houston, Mariah Cary, Boyz II Men..so those were, I would say..along with Elvis and things like that..and merengue because of my Spanish background..were a lot of influences to me. The first artist that I really looked up to was Mariah Carey.

JM: And why was that?

Liz: To me she’s an amazing artist vocally. The things that she can do with her voice and just the influence that she had on pop culture itself, along with Whitney Houston..amazing voices and what they could do with that as artists and performers I think has had a great influence on the artists we have now.

JM: What is your favorite musical memory from the past?

Liz: When I started getting into music, I had to have a recording of everything from the radio stations, so I’d bring my cassette and be recording artists and music of all genres..and one of the things that I remember was that I saved up money to buy a Scooby Doo..I would say like radio (laughs)..and I loved this Scooby Doo radio, don’t ask me why.

JM: Do you still have it?

Liz: (laughs) Nooo…no no no..but it was like a Scooby Doo head – I loved it. From there I upgraded to a two-cassette radio and I was able to record stuff and have these incredible mixtapes. Friday nights I would just stay up all night recording. So I would say that’s my biggest (laughs) silly memory…and then when I actually sat in front of a piano. I used to play Classical piano. I don’t anymore, I would like to get back into that, but I used to play Classical piano and I’m in love with that instrument, as well as the guitar.

JM: Was there an “aha” moment where you knew that you wanted to pursue music as more than a hobby?

Liz: My “aha” moment – and again don’t laugh (laughs) – was around 9 years old..and I decided, “I want to write a song about rainbows.” I actually wrote a song with melody and everything else. That was my pride and joy and I was able to sing it on key and that I would say would be my “aha” moment. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life..I want to be involved in music, I want to perform, I want to sing, I want to write..so since that age I would say that I already knew.

JM: How would you describe your music today?

Liz: I would say it’s a mixture of genres, I don’t like categorizing it. I lived in Brazil two years and Brazilian music, I would say Bossa Nova Jazz, greatly influenced me in regards to melodies, the way I sing, and there’s elements of that..there’s elements of Bossa Nova, there’s elements of Jazz, there’s elements of Rock and Pop. So I would say it’s all-encompassing; I don’t put limits on what I write. If I sit down with pen and paper and I’m writing, I don’t say to myself, “Ok! This is going to be a pop song”..or whatever have you..”It’s going to be a rock song”..I just write and then I sit down and just figure out what feels best to me in terms of melody, and go from there.

JM: So do you have a band, or who’s playing the music on your tracks?

Liz: I don’t have my own band. I would say I have several musicians who play with me. They are incredible musicians which actually now play with other known artists. The first one that I would mention would be Eli Menezes, which is my husband..and he is the producer of my current CD. He is an incredible guitarist, bass player, producer/arranger. I have Jotan Afanador, who plays drums on my CD..and he’s playing with Romeo Santos, from Aventura…and I have Patrick Andy, who’s an incredible bass player from Africa. I speculate my musicians..when they’re in town and they’re not touring, they’ll play with me. (laughs). So that’s how it works.

JM: Do you feel there are any advantages or disadvantages to being a bilingual artist?

Liz - Spanglish Noise

Mientras las niñas de su edad lloraban o hacían berrinches cuando algo les salía mal o las regañaban, Liz Menezes transformaba esos malestares en poemas. Escribió el primero a los nueve años y a los diez empezó a ponerles música. “Sí desde niña supe que quería ser músico”, dice la cantautora de origen dominicano, cuyo disco Yo, ya está en el mercado.

El disco, contiene nueve temas de la autoría de la joven, donde la fusión de distintos ritmos musicales es la marca distintiva. “Es que así somos” – comenta la artista– “Imagínate yo crecí en Nueva York, cerca de Little Italy. Desde mi infancia entendí que uno está expuesto a distintas culturas, a distintas maneras de ver la vida. Creo que eso es maravilloso de esta ciudad: la diversidad, que obviamente se va a reflejar en tu música quieras o no”.

En la música de Menezes hay rock, pop, funk y hasta bossa nova, género que descubrió y que la marcó cuando vivía en Río de Janeiro, ciudad donde grabó American Standars en Bossa Nova, que fue lanzado exitosamente en Japón y en Europa. También en el ritmo carioca grabó los temas “For No One” y “Nowhere Man”, de los legendarios Beatles, que se incluyeron en la producción Beatles en Bossa, que llegó a posicionarse en los primeros lugares de iTunes, en Japón.

“El bossa nova tiene como un no sé qué muy especial, es una música que te hace volar. Me encanta”, asegura la cantautora que también aborda otros géneros y para quien además las letras son muy importantes. “A mi me gusta hablar de la vida en general a través de mis canciones. Creo también que son canciones muy femeninas, que hablan de la fuerza que tenemos las mujeres para enftrentar con valentía cualquier situación”.

“Creo también que mi música al final deja un mensaje muy positivo. Yo creo que la música es para ayudar a levantarte de la situación que sea no para hundirte más”. Cita como ejemplo el primer sencillo de su disco titulado “Veneno”, que es una canción que se refiere a las relaciones amorosas que se van tornando tóxicas, pero de la que con voluntad se puede salir.

A pesar de que reconoce que en ocasiones lucha tanto para lograr avanzar en su carrera se ha tornado en un calvario, asegura que no sería capaz de abandonar, ni de tirar la toalla. “Creo que cuando entras en el camino del arte lo haces por amor, por una necesidad de expresarte. El artista tiene una propuesta genuina y lucha porque esa propuesta llegue a la gente y se conecten contigo. Ningún artista verdadero tiene como prioridad la parte comercial, el éxito o la fama. Eso depende de otras cosas, de estrategias de mercado, de tener las conexiones correctas y hasta de la suerte. Pero el arte es otra cosa”, reflexiona la cantautora, quien se promociona a sí misma a través de las redes sociales. “Sí recurro mucho a Twitter, a facebook, que hoy en día nos abren muchas puertas y te dan la oportunidad de darte a conocer de una forma directa. A través de allí he conseguido que algunos amigos –porque no quiero decirles fanáticos– conozcan mi música en Argentina, en Ecuador, en Alemania. Es muy grato, porque mi idea es seguir aquí por mucho tiempo, ofreciendo esta música que es como yo: una mezcla de sabores y colores, muy a lo Nueva York” - People En Espanol