Imagine, if you will, the intensity, passion and vocal prowess of a Tina Turner or a Janis Joplin. Think of the current crop of young female pop/rock powerhouse singers who have dominated the popular music scene during the last few years. Blend the two and you might begin to describe Alysha Antonino's distinctive voice.
The seventeen-year-old, Scotts Valley, California native has the amazing ability to reach within and deliver the kind of performance associated with singers twice her age. That ability is without a doubt innate, for Alysha has been singing, literally, since she was old enough to speak. And while her earliest influences were pop giants like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, she has cultivated her own style: an emotionally-charged fusion of pop and rock, with a touch of soul that sets her apart from today's teen hitmakers.
"Yes, the music I'm doing now is a far cry from Celine Dion," Alysha laughs, "but it's more what I'm about. I'm not trying to be anyone else and I'm very open-minded. I listen to a broad range of artists, from Lenny Kravitz and Aerosmith to Etta James and Tina Turner."
Looking to capture her musical essence on tape, Alysha has been working with Oscar- and Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Jud Friedman of 4 Entertainment (whose credits include songs recorded by Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Loggins, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Rod Stewart, among others). The result is a stunning collection of material that showcases Alysha's vocal and emotional range.
Notes Friedman: "She is an artist, not just a singer. Once she gets behind the mic in the studio, she becomes a young woman, and I have to keep reminding myself that she is still just a teenager. It's like she has a fire and a natural instinct for singing, like something she was born to do."
That fire and power are expressed in songs like "Raw" which Alysha describes as "about breaking out and being who I am. It sums up where I am about making music." While the track "Tommy Brings Flowers" is more pop-flavored, Alysha injects it with the same kind of vibe.
By the time Alysha began working with Friedman, she had already built up an impressive resumé in the music world -- working with the likes of hitmakers Rodney Jerkins, David Foster and Babyface in the space of just two years. But for the singer herself, a career in music has always seemed inevitable. She explains: "I probably started singing when I was about two years old. I was listening to Disney soundtracks, stuff like that. By the time I was seven, it was Mariah and Celine because those were the singers my mom liked." Alysha's mother recalls, "She would listen to the albums and then ask who the producers were!"
Encouraging their daughter's obvious talent, Alysha's parents arranged for her to sing in a local production, "Kids On Broadway" when she was just seven. A standing ovation followed and, within a matter of years, Alysha was performing at local weddings, county fairs and major sports events, including games with such teams as the 49ers, the Giants and the Oakland A's. "Singing in those big stadiums was very different from anything I'd ever done," Alysha recalls. "I didn't really get nervous, but my family did!"
Producer Narada Michael Walden (known for his hits with Whitney Houston, among others) heard her demos and encouraged the young singer to continue pursuing her musical dreams. She did just that by cutting a demo of the Celine Dion song "Love Is On The Way" for the Tonos.com online competition only to get a call from songwriter Carole Bayer Sager (whose hit songs include "That's What Friends Are For" and "Groovy Kind Of Love") days later informing her she had won the nationwide contest. Recalls Bayer Sager: "We were stunned when we heard her demo."
As a result of winning the competition, Alysha found herself in a recording studio a couple of weeks later with producers David Foster and Babyface cutting the Tonos.com winning song, "I Promise To." After working with the young singer, Babyface declared, "Her instincts and delivery are unreal," while Foster added, "I haven't been this excited about a voice since I first met Celine Dion!" For her part, Alysha says she "wasn't really intimidated" by being in the studio with the super-producers, but when Foster got Celine on the phone, "I was speechless!" When Dion heard her sing, she added her own praise: "Your voice is so amazing!"
Atlantic Records heard Alysha's Tonos.com track and asked her to sing on the "Pokémon" soundtrack. She ended up working in a New Jersey studio with current hit producer Rodney Jerkins (whose credits include Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Whitney Houston), and the track "Dreams" became one of the key cuts on the best-selling soundtrack CD. Says Jerkins: "She's amazing in the studio. It's as if she's been doing it for years."
A flurry of activity around the "Pokémon" soundtrack and movie premiere included a special Warner Brothers television taping. Subsequently, she appeared at a number of fundraisers including the HOBY Foundation dinner and a Milken Foundation event (which she headlined), as well as performing at both the summer and winter games for the Special Olympics, an organization for which Alysha has become the musical spokesperson.
Alysha's performances include the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, radio shows such as the KIIS-FM-affiliated L.A. school show for 900 students, festivals, and ongoing club gigs in her hometown. Her song, "Tommy Brings Flowers", had a very successful run at Top 40 radio.
Alysha says her musical goals include continuing her guitar lessons and songwriting. "I just want to have a wide ranging audience," she says and, while she makes that comment quietly, there's no doubt that when Alysha hits the stage or steps up to the mic in a recording studio, she brings a one-of-a-kind presence that suggests a star-studded career has only just begun.
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