Album Notes

Ariah "Firefly" Velasquez is a singer from the heart. She was born to sing in Brooklyn, NY. Hence the name of her first full length album, "Brooklyn Dreams". Currently, Ariah is living in Los Angeles, California recording her next record. Listeners have often been shocked when seeing Ariah after only hearing a recording for she has the roar of a classic soul singer. When they see this petite lady live, fans often say,"How does such a big voice come out of this little person?" Perhaps it is due to her extensive training of the voice and performance that range from classical training since age 10, songwriting since age 8, musical theater performances since age 10, as well as a degree in jazz vocal from the NYC art school S.U.N.Y. Purchase. In addition, she studied classical piano and jazz piano which gives her the strength of being able to beautifully accompany herself. Being from NYC, she has frequented the NYC club circuit at places like The Living Room, The Baggott Inn, The Lion's Den, Spiral, and Baby Jupiter.

Ariah's first album Brooklyn Dreams songwriting is as deep as Joni Mitchells and as soulful as arists like Christina Aguilera. This combo creates a new sound that is very refreshing and powerful. One fan on myspace music commented when hearing Ariah:"This is like a modern day Joni Mitchell." Ariah couldn't be more please with the comparison.