Introducing Parry Ray
Parry Ray, who has been likened to Norah Jones, has a natural and uplifting sound. And her love songs bring the listener to a warm place, especially the track "Perfect Symmetry." Listen to the track Open My Eyes Here!
PARRY RAY is the only child of a traditional British Asian family in North London, she grew up listening to a rich and varied soundtrack featuring Elvis, Ravi Shankar, Chaka Khan and Dolly Parton. She started singing to the radio at the age of 3. By 5 she was starring in school choirs. By the age of 16 she was bunking off GCSE revision to audition and perform at Soho clubs.
“I suppose there was always music on in our house, my parents’ were great supporters of music and the arts, so my earliest recollections were of going to lots of shows and concerts. My family used to entertain a lot – so generally when you get a lot of Indian people in a room there is much singing and dancing…well there was in my house. My folks, although, Indian, loved western music. My mum – mainly classical but my dad was more into pop – the Bay City Rollers and Lulu if I recall correctly..oh and Elvis! Also, we were huge fans of musicals both Hollywood and Bollywood”.
However, Parry's dream of a musical life was not what her traditional parents had in mind. Her parents had arrived in Britain from Calcutta and they were convinced academia was the "proper" route to success. They worked hard so that Parry could get into leading school St Paul's Girls. She did, then felt obliged to go to Bristol University, before progressing to an MPhil in solid state physics.
But following her head - not her heart - ultimately left Parry feeling empty. She soon abandoned science and became a full-time gigging singer. Dropping the lab coat and goggles for mini-skirts and high heels, Parry hit the London scene with a vengeance and formed a trio led by top Latin pianist John Crawford, currently featuring bassist Richard Sadler and Chris Nickolls on drums.
"As an artist, the most important thing for me is a connection with my audience and communicating emotion”.
Parry Ray performed at the legendary Ronnie Scott's club in London and key venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Pizza Express Knightsbridge, Boisdales, The Bull's Head (Barnes) and the Edinburgh and Glasgow Festivals. Parry and band also featured on BBC Radio 2, Smooth FM and live on radio throughout France, Holland and Canada.?? Now, Parry has just put the finishing touches to her first solo pop EP "7 DAYS" which is being released on the Smokey Blues imprint. Co-songwriters and producers on the album are Andy Love and Neil Athale. Andy Love’s writing and producing credits notably include the Paloma Faith hit “Upside Down” and the B side “Technicolour”. He has also written music for TV and has composed and produced all the theme and background music for shows such as "The X-Factor", "America's Got Talent" and "Britain's Got Talent".??Neil Athale has worked with Matt Cardle (Columbia), Paloma Faith (Epic), Ruby Goe (Notting Hill), Georgia Mason (Universal/Kid Gloves), Clement Marfo and the Frontline (Warners), Lawson (Polydor), Encore (Island), The Good Natured (Parlaphone), Lexy (SB Mgt) and Mike Hough (2011 MOBO Nominee). Neil is also very active in syncs and soundtracks, his music have been used in a variety of TV shows including The Voice UK and on global advertising campaigns including Samsung Mobile Phones. Neil is currently working as lead composer on Wasteland (Moli/Mischief films), a new British feature film set for release in 2013.
PARRY RAY RELEASES DEBUT EP "7 DAYS" ON NOVEMBER 5TH, 2012 via iTunes on Smokey Blues imprint.
Track 1. 7 Days
Track 2. Hold Onto You
Track 3. Richest Girl
Track 4. Perfect Symmetry
Parry Ray can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/parry.ray.7
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