IFE

I'm just a girl from 6mile Detroit Ghetto who got exposed to a lot of really good frickin music. Parents were Jazz musicians and my 5 sisters and I are "fortune children", that means we were born into Nichiren's Buddhism and chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (The title of The Lotus Sutra) for world peace and happiness for all living things with a Value Creating Peace organization called Soka Gakkai International. My Grandparents are famous artists, Elizabeth Catlett and Francisco Mora. My Grandmother is one of Oprah Winfrey's legends amongst many many other amazing accomplishments and my Grandfather is one of the great Mexican Painters and printmakers. Grew up on stage on my mothers hip while she was singing with my father on drums. My father played with some of the greats, Max Roach, Sun Ra, Miles Davis, so I was blessed when Sun Ra gave me my first experience with electronic music and my first real piano lesson. Always loved singing, drawing and making music. Studied music through violin when I was younger and studied singing as I grew older and my moms would put me in musicals in Detroit. I always knew I had to make and play music. Grew up listening to Jazz, Afro Cuban and Brazilian, World music, Classical and Opera, Classic Rock, Soul, mad Hip hop, Gangsta Rap, Booty Bass music (Detroit loves that stuff) going to hair shows, modeling in hair shows, and all types of R&B. Then I met this guy named Jerome Mongo who had this hot club in Detroit named Wax Fruit and he introduced me to the alternative side of Detroit and all the original innovators of Punk and Techno, I loved it. I start hanging out with the Punks, the Ravers and The Goth kids who were usually all the same kids. Start listening to crazy amounts of Punk, Industrial and Techno. Trent Reznor became the love of my life. Joined a Rock band as the lead singer, they sucked cause they kicked me out! Derrick May, Blake Baxter, Stacey Pullen, and Carl Craig became my friends and my mentors. I was influenced by their music and hung out with them when they were dj'ing at the Raves in Detroit and Chicago. Then I discovered a sound called Trip Hop that was coming out of Bristol, England and I fell in love with Massive Attack and Tricky. I had to do this type of music. My father gave me my first 4-track and helped me make my first demo. And at the age 0f 17 after having lived in Mexico too for a year con mi familia, I packed my bags with $200 in my pocket and moved to New York City.

I stayed with friends and started working at this trendy exclusive place called the "Coffee Shop" in Union Square. Had to be hot to work their, guess I was! It was there that I met Tricky, oh my god I worshiped him, soon after he worshiped me too. I was 19 and He signed me to his Label at the time Durban Poison/Dream Works SKG and we did an album with Rock and Storm, and named our group The Autumn People. Unfortunately it didn't work out but I will always be eternally grateful to Tricky for the opportunity, experience and and believing in me. At the time I was living in both NY and London. That was Amazing. Moved to Atlanta 5 years later to study classical piano, music theory and voice with my mentor, Heidi Pollyea and work with Chris Brann and shortly after Thorn Arwood. These guys were extremely talented. I learned a lot from them in different ways but it was time to get back to NY to do my thing for real. I met Jed Davis an amazing producer, instrumentalist in Atlanta and it was a match made in Hell but we liked it that way. Very talented "triple threat" Anna Lamadrid, my girl and singing buddy from Atlanta, came too. We all moved to NY around the same time and decided when we got there that we would do the Band thing together. So I found my love, Tecla Esposito, (Rebel Tec) an amazing keyboardist, Ernest bad ass guitarist, bassist and singer/songwriter and Elias Diaz Kick, ass Drummer. We started Live Mas

Check us out www.myspace.com/livemas

Live Mas rocked strong for 2 years and we have decided to go our separated ways. But one of the things I have always wanted to do is put an all girls rock band together. So Tecla and I have decided to do just that and call it "Sweetie". There are a group of people that I need to thank because they have always supported me and my craft. These people are my artistic collaborators and confidants. My daughter and twin soul Sofia. My sisters Crystal, Nia, Naima, Lietis and Mahalia Mora. My father, Francisco Mora. My mother Teresa Mora. Andreas Gurewich. My best friends, Hiyiyatun, Salama and Idhay Muqaribu, Xaviera Simmons, Mayanna Barnard, Piper Carter, Taj Bell, and Jewel and Lucy Estephanos. My band mates Tecla Esposito, Bob King and Nes Panilio and my daughter's father Andrea Piana. SGI International and My Amazing Man, Aaron Sanchez!!!



--Peace and all my Love,

Ife