Sweet Soubrette features the songwriting, vocals and ukulele of Ellia Bisker, whose dark, edgy love songs have captured fans' hearts since she began performing solo in 2006. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have been published in a variety of online and print magazines, and her songwriting was honored with an ASCAPlus Award for 2009/2010. Bust Magazine describes her as “Brooklyn’s fishnet-clad femme fatale.”
Sweet Soubrette’s first album, Siren Song, was released on indie label MH Records in 2008 and received critical praise and high rotation on national college radio. Time Out NY described it as "at once sweet and sassy, celebrating reckless behavior with a charmed wink." The Deli said it was "almost impossible to stop replaying in one's head after hearing."
Since the release of Siren Song, Sweet Soubrette has expanded to include a group of talented band members who add power and depth to material that can be seductive, humorous, or devastating. Catchy melodies, skilled instrumentation, and witty lyrics combine with a dark sensibility to create a sound like the love child of Amanda Palmer and the Magnetic Fields.
Sweet Soubrette plays most frequently in NYC, at venues including the Knitting Factory, Rockwood Music Hall, Pianos, Jalopy, Barbes, Pete’s Candy Store, Galapagos Art Space, and Sidewalk Café; at cultural venues like the American Folk Art Museum and WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space; and at festivals including CMJ, the Paris Uke Fest, the Extremely Hungary Festival, the New York Uke Fest, and the Berkshire Fringe. Sweet Soubrette has also toured in France (2008) and Italy (2010).
Sweet Soubrette’s second album, “Days and Nights,” will be released in January 2011, on CD and on a limited edition vinyl LP.
