"Missoni sees the world as none other of her peers do, as a multi-layered source of inspiration, as a terrible beauty, as a beautiful terror. Her creative writing shows depth of thought. Her guitar performances have proven moving, and she has a singing voice good for both light verse and for more thought-provoking ballads."
-Matthew Buchanan
Missoni Lanza sings of love- lost, unrequited, enchanted and cursed. Her new five-song EP, Amore, evokes memories of a bygone era entwined with the present. For most of her life, Missoni connected to the music, culture, literature, art, and fashion of days gone by more than she did with that of her own generation. When she was a baby, upon meeting her, a friend of her mother’s described her as ‘an old soul.’
As a child, Missoni knew she wanted to be a singer. Her first public appearance, at age 6, was when she asked a local restaurant pianist if she could sing along. Her early musical influences came from her music loving family. From her father- the classic oldies; from her mother- smooth jazz. Her brother loved the blues and classic rock while her sister loved anything current and cutting edge. If her surname sounds familiar, that is because the famous classical singer Mario Lanza is a distant relative.
Missoni studied piano, guitar, and classical vocal techniques. In her early teens, she formed an all girl group and later, joined the high school jazz band. An intensely creative person, Missoni loved poetry, drawing, and acting. She began writing her own songs, inspired by the “gorgeous heartbreaking stories” of Elliott Smith. Both students and teachers recognized her talents and soon she was performing her songs at school assemblies.
Towards the end of high school, Missoni was introduced to Remington who would later produce her EP, AMORE. He put together a team of musicians that included Johnny Marshall, John Adams, Brian Piper, Andy Timmons, Jonathan Dexter, Jim Foster.
Although she has an impressive four-octave range, Missoni’s vocals are intimate, smoky and sultry. There are echoes of Norah Jones, Billie Holiday, Sarah Mclachlan, Fiona Apple, and Margo Timmins throughout.
Missoni has performed solo at the Bitter End in New York City (2006) and at the Red River Revel in Shreveport Lousiana (2008, 2009). The band she put together for the Revel included Billy Masters, Doug Yowell, and Mike Visceglia (all who had played with Suzanne Vega) and Daniel Weiss (Hair).
Artists she has opened for include Nicole Atkins & the Sea, Kim Carnes, Erin Bode, Quiet Company, The New Frontiers, The Rocket Boys, Dylan Leblanc, Linnzi Zaorski, The Stolen Sweets, Angie Mattson, Marc Broussard, and Rob Wasserman (Grateful Dead).
