Sophia Shorai

Settled in unconscious control, Shorai's voice is sometimes seductive, sometimes tough, sometimes playful. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Minneapolis, Shorai has been singing in front of audiences for as long as she can remember. She is a regular at The Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis and maintains an active performance schedule year round. A classically trained pianist, she began exploring the world of jazz the moment her father put Ella Fitzgerald's version of Mercer's "The Midnight Sun" on the record player. Along with her unique jazz interpretations, she has achieved national recognition for lending her voice to many television commercials, most notably Target's inaugural "Hello Goodbye" campaign, as well as major motion pictures and various TV series.
Her latest full-length recording project finds her teaming up with national luminary, Tommy Barbarella. Long time mutual admirers, Shorai and Barbarella holed themselves up in a warm studio for a day in the middle of a brutal Minnesota winter storm and churned out 12 intimate tunes. A stripped down solo piano and voice recording, Shorai chose songs that examine both the struggle of the human condition and the deliverance only music can promise. The recordings are vulnerable and rich, free from modern studio wizardry and distracting arrangements. The new album, "Long as You're Living," is available on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. Physical copies are available at Corazon Stores and The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis, MN.