When you first hear Vicci Martinez sing, you know immediately you are experiencing something special. Though only 26, Vicci writes, sings and plays guitar with the touch of a veteran performer. With a passionate voice, profound lyrics and incendiary live performances, this Tacoma native's contagious live performances have received critical acclaim throughout the Northwest. Combine that with the ability to connect with audiences of all ages and you understand the impressive grass roots following Vicci has developed.
Martinez's inspiration comes from family as well as from musical figures like Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, and Dave Matthews and recent explorations of Van Morrison's hallowed catalog. She delivers intensely personal songs wrapped up in her soulful emotive voice. The power of her voice defies her petite stature and the soulfulness of her guitar playing is beyond her years.
"I know everyone says, 'Oh I came from humble beginnings,'" Martinez says. "But it's what I want to keep. I want the music to be for everyone. I have the ability to say what I want to say and that's the how I want to keep it."
When leading her accomplished, intuitive band (guitarist Rod Cook, drummer Darin Watkins, bassist Jeff Leonard and newest member, keyboard player Eric Robert), she turns her concerts into full-on events, taking her fans on thrilling journeys of emotional peaks and musical adventures. Vicci is as comfortable playing an intimate solo gig to headlining festivals as she is sharing the bill with artists ranging from Sting, Annie Lennox, Jonny Lang, Brandi Carlile, soul man, Syl Johnson to blues legend BB King. Most recently, Vicci rose to worldwide attention as one of the final 4 finalists on the NBC hit TV show, The Voice, which stars Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and Carson Daly, and was the winner of Team Cee Lo.
It's a tricky balance she's trying to achieve. The kind you get from a history that started as a 13 year old girl who balked at joining her school youth choir but thrived as a featured soloist that included a successful appearance on "Star Search" plus an "American Idol" audition that got her a ticket to Hollywood which she declined because she was not ready personally and professionally for that kind of attention at 16. Following the road less traveled, Vicci has chosen to stay true to her music and her fans. Over the past ten years, she has released 6 independent solo projects plus a live DVD. This history defines Vicci as an artist who wants to build her career entirely from her heart
Vicci is building on this rich history of performing and writing, taking her career to a new level. She is working and writing with some of the finest songwriters in the country including Jeff Arundel, Kevin Bowe, Adam Cohen, Phil Galdston, Syl Johnson, Antonio K., Keb' Mo', Bruce McCabe, Davitt Sigerson and Kevin Totoian. She has signed with new management and has a new project in the wings for Fall 2011, tentatively titled "Enjoy The Ride."
"I love the idea for 'enjoy the ride.' I feel like in the last few years, I have finally come to terms with 'enjoying my own ride.' Now that I've made the commitment to myself, to enjoy my ride…everything seems so effortless. In a way, I think it has set me up to be ready for whatever may come and to welcome it with open arms."
Vicci continues to carve her niche in the musical echelon, and has done it her way. "The music business is a scary thing. Just like a current, always moving, always changing, and if you don't flow with it, you drown, or you at least work a lot harder. I feel like we do our own thing. For the right reasons, music can be healing, bring smiles to your faces, or tears to your eyes." Get ready, she's here and you are going to love her.
