Andria Simone - Good Lovin' (2014)

Ever noticed how many of the great female R&B and soul singers of the past three decades have first names beginning with A? There's Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, Amy Winehouse, and Adele, not to mention Aaliyah and Alicia Keys. Don't be surprised if the name Andria Simone joins this illustrious A team in the near future. This 26 year-old singer-songwriter was born and raised in Toronto, but a colorfully adventurous life to date has helped her develop both as an artist and a self-confident young woman ready to take on the world. After all, how many aspiring soul singers have studying poker in the Ukraine on their resume?

More conventionally, Andria has also studied flute, piano and voice, and her love of writing was established at an early age. "I've always enjoyed writing and poetry and getting my feelings out on paper," she explains. Simone has long had a love for a wide range of musical genres, from heavy metal to dubstep, but has recently found herself a happy creative home in the world of soul and R&B. "I'd love to go back in a time machine to the '50s and '60s and dance to that live music," she declares. "I prefer the real raw sound of the voice, not the AutoTune sounds of today."