Zee Avi

Zee Avi | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 19, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Brushfire Records
• ASIN: B0025X4OV6
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,770 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Zee Avi is just 23 but she's an old soul. A huge talent in a petite frame bringing a universal message from the unlikely birthplace of Borneo, an ancient island east of Malaysia which remains an untouched, natural paradise, an apt description of her songs. How Avi came to record her debut album in L.A., the first joint release from Ian Montone's Monotone Label and Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records, is a true 21st century tale of the way the Internet has transformed the music business and shrunk the globe in the process. Born in the tiny town of Miri in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, Zee grew up near the South China Sea in a liberal, encouraging household where her father owned an energy consultancy. "I was bred to be a lawyer," she says, but music was in her blood. Her father's father sang and played double-bass, accordion, violin and guitar in bands. At age 12, Zee moved from Borneo to Kuala Lumpur where she has been based since. At 17, Zee started locking herself in a room for hours on end to learn to play guitar. Guitar took a back seat for 4 years while she was studying fashion design in London. When she returned to Kuala Lumpur, she picked the instrument back up and began writing songs and performing with a band. Zee began recording her songs on a webcam and posting them on YouTube for a friend to hear. "I remember getting so excited when there was one new comment from some random person I didn't know... One was written by Kris Rowley, a U.K. singer-songwriter with a YouTube following under the name Zzzzzzzzap. He began posting her videos on his site, which began a viral snowball effect. The day before her 22nd birthday, Zee posted what she intended to be "my last video," a holiday song, "No Christmas for Me." By the time she checked her e-mail Avi had almost 3,000 messages including a slew of label offers. One email came from Ian Montone, who had been shown the YouTube clip by Raconteurs' drummer, Patrick Keeler, prompting Montone to get in touch and offer to release her music on the Monotone Label. Before she knew it Zee was on a plane to L.A. to record her debut with producer Robert Carranza at Brushfire's Solar Powered Plastic Plant. "No Christmas for Me" was then featured on the holiday charity album, This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday, Vol. 1. With an eclectic pool of influences that range from such eccentrics as Cat Power, Regina Spektor, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Jolie Holland, Daniel Johnston and Chris Garneau, to jazz greats Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, to classics like Velvet Underground and Led Zeppelin, this self-described "rock lover at heart" captures the dark, bittersweet qualities of romance with a crack left open for hope and optimism. From Malaysia to Los Angeles, Zee Avi is enjoying the ride and ready to take on passengers. "I'm still pinching myself" she gushes. "My parents always told me it's important to keep yourself grounded. I'm thankful, but at the same time, I just want to jump through the roof. It's been a pretty amazing journey, getting to work with some really wonderful people, a blessing, really." Zee Avi's Monotone/Brushfire Records debut returns that blessing...and then some.

Product Description

CD

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!!! May 30, 2009

By The Sideman

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

As a huge fan of the whole Brushfire label I generally like most of the artists that they put out. In this case I can easily say that I LOVE Zee Avi!! Fantastic voice, simple but wonderful lyrics and just the right amount of accompaniment (a lot of singer songwriters tend to over produce) this album hits all the right spots for me. I am thoroughly enjoying this while I wait and hope she comes on tour near me.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Simply soft September 2, 2009

By songbird

Format:Audio CD

Zee Avi is simply refeshing. I love her choice of lyrics, I can relate.
She evokes an emotional response without the shock factor, very, very
satisfying to listen to!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Discovery May 19, 2009

By Juan Pablo Rodriguez

Format:MP3 Music

I discovered this wonderfully talented singer today while checking some of the featured videos for some people I follow on YouTube when I discovered a video of some live performances by Zee. I was instantly blown away by her great voice, fun lyrics, and generally mellow mood of her music. It's not often that you see somebody like this with natural talent and is not produced from some manufactured formula. If your a fan of anybody along the lines of Norah Jones, you'll definitely enjoy Zee.