No show make up, no digital manipulations, no gimmicks – just a voice, a guitar, a microphone, and perhaps a music-enthusiast friend.

Here is a young woman who has embraced the art of the stripped-down sound.

Dana Williams is a rising star from Los Angeles who has been nicknamed the modern version of Ella Fitzgerald. That nickname is justified, as her voice is simplistic but soulful, it’s deep but fresh, classic yet original.

Check it out for yourself from her first EP, with a music video only made possible due to crowd-funding since she’s an unsigned artist. (The magic of social media!)

 

Her career began as one of the children selected to sing “Hard Knock Life” with Jay-Z for a TV special. Since then, she’s been building a reputable name for herself with acoustic covers, original songs, and collaborations. She received a recent influx of attention on Youtube after making a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dream” in a duet with fellow musician and Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester.

 

You might’ve also seen her before as one of the musicians featured on Apple’s holiday campaign. The ad made many viewers weep with its impeccable story. Dana plays a young woman who discovers an old vinyl disc recorded by her grandmother, singing a song to her husband who was departing for war. What she decides to do next with the record stole many musical hearts.

 

The vinyl records and music on the commercial was created on a Voice-o-Graph, a booth that records voice straight into a vinyl record. The machine is now incredibly rare to find. The one featured on the ad is a refurbished booth from 1947, which resides at Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Neil Young recorded an entire album (A Better Home,) on that exact machine, which is currently the only one in the world accessible to the public.

Had to side-track for the amazing ode to the classics and my love for Nashville. But Artists like Dana help keep the classic love for the pure and soulful voice alive, in a time when all people care about is hitting high notes, entertainment, and what sells. Only in her early twenties, I see her going very far with that unique voice and guitar.

You can follow her on Twitter @IAmDanaWilliams or check her out on iTunes.

If you know of a local or international artist who deserves some attention, send me an email at lena@icrt.com.tw.