Wendy Starland
Encyclopedia
Wendy Starland is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and musician.
Starland was discovered at a concert held by Maceo Parker
who noticed her singing along with many of his numbers. Parker brought Starland onstage to perform; the performance received a standing ovation.
Since then, her music, videos and image have been used in musical genres and advertising media. As of 2008 she was a spokesperson and model
for the print and television campaign for the US$300 million clothing line, Boy Meets Girl.
Major awards and recognition include her being named as "VH1
's Best Emerging Artist" and "Best Emerging Songwriter" by the Songwriters Hall of Fame
for her top 10 hit Dancing With The Sea. Her self-written & produced single was released in Europe on a Universal Music Group
compilation alongside artists Norah Jones
, Feist, and Edie Brickell
. Her song landed at number eight on the charts, giving her the opportunity to tour Europe. She is a featured lead vocalist on Moby
's Grammy nominated album, Last Night
, which went to number one on the Billboard charts
.
Wendy Starland discovered Lady Gaga
and landed her a production deal with producer Rob Fusari
that resulted in Gaga signing major label record and publishing deals. Starland and Lady Gaga have written songs together that were later produced by Fusari, for whom Starland was writing with over a nearly three-year period.
Though her musical style places her in the pop
and smooth jazz
categories, her writing style encompasses rhythm and blues
and rap, including music for Def Jam stars Capone
and Wu Tang Clan. Starland collaborated with legends and Grammy winners for her upcoming album: Stephen Bishop (musician)
, Tony Levin
, Jerry Marotta
, Arturo O'Farrill
, Vivek Maddala, Oz Noy, and the A.C.O. Val Vibrata Symphony Orchestra in Abruzzo, Italy, conducted by Luisella Chiarini.
Starland's original work may be heard in Swipe with Forrest Whitaker and The Rules featuring The Jerky Boys. She composed the entire two-hour score for an HBO documentary, Sample Sale. Other original songs used in visual media include Stolen Love, written in memory of ten friends and loved ones lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks
as well as on MTV
; another is Garden of Temptation, featured in promotional advertising for the NBC
primetime series, Las Vegas. Starland is also an experienced backup singer, having performed with multi-platinum Grammy winner, Michael Bolton, and appearing with him on the CBS
morning series, The Early Show
. Starland has opened for Sean Paul
, Grandmaster Flash
, Shawn Colvin
, Fishbone
, The English Beat, Michael Posner (musician), and Jonatha Brooke
and Lucy Woodward.
Starland's single, Dancing With The Sea, reached a high of number eight on the charts within two weeks of its release and was twice featured on the ABC-TV
daytime talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly
. She was the recipient for "Best Song" at the Independent Music Awards and was featured on Season 5 Episode 1 of MTV's hit series The Hills
.
Recent projects include a song for the NBC
series Hawaii. VH1
has also licensed five of her songs for use in their programming.
Her new album, Garden Of Temptation, will be released on Give Back Entertainment/Universal Music in 2011.
Starland was discovered at a concert held by Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
who noticed her singing along with many of his numbers. Parker brought Starland onstage to perform; the performance received a standing ovation.
Since then, her music, videos and image have been used in musical genres and advertising media. As of 2008 she was a spokesperson and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
for the print and television campaign for the US$300 million clothing line, Boy Meets Girl.
Major awards and recognition include her being named as "VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Best Emerging Artist" and "Best Emerging Songwriter" by the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
for her top 10 hit Dancing With The Sea. Her self-written & produced single was released in Europe on a Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
compilation alongside artists Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, Feist, and Edie Brickell
Edie Brickell
Edie Arlisa Brickell is an American singer-songwriter best known for 1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went #4 on the US Albums Chart.-Life and career:...
. Her song landed at number eight on the charts, giving her the opportunity to tour Europe. She is a featured lead vocalist on Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
's Grammy nominated album, Last Night
Last Night (Moby album)
Last Night is the eight studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released on 29 March 2008. The first single in the UK was "Alice", and in Europe was "Disco Lies" and the second single is "I Love to Move in Here" followed by "Ooh Yeah"....
, which went to number one on the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
.
Wendy Starland discovered Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
and landed her a production deal with producer Rob Fusari
Rob Fusari
Rob Fusari is a record producer and songwriter, possibly best known for his work with American recording artist Lady Gaga.-Early life:Born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, Fusari began studying classical piano at age eight, and became so skilled as a pianist, that he started performing in...
that resulted in Gaga signing major label record and publishing deals. Starland and Lady Gaga have written songs together that were later produced by Fusari, for whom Starland was writing with over a nearly three-year period.
Though her musical style places her in the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
categories, her writing style encompasses rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and rap, including music for Def Jam stars Capone
Capone
Kiam Akasi Holley better known as Capone, is an American rapper of the hardcore hip hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga, who hails from the Queensbridge houses in Queens, New York. He is also of Haitian descent....
and Wu Tang Clan. Starland collaborated with legends and Grammy winners for her upcoming album: Stephen Bishop (musician)
Stephen Bishop (musician)
Stephen Bishop is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and guitarist.-History:Bishop was born in San Diego, California, and attended Will C. Crawford High School...
, Tony Levin
Tony Levin
Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
, Jerry Marotta
Jerry Marotta
Jerry Marotta is a drummer currently residing in Woodstock, New York. He is the brother of Rick Marotta, who is also a well-known drummer and composer....
, Arturo O'Farrill
Arturo O'Farrill
Arturo O'Farrill is a pianist, the son of Latin jazz musician and bandleader Chico O'Farrill. He formerly worked with Carla Bley and eventually took over his father's band. Arturo went on to form the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, which played at Lincoln Center. Under his direction the group recorded...
, Vivek Maddala, Oz Noy, and the A.C.O. Val Vibrata Symphony Orchestra in Abruzzo, Italy, conducted by Luisella Chiarini.
Starland's original work may be heard in Swipe with Forrest Whitaker and The Rules featuring The Jerky Boys. She composed the entire two-hour score for an HBO documentary, Sample Sale. Other original songs used in visual media include Stolen Love, written in memory of ten friends and loved ones lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
as well as on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
; another is Garden of Temptation, featured in promotional advertising for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
primetime series, Las Vegas. Starland is also an experienced backup singer, having performed with multi-platinum Grammy winner, Michael Bolton, and appearing with him on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
morning series, The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
. Starland has opened for Sean Paul
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
, Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash
Joseph Saddler better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing....
, Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
, Fishbone
Fishbone
Fishbone is a U.S. alternative rock band formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, which plays a fusion of ska, punk rock, funk, hard rock and soul. Critics have noted of the band: "Fishbone was one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late '80s...
, The English Beat, Michael Posner (musician), and Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Illinois.Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies...
and Lucy Woodward.
Starland's single, Dancing With The Sea, reached a high of number eight on the charts within two weeks of its release and was twice featured on the ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
daytime talk show, Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
. She was the recipient for "Best Song" at the Independent Music Awards and was featured on Season 5 Episode 1 of MTV's hit series The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
.
Recent projects include a song for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series Hawaii. VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
has also licensed five of her songs for use in their programming.
Her new album, Garden Of Temptation, will be released on Give Back Entertainment/Universal Music in 2011.