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biography
Singer-songwriter & bandleader Tina Colón was
born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She learned piano at an early age, and started singing in high school. Most of her music was
developed in church, as a pianist and occasional vocalist for her youth group's worship team. Drawing her inspiration from both inside and outside of the church, she began writing original music during her first few years of high school.Her time at Yale University further developed her music. She led the worship band, Driven, for two years, and also served as a soloist and director for the Yale Gospel Choir.
Throughout college, she shared her songs at local open mics, and she
taught herself guitar while abroad in Switzerland in early 2008. In the
fall of the same year, she was tapped as a member of Shades, one of Yale's most appraised a cappella groups,
and throughout her senior year continued pursuing music: recording and
producing her first album, performing around New Haven and Yale, and leading the band Affirmative to 1st place in Yale's Battle of the Bands 2009 for the opening spot at Yale's biggest concert of the year, Spring Fling.Tina's debut album, Taken Up, was released in May to great reviews. The digital version of the album (only 10
tracks), is available online through many stores including iTunes and Amazon. Funded
by the proceeds from the Taken Up project, Tina recently completed a project in
Argentina, working with the organization Word Made Flesh, helping them
with their outreach programs for homeless street youth in Buenos Aires.
Tina hopes to continue to use her music towards social justice causes
in the world. She is currently located in New Haven, CT, where she is closely connected with several non-profits and very involved in the homeless community.
Though influenced by Alicia Keys and
Lauryn Hill and several contemporary Christian artists, Tina's original
music is difficult to define. Each song combines elements of hip hop, R&B, neo- soul, acoustic, and alternative influences with
Tina's powerful voice and her intricate lyrics to convey a unique and
meaningful message. God is at the center of each song, and she sings
about faith and social justice in a way that is both deeply personal and universal in its
scope.
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| | | quotes&reviews
“Anyone
who has heard Tina Colon sing live has witnessed God's spirit literally
coming through her voice... provoking lyrics and beautiful melodies...
The words will speak to you–there is at least one song [..] that
particularly speaks to each person...”
-C. McKinney (reviewer,
Amazon)
“I don't know anyone who hasn't been totally in awe
after hearing Tina sing. Obviously she has an incredibly beautiful
voice, but so much more than that, she sings with such meaning and
passion and conviction that you just know what she sings about is
real.”
–K. Dantzler (reviewer, Amazon)
“Tina Colón is one
of the most talented musicians I've ever worked with. Her unparalleled
understanding of melody and harmony allows her to not just sing, but to
manipulate music as she performs it.”
-Olga Pagan (Musical Director, Shades)
“Tina
never ceases to amaze me. She is an excellent musician, a brilliant
songwriter, and an incredibly talented singer—well-known on Yale’s
campus for the uniquely moving power of her voice. In addition to this,
she truly and humbly believes that her voice is meant as a blessing to
others and doesn’t belong to her or her pride; she wants it to make a
difference in the world, singing to benefit causes and writing
provoking lyrics about current social justice issues. I’m so blessed to
have been able to work so closely with her on such a great project.”
–Juliet Buesing (Executive Producer, Taken Up) | |
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