On this Thursday, March 7 a unique artist rocks Venice at the Witzend with her special sound. The voice of Sonia Rao consistently captures listeners, bringing everyone in with her singing and with her intriguing words. She continues the interview in part two here:
W.E. You'll be performing at the Witzend Thursdays in March now. What is your favorite aspect of the venue, and what can your fans most look forward to about your performance?
S.R. I adore Witzend. The owner, Jeb Milne, has created a beautiful community. The venue is truly a listening room and because of this, I think artists end up giving very intimate performances. I did a residency at Witzend in August and it was so fun. I had guest artists come perform duets with me each week – Daniel Bedingfield, Elliot Yamin, Keaton Simons, Melissa Polinar, and Jason Joseph. This March, I will be having a new set of guest artists, including Lucy Schwartz. Aijia Lise will be performing before me each week, and Elliot Yamin will be performing right after me each week, so it’s going to be four nights of good music.
W.E. What do you most enjoy about performing?
S.R. What’s most important to me is making people feel something. I want to relate. My songs are my stories, so when people dance or tell me they see themselves in my songs, I feel like I’ve reached someone and connected.
W.E. What is the ultimate ideal regarding music in terms of impact on society, and what do you envision in the future of music both personally and in terms of the industry itself?
S.R. I think a person can have the most positive impact on society when they are the truest version of themselves. So in terms of music, I try to write the most honest lyrics I can and bring that honesty to my performances too. In term of the industry at large, I really can’t make any predictions. And when you have no idea what’s going to happen, as is the case with the music industry right now, the best way forward is to pave your own way, make artistic and business choices that feel right to you, and create from the sincerest part of you.
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