Join us in the 3rd Installment of COFFEE TABLE CONFESSIONS - A night of musical sharing by some of Melbourne's finest female singers / songwriters,

STARRING

CANDICE MONIQUE

Candice Monique is a talented & unique vocalist/songwriter/poet whose individual vocal and lyrical style fuses Soul, Neo-Soul, Jazz, RnB, Funk, Blues, Folk & Spoken Word.

After recording her first demo in Atlanta with producer Professor Griff (Public Enemy) in 2003 and later in Harlem, NYC in 2005 with neo-soul producer, Rich Medina (Jill Scott, Vassy) - Candice Monique returned to her new home in Melbourne and has completed her debut album, "In My Soul" with her stunning five piece band, THE OPTICS.

SHIRLEY DAVIS

Shirley started singing in her late twenties with a life of over 10 years singing experience, her daughter by her side every day.

She has sung in numerous bands, her first band being Grand Wazoo which she joined in 1998. A fun soul outfit which allowed her to learn about Soul and Funk. As a sixteen piece large band, Grand Wazoo gave her her first experience with many types of audiences, singing her favourite songs - 'A change is gonna come' by Aretha Franklin.

Lots of songs have shaped her thoughts and abilities, leaving her feeling like a true singer. Recording, releasing, performing, dancing and singing for the last ten years, with many stages and many happy times. 

Her ambition for the next ten years is to do so much more. She wants to... SING, shape her future and gain experiences, with more travelling; more sharing of what she knows and so many more songs to give.

MAY JOHNSTON

Having performed with bands of various genres such as Top 40's, soul, funk, jazz, rock and R&B, May Johnston has shared stages with some of the best musicians in Australia.

Her professional experience includes live performances at venues such as Dallas Brooks Hall, Melbourne Concert Hall, 5 star Hotels in Melbourne/Queensland, as well as popular clubs and function receptions across Victoria. 

She has performed in front of audiences from an intimate room of 15 to 25000 in close settings to concert halls and festivals.

May has also recorded on soundtracks for Blue Heelers, Halifax FP as well as being hired as a session vocalist for original songwriters. She is currently the lead vocalist for Deep Street Soul along with her funk/soul covers band Mayvis. Apart from being a vocalist, she is developing her passion in teaching singing and studying piano, bass and guitar. She is currently also learning the basic fundamentals of recording in her own studio with Protools 8.

KAREN MORALES

Karen Morales grew up in Melbourne, Australia and studied contemporary/jazz piano at the Box Hill College of Music. This path led her to experiment with a collage of styles such as Salsa, Funk, Soul, Acid Jazz and Drum & Bass.

As well as studying and teaching music, Karen was an in demand rehearsal pianist for several Melbourne theatre companies before moving to becoming a musical director. 

Tired of playing in cover bands, Karen spent 2005 onwards focusing on her own songwriting. After receiving positive feedback for her acoustic demos on MySpace, Karen recorded her first demo - “My Everything’’ in 2008 featuring artists such as Jesers (France), Princess Freesia (Australia), Cory Jach (Australia), James Higgins (Soul Continuum -Australia), Derrick McKenzie (Jamiroquai - UK). 

On her return from Europe, where she had teamed up with Derrick McKenzie for a writing session in London’s legendary Tin Pan Alley Studios, Karen has since been working on releasing her debut solo album. Stay tuned for the release along with more tunes on MySpace/YouTube/artst.

EE'DA

Ee’da is a versatile artist who combines her love for traditional Indian dance with her love for hip hop, soul & spoken word into her performances. She has had to stretch many cultural boundaries of her Indian/Malay Muslim heritage and face many challenges for the chance to live an empowered life and express her personal truths.

Her songs come from a place of deep gratitude for this opportunity. Her boundless stage energy and creative passion has led to collaborations and guest vocalist spots such as Elf Tranzporter, Jornick from Mista Savona Band, MC Hugo and Treats, & the Agency Dub Collective. Ee’da has performed at festivals across Australia including Peats Ridge, Island Vibes, Festival, Rainbow Serpent, Wide Open Space festival, only to mention a few. She has also performed at the Australia Day Concert at Fed Square and at the UN Conference for Global Health.

Her debut EP titled ‘Holographic Love’ is the product of a life lived travelling between the slums of Bombay, India and the most livable city in the world Melbourne, Australia. The album is a product of collaborations with Australia’s top urban producers and musicians including Jake Savona (Mista Savona) , Voodoo Dred (Grrilla Step,Culture Connect), Ivan Choi (Candice Monique/True Live), Ben Last (Electric Eden) and Simon Gorman (Soul Mirage) & Adrian Shaw (The Red Eyes).

AROWE

A captivating performer and a delightful lively singer & soul-writer, Arowe is a Melbourne born artist one should keep an eye on and a very close ear too.

Known for her jazz infused melodic vocal runs and simple guitar rifts, Arowe's song-craft is especially delicious. Previously released single 'Deaf Silence' on the 2009 the push compilation album 'Naked in the Woods', saw Arowe perform along side other female vocal talents such as Katy Steele (Little Birdy), Jen Cloher (The Endless Sea). 
Be inspired by Arowe's effortless stories told by songs, from the heart.

‘I've been working closely with some very talented producers this year to create an intimate feeling acoustic debut Arowe Album and I can’t wait to get it out!’ Arowe 2011.

DJ MZ RIZK

MzRizk has been DJ'ing in and around Melbourne for over 5 years. Recently returning from the international soul summit in Atlanta, MzRizk has a new collection of funk, soul and neo soul that she is ready to share.

Even though she is mostly known for Hip Hop sets, MzRizk is a music lover and loves spinning Funk, Disco, Soul, House and Neo-Soul and anything else that she believes is brilliant music. Her collection of 45s keeps growing and she is on a mission to find those rare boogie and funk tracks that will tear up the dance floor.