Aurora
Her style, in her words: "I like to put things together that make no logical sense until you experience them, like peanut butter and potato chips. I try to be unreasonable with myself and my life. I make myself up as I go along. I've been known to ponder the nature of the universe in the taste of my garden soil. I walk with a confident swagger and "old soul" eyes. I have calluses on my fingers and rings on my toes. If nothing else, I'm an exercise in balancing contradictions. My music is no exception."
While growing up, Dawn Gifford (aka Aurora) was surrounded by music and studied violin, piano and guitar. A talented singer, she performed in many school and church choirs. In college, Dawn minored in Voice and Music and a flirted with promising vocation as a classically trained soprano. Her talent for lyrics appeared early and she performed in various small and informal venues up through her early 20s with her own poetry as well as folk-rock covers.
It wasn't until early 2006, through a friend, she found herself in the studio of producer, musician and promoter Tim Kenney (a.k.a. KayaZ) who helped her produce the final mix on one of her first electronica originals. Sayonara Doubt, remixed, has been so successful that it has been picked up for internet radio broadcast and local night club performances.
Her talent as a poet and writer and influence from a broad musical experience has led Dawn to a unique compositional style. Aurora draws her poetic imagery from the page into a meaningful experience through the tones and rhythms of folk, electronica and house, jazz, and even jewish niggunim.
In late 2006, with co-producer Ivan G., she co-founded Tone13 Recordings, a community-based music label promoting unity in the D.C. arts and music community.
FEATURED TRACK
Love | Fear (featuring Sitali)
Aurora and KayaZ
Musicians: Tim Kenney: Composition/Production/ Arrangement/Percussion/Keyboards
Dawn Gifford: Vocals/Lyrics/Production/Arrangement
Sitali: Guitar/Back-up Vocals
Credits: Taken from the albums Ilyrianna, 2006; and Phase Shift, 2007.