Some people are born to perform, and it's true that songstress Evelyn Duprai was born to sing funk, jazz & soul.

As one of the most respected singers in the live music circles in Sydney, she has one of those soulful voices that will stick in your memory and captivate you.

Evelyn started her early years securely rooted in the sounds of gospel, singing in church before going onto talent quests and trying out Top 40 R&B styles.

When she joined a funky jazz outfit, the genre just seemed to fit naturally and in a relatively short period of time, her popularity has already surpassed that of some of her contemporaries.

She’s already performed in some of the city’s most prestigious venues such as Fox Studios, The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Town Hall, The Superdome, The Sydney Entertainment Centre and most recently the Sydney Opera House with the impressive Eon Beats Project led by renowned fellow Sydney musician Rick Robertson.

She’s also been on the line-up at some of the country’s most well-known festivals such as The Darling Harbour Jazz and Blues Festival and The Norfolk Island Jazz Festival.

Add to that the fact that she’s sung with the likes of James Morrison and Swing City and appeared on television programs like Kerri-Anne’s Midday show and Andrew Denton’s CNNN, and you’ll find this effortless performer has that special something many musicians only ever dream of attaining.

Evelyn never really stops working, she’s always looking for different opportunities to expand her musical endeavours.

Her sheer determination to push the boundaries in the realm of her own artistic experience and her integrity and passion for her craft will no doubt ensure that she becomes a formidable force in the international jazz scene.

With her own original compositions and her ability to lend her vocals to greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday while doing their songs justice, she has she has that elusive style that could see her perform practically any genre with finesse.

Even though she is making dramatic headway in jazz, Evelyn also hasn’t forgotten the groundings gospel music gave her when she was young.

She’s performed on a host of live gospel music video productions and in 2000 was awarded the Solo Vocalist category winner for Australia’s first ever Gospel Eisteddfod.

Ever the one to diversify her talents, she was also nominated for the MusicOz Songwriters’ Award in the R&B category, which meant she was one of only five finalists in the country.

It isn’t surprising to find that after so many collective years of recognition, Evelyn has at last decided to record something of her own.

She recently released a single entitled ‘Positively Beautiful’, a creative fusion of funk, soul and jazz with just the right balance of brass and plenty of groove!

With a music video under her belt and on screens around the country and a debut album on the horizon, the future continues to look extremely bright for the songstress.

After all, she’s certainly a shining star in the jazz scene and it won’t be long before the whole of Australia will be remembering her name.

She’s already got a huge fan base in Far North Queensland.

The songstress performed in Vertigo Bar last year and not only garnered herself a huge new following of fans, but also an incredible amount of local acclaim for her soulful voice and stage presence.

An evening with Evelyn Duprai is vibrant, dynamic, haunting and simply unforgettable.

Evelyn Duprai performs for three nights only at Vertigo Bar in The Reef Hotel Casino from Thursday 24 July – Saturday 26 July 2006 – 10pm nightly. The best part: it's free!

 

 

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