Anja Steinlechner
Encyclopedia
Anja Steinlechner is an Austrian
-born singer/songwriter
. She has recorded with several well-known artists as well as for TV shows. "Hanome" a duet she recorded with famous Greek singer Notis Sfakianakis
was featured on his album As Milisoun Ta Tragoudia. She also did the song "Do Anything" which was on the soundtrack for the German children's cartoon Simsala Grimm. Another song of hers "Bringing Out the Best of Me" was featured on the WB Series Jack & Jill
. She also sang and co-wrote the main character song "Falling Apart" for the European-Bollywood movie Bombay Dreams
. She co-wrote (with world renowned songwriter Jörgen Elofsson
) the platinum selling single "Why does i rain" for Swedish singer Darin. German Idol runner up Martin Stosch sang "I can reach heaven from here" (another writing collaboration with Elofsson) in 2007.
Anja is currently putting all her focus into her career as a solo artist and songwriter, writing not just for her own project but other international acts.
Some highlights:
drummer Ken Schalk) as well as Jordan Plingos (of 40 Below Summer
) on guitars. It also featured other musicians from the New York City area, Teddy Williams on bass and Troy Young on drums. The band recorded an EP
entitled "Step into My World" which was self-produced by Steve Schalk along with Max Illidge (of 40 Below Summer). Max also provided some background vocals on a few of the songs which he co-wrote with Anja... The groups sound on one of their pages was described as "Mariah Carey
singing for Stone Temple Pilots
."
The bands first show was on November 4, 2006 - a nearly sold out crowd opening for 40 Below Summer
and Black Market Hero at the Starland Ballroom
in Sayreville
, New Jersey
. This was one of just 2 shows drummer Troy Young played with the group after which he was replaced by Carlos Aguilar (also of 40 Below Summer)
After this the band continued to write songs and play shows many of which were at Arlene's Grocery
in New York City with hopes of gaining label interest and signing a deal. Throughout 2007 the band played roughly 10-12 shows, one of which was on July 21st as an opening act for the record release of Long Island hard rock band Year of the Locust (Ride On) featuring Chris Redd (Chris Kerrigan) on lead guitar formerly of hardcore/punk legends Murphy's Law. Their last of which being October 4, 2007. While reception at the shows and online was mostly all positive the band never signed with a label and drummer Carlos Aguilar left in the fall of 2007. Micah Havertape formerly of the group Flaw filled in for a few shows and it took the band months to find their full time replacement in Ricky Solerno.
In 2008 for unknown reasons the band appears to have not been active in over a year.
, Aretha Franklin
, Minnie Riperton
, Whitney Houston
, Mariah Carey
, and Beth Gibbons
of Portishead.
, Asian
and Spanish
descent.
Other Songs
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
-born singer/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. She has recorded with several well-known artists as well as for TV shows. "Hanome" a duet she recorded with famous Greek singer Notis Sfakianakis
Notis Sfakianakis
Panagiotis Sfakianakis is a Greek singer of laika music, who is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time in Greece and Cyprus. Sfakianakis began his career in 1985, opening at nightclubs for other artists. He was discovered by Sony Greece and released his debut album Proti Fora...
was featured on his album As Milisoun Ta Tragoudia. She also did the song "Do Anything" which was on the soundtrack for the German children's cartoon Simsala Grimm. Another song of hers "Bringing Out the Best of Me" was featured on the WB Series Jack & Jill
Jack & Jill (TV series)
Jack & Jill is an American television series comedy-drama starring Ivan Sergei, Amanda Peet, Jaime Pressly, Justin Kirk, Simon Rex and Sarah Paulson which ran from September 1999 to April 2001 on the WB Network. It was created and executive produced by Randi Mayem Singer.The show's theme song was...
. She also sang and co-wrote the main character song "Falling Apart" for the European-Bollywood movie Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan,and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years...
. She co-wrote (with world renowned songwriter Jörgen Elofsson
Jörgen Elofsson
Jörgen Kjell Elofsson is a Swedish songwriter who has written or co-written hits for stars such as Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Guy Sebastian, Ana Johnsson, Marie Serneholt, Shayne Ward and Super Junior. He has also written hit singles for groups such as Il Divo and Westlife...
) the platinum selling single "Why does i rain" for Swedish singer Darin. German Idol runner up Martin Stosch sang "I can reach heaven from here" (another writing collaboration with Elofsson) in 2007.
Anja is currently putting all her focus into her career as a solo artist and songwriter, writing not just for her own project but other international acts.
Some highlights:
- Anja was interviewed and sang on live radio reaching millions of people in Asia, the Middle East and Australia. (Interview by 'Trey' on Rupert Murdoch 'Channel V')
- Anja sang after meeting & becoming friendly with Dr. Michael Aris, a song dedicated to his wife Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...
. Mrs. Suu Kyi heard the song and praised Anja for her beautiful voice.
- Anja sang a duet called "Hanome" with the famous Greek singer Notis Sfakianakis. The song was released on his album which reached multiple platinum status.
- Anja's song "Bringing out the best in me" (co-written with Jeff Cohen) was featured in the WB television series "Jack & Jill" starring Amanda Peet.
- Anja sang the song "Do anything" for the animated television series "Simsala Grimm" produced by Greenlight Media and BMG Ariola
- Anja sang for King Konstantin and Queen Anne-Marie of GreeceQueen Anne-Marie of GreeceQueen Anne-Marie of Greece is the wife of former King Constantine II of Greece, who was deposed in referendums in 1973 and in 1974. Her title "Queen of Greece" is not recognized under the terms of the republican Constitution of Greece...
, as well as for their two sons Prince Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos.
- The movie, Bombay Dreams, features a main character song entitled 'Falling Apart'. Anja both wrote and sang the song for the movie and soundtrack.
- Swedish singer "Darin" recorded Anja's song "Why does it rain" (co-written with Jorgen Elofsson) for his platinum selling album "The Anthem". The song is getting massive airplay and has reached gold status as a single.
- German Idol runner up Martin Stosch sings Anja's song " I can reach heaven from here" (another co-write with Elofsson).
- Anja recorded George Duke's song "Soon" for Gerald McCauley's ( nephew of music legend George BensonGeorge BensonGeorge Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
) to be released album. The song also features India.ArieIndia.ArieIndia.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
and Shanice. The album also includes incredible artists such as Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, and many more....
- Anja just signed on as a songwriter with Jörgen Elofsson, who sold over 100 Million albums with his songs. Jörgen offers Anja the opportunity to work with him on projects for world famous artists ranging from Leona Lewis to Kelly Clarkson to Il Divo and so many more…
- Anja sang for the Eurobowl 2009 (European Football Finals) where Austria won against France
Solo Band (2005-2008)
Anja's rock band came together sometime around 2006 and featured Steve Schalk (brother of ex-CandiriaCandiria
Candiria are an American band from Brooklyn, New York. They blend various styles of music, including heavy metal, hardcore, jazz, hip hop and ambient. Candiria have often dubbed their sound "urban fusion".- History :...
drummer Ken Schalk) as well as Jordan Plingos (of 40 Below Summer
40 Below Summer
- Beginnings :Formed in 1998, 40 Below Summer came together after drummer and Peruvian native Carlos Aguilar met with singer Max Illidge. Joey D'Amico later joined the duo, followed by Jordan Plingos and Steve Ferreira. Their first album Side Show Freaks and EP Rain were self released...
) on guitars. It also featured other musicians from the New York City area, Teddy Williams on bass and Troy Young on drums. The band recorded an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled "Step into My World" which was self-produced by Steve Schalk along with Max Illidge (of 40 Below Summer). Max also provided some background vocals on a few of the songs which he co-wrote with Anja... The groups sound on one of their pages was described as "Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
singing for Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
."
The bands first show was on November 4, 2006 - a nearly sold out crowd opening for 40 Below Summer
40 Below Summer
- Beginnings :Formed in 1998, 40 Below Summer came together after drummer and Peruvian native Carlos Aguilar met with singer Max Illidge. Joey D'Amico later joined the duo, followed by Jordan Plingos and Steve Ferreira. Their first album Side Show Freaks and EP Rain were self released...
and Black Market Hero at the Starland Ballroom
Starland Ballroom
The Starland Ballroom is a concert venue located in Sayreville, New Jersey, USA. Opening night was December 7, 2003 and featured a performance by former Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth...
in Sayreville
Sayreville, New Jersey
Sayreville is a borough located on the Raritan River, near Raritan Bay in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 42,704....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. This was one of just 2 shows drummer Troy Young played with the group after which he was replaced by Carlos Aguilar (also of 40 Below Summer)
After this the band continued to write songs and play shows many of which were at Arlene's Grocery
Arlene's Grocery
Arlene's Grocery is a bar and music venue in the Lower East Side, Manhattan. It is located at 95 Stanton Street, and has been a bar/venue since 1996....
in New York City with hopes of gaining label interest and signing a deal. Throughout 2007 the band played roughly 10-12 shows, one of which was on July 21st as an opening act for the record release of Long Island hard rock band Year of the Locust (Ride On) featuring Chris Redd (Chris Kerrigan) on lead guitar formerly of hardcore/punk legends Murphy's Law. Their last of which being October 4, 2007. While reception at the shows and online was mostly all positive the band never signed with a label and drummer Carlos Aguilar left in the fall of 2007. Micah Havertape formerly of the group Flaw filled in for a few shows and it took the band months to find their full time replacement in Ricky Solerno.
In 2008 for unknown reasons the band appears to have not been active in over a year.
Influences
Anja has listed her vocal influences as Mahalia JacksonMahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Minnie Riperton
Minnie Riperton
Minnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...
, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, and Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist for the iconic British band Portishead.-Early life:...
of Portishead.
Ethnic Background
Anja's unique appearance is due to her mixture of AustrianAustrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
, Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
descent.
Songs on compilations/collaborations
- "Hanome" (with Greek singer Notis Sfakianakis)
- "Do Anything" (for German cartoon Simsala Grimm)
- "Falling Apart" (for The Bombay Dreams Soundtrack)
- "Bringing Out the Best in Me" (for US TV Series Jack & Jill)
- "Soon" (Anja feat. India Arie & Shanice for Gerald McCauley's "the Gift" album)
- "Why Does It Rain" - Darin (The Anthem)
- "I Can Reach Heaven from Here" - Martin Stosch
Band
"Step into My World" EP (2006)- Step into My World
- Over Now
- My Guardian (Opa) (later rerecorded)
- One More Try
- Running Through My Veins
Other Songs
- Addiction
- I Feel Like Crying
- Enough
- Catharsis
- Let Me Be Me
- Silence
- Stand Up
- Home
- Got It All
External links
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57sms6L2Jy0Video interview with Juliya ChernetskyJuliya ChernetskyJuliya Chernetsky , is a television personality best known for her popularity on the music-themed network Fuse, formerly known as MuchMusicUSA. She is best known by her stage name Mistress Juliya. She hosted the heavy metal-themed program Uranium and a call-in and e-mail advice program called Slave...
]