
RAFFIA
Biography
Raffia is a New York born-Los Angeles based singer and songwriter. Raised a short distance from New York City in the suburbs of Long Island, Raffia was constantly surrounded by a rich culture of soulful music, dance, and meaningful art which later served as a foundation for her own musical talents. At the tender age of five, young Raffia discovered her passion for singing, and further recognized her God given gift to perform. As a child, she was a standout vocalist as a member of the Children’s Church Choir, during which time she made her solo debut. At an early age, she chose to focus on developing her vocals skills utilizing her involvement with the choir as a means of displaying her singing ability. Years later, Raffia began writing compositions with musical inspiration from such artists as Whitney Houston, Rachelle Ferrell, and Anita Baker to name a few. Her voice could be best described as soulful, sultry, and passionate. From her ballads to the up-tempo dance tracks, Raffia possesses the musical rhythm and style that has been compared to likes of Phyllis Hyman, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and Toni Braxton. She graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, in Boston Massachusetts, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education/Voice Principal.
Shortly after graduating, Raffia received the opportunity to travel to Manila, Philippines performing as the lead vocalist of the funk/jazz fusion band entitled Satya. She later sang with recording artist Jennifer Holiday, who played the original "Effie" from Dreamgirls at Martha’s Vineyard. It was evident early on that Raffia was destined for stardom, and that she was merely scratching the surface of what was yet to come. She later performed provided background vocals for, numerous artists including Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, UK band Bastille, Chante Moore, Anita Baker, Ledisi, Gloria Estefan, Patrice Rushen, Melissa Etheridge, and Donnie McClurkin to name a few.
Raffia’s dreams turned reality and her hard work certainly did not go unnoticed. In 2009, Raffia’s success continued with television exposure performing background vocals on various nationwide televised shows such as, “The Jacksons - A Family Dynasty” The success continued with more television exposure performing background vocals on various nationwide televised shows such as, Grammy Award Winning Rhythm and Blues artist-Toni Braxton’s T.V. reality show “Braxton Family Values” of the WE network. Raffia has also appeared on the Ellen Show, and the Jimmy Kimmel show performing background vocals for star Vocal Coaches of “The Voice”, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, and the UK band Bastille. On December 17th, 2014 Raffia was featured on the Oxygen T.V. network's "Fix My Choir" as the Choir Director for the Hermosa Beach Gospel Choir. Raffia’s career as a solo R&B /Soul Artist is blossoming. Raffia has performed for associations such as the Jack and Jill Association, The NCNW (National Council Of Negro Women), and the Gardenia Jazz Festival as the opening act for Jazz Horn Artists-Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, and Mindi Abair.
In the year of 2015 Raffia performed at the 46th NAACP Image Awards After Party as the opening act for Rhythm and Blues Artist Chaka Chan. It was evident early on that Raffia was destined for stardom, and that she was merely scratching the surface of what was yet to come. Raffia has released her debut EP entitled, "Let it Go” Stay tuned for more to come from this elegant songstress.
