Uptown Soul Lounge Celebrates One Year Anniversary

On Friday, February 24The Elixir Media Group‘s Uptown Soul Lounge series will celebrate its one year anniversary and pay homage to black history and iconic artists who have harnessed the power of being unapologetically black. This milestone event will take place in the intimate, speakeasy setting of the series’ original venue, Gin Fizz Harlem, and feature special live performances by the captivating experimental jazz/soul artist Melanie Charles, alternative-soul maverick Leandra McNair, and the overpowering and angelic singer/songwriter Britanny Fousheé.
Event time is 8PM and admission is $5 with an RSVP here. Admission is $10 at the door without an RSVP. Early arrival is highly suggested, as admission is not guaranteed once the venue reaches capacity. Gin Fizz Harlem is located at 308 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY 10027.
MORE ABOUT UPTOWN SOUL LOUNGE:
Serving as NYC’s most exciting new platform for the world’s best emerging talent in soul music, ‘Uptown Soul Lounge‘ is a monthly showcase that happens on the last Friday of every month. With the live soulful vibes from carefully curated talent, and resident host Ayoinmotion, ‘Uptown Soul Lounge‘ is the revival of Harlem’s old jazz/soul ethos and the birth of a new musical frontier. Over the course of just one year, it has made its name for bridging the gap between generations and blurring lines in the soul spectrum.

MORE ABOUT MELANIE CHARLES:

Melanie Charles (aka D’flower) is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter,producer, flutist and actress of Haitian descent. A recent graduate of The New School for jazz and Contemporary Music, she has featured on albums alongside contemporary luminaries such as Gregory Porter, Jose James, Lakecia Benjamin, Jesse Fischer, Laura Izibor and more. Melanie has also toured the US and abroad with such acts as Atlantic recording artist Laura Izibor, Italian Guitarist/producer Nicola Conte, and Brooklyn based band People’s Champs. After the release of her experimental collaborative album under the name ‘Rat Habitat‘ with guitarist Jordan Peters (Lauryn Hill), Melanie has hit the road again for a nationwide tour, and returns to NYC for Uptown Soul Lounge’s special unapologetically black and one year anniversary event with a signature Chaka Khan meets Badu-esque “sonic collage” performance, fusing r&b, jazz, and Haitian folk songs. 

More from Melanie:

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MORE ABOUT LEANDRA MCNAIR:

Leandra McNair is an American soul singer from New York. Her contemporary alternative soul has strong hip hop influences with a distinct jazz background, rooted in her studies in vocal performance at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. With influences from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Janelle Monae, Lauryn Hill, Swing out Sister and even Joey Badass, Leandra has crafted a sound that’s uniquely her own, writing all her songs using the ukelele. She released her debut EP ‘Allura Luna’ in 2013. In 2015 Leandra had the honor of singing backup vocals for the legendary Debbie Sledge at the Standard Jazz club in Copenhagen. Later that year she was  invited back to perform her own show at the Standard for a Nat King Cole Tribute with legends Alvin Queen and Neils Lan Doky. Leandra’s latest recording project, the ‘LUCKY‘ EP, is now available everywhere.
More From Leandra:

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MORE ABOUT BRITANNY FOUSHEE:
In a nutshell, one could describe Britanny Fousheé as the perfect amalgam of Amy Winehouse and Toni Braxton. Fusing jazz, alternative rock, and r&b to pioneer a sound that is uniquely her own, Britanny’s stage presence is infectious, allowing her performances to draw you in and lull you into a state of pure bliss that you have to experience to understand.

Britanny first found her calling as a child in her living room in Somerville, New Jersey, where the music of Ella Fitzgerald, Chaka Khan, Bob Marley, Prince, and The Beatles often filled the house. Her mother was a founding member of the all female Jamaican band Pep, which also shaped Britanny’s identity as an artist today. It was around the time her mother purchased their first stereo system and microphone that she began composing music, and singing. 

In addition to Britanny’s vocal training with celebrity vocal coach Craig Derry, her studies in media, classical music, background arrangement, guitar, and piano has made her a well-rounded and seasoned performer.

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Author: INtoHarlem