Alissa Sanders sings a multilingual mix of Jazz and Brazilian music, bringing together the musical traditions of two countries through her voice.
Born in Hollywood, California, Alissa has spent much of the past two decades in Brazil, studying voice with mentors such as Wagner Barbosa, Adriana Godoy and Neto Costa while drinking in Brazilian culture and music in her day-to-day life. With a voice that is intimate, colorful, elegant and enchanting Alissa takes you to a magical, musical place where culture, art, tradition, and spirit come together.
In 2018, Alissa started “Finding My Voice”. This new project is her search for sound and artistic identity as well as a soul search for her voice as an artist. For “Finding My Voice”, Alissa left Brazil and spent a year traveling and performing with musicians in Israel, Ethiopia and her home town of Los Angeles, igniting a passion for collaborating and blending musical traditions. Upon returning to Brazil, she invited an Ethiopian musician to visit and collaborate with her while learning about Brazilian music and sharing his own musical traditions. This experiment began a cross-cultural musical exchange that evolved into her current shows: “Playlist” and “Brazil Nagô”, a web series called “Wherever There Is Music” and the “Brazil Meets Ethiopia: An Interactive-Experimental Cultural Exchange”.
Alissa has performed in Jazz festivals in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Carnival in Salvador, Bahia, with Maximum Hedrum (with Derrick Green of Sepultura and Sam Spiegel of N.A.S.A) at SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas and at Agape Spiritual Center in Los Angeles, CA. She has appeared on television in the United States on NBC’s Carson Daly Show in the U.S. and in Brazil on “Todo Seu” with MPB star Ronnie Von.
Her first album, “Beginning,” was released in 2012. In addition to her solo work, Alissa sings with the group DNA Urbano, which released its debut album in 2018.
In Brazil and around the world, Alissa continues exploring music and her voice, finding ways to blend culture and identity through her music.
The journey continues…