| SK8 is a recording artist and producer known for writing world-class records with strong melodies and hooks that succeed in merging mass-appeal with the underground savvy. Her talent for songwriting, arranging and digital editing is recognized by tastemaker DJs, chart-topping producers, record labels and publishers in the dance music industry.
An admitted “gear head” with a true sense of song, SK8’s accomplishments include a stunning collection of hits such as: My Imagination, Nation, Deep End, TINA, and Amnesty, written and recorded in collaboration with various music talents from the worlds of dance, pop and rock including: Todd Terry, Chris Cox, Pete Tong, Carl Ryden of Shapeshifters, and Trent Cantrelle. Many of these songs have been licensed to compilations that feature the biggest dance/pop hits to impact the scene such as: Pete Tong’s Pure Pacha 2005, Essential Mix 2006 and Housexy (Ministry Sound 2007). SK8 began the new decade with a spotlight single called Into The Light (Live!/Music Plant.) Written with producers from NYC’s legendary Quad Recording Studio. In addition, she was the featured artist on Matt Joko‘s Inside (Stoney Boy / Armada), a European dancefloor favorite supported by the world’s top djs including Robbie Rivera, Richard Vission, Bad Boy Bill, Mark Doyle, Morgan Page and Mad Mark, to name a few.
Beginnings…Growing up in Boston, SK8 was in high school when she discovered dance music at the underground warehouse parties. These remote illicit events were the only outlets for quality, uncompromising music, outside of the super-club mainstream. Like many stories of serious dance music fans, SK8 soon had a set of turntables of her own. Unlike most stories, however, SK8’s interest in having turntables (other than playing for friends) was not to become a DJ, but to uncover the mechanics behind the music and to learn different arrangements of sound. By the time SK8 was a senior in college, she had developed a fierce desire to learn how to program music. As a neurobiology major she was not allowed to use the music gear held in the old Gothic building on campus. Determined to learn how to program music, SK8 convinced the security guards to lock her in the building overnight where she taught herself digital editing and production. After college SK8 moved to NYC and was signed to write songs for Big Management where she worked with A-list producers Todd Terry, Tony Moran, and Hani. In 2000 SK8 co-wrote and was featured singing on a single produced by Todd Terry (Logic/BMG) called My Imagination. This debut single was an instant breakout hit and SK8 supported the record by performing headline spots on the national tour Beat of America. The success of this song also resulted in her landing an impressive publishing deal with BMG (UK). With massive radio play on both Rhythmic (Dance) and Top 40/Pop stations, SK8 catapulted into the limelight while on tour with LFO (known for hits Summer Girls and Girl On TV). In 2003 SK8 began doing session work at some legendary studios in Woodstock, NY, where she specialized in writing hooks, performing backgrounds and helping with arrangements. In 2005 she worked with American progressive rock group Coheed & Cambria on their third studio album (and first major-label release) Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. Their most commercially successful album to date, Good Apollo Volume One sold over a million copies worldwide and peaked at #7 on the Billboard charts and features SK8 singing backing vocals on album’s massive lead single The Suffering. SK8 remembers, “I loved working with the lead-singer Claudio, he really pushed me and it was amazing working with such a powerful band!” Also in 2005 SK8 returned to work in dance music after meeting Chris Cox via the Digital Performer message board Unicornation. Together they collaborated on the party anthem Nation, which was released by Tommy Boy and paid tribute to the amazing club of the same name in Washington, DC. The impact of Nation encouraged the pair to write the UK/Ibiza anthem Deep End featuring SK8 on vocals and co-production by Chris Cox and BBC tastemaker Pete Tong. Following the success of these two party anthems SK8 attended the 2006 Midem licensing conference where she was discovered by Margareta Anderberg, CEO of Berkeley Square Publishing (Gothenburg, Sweden) and flown straight from Midem to write with Carl Ryden of Shapeshifters and his stellar Scandinavian team. The result of this one week electro-jam session was an album worth of material, including the top 40 Billboard Dance Chart single Tina. In 2008, SK8 released another big anthem on Tommy Boy called Amnesty that was produced by Trent Cantrelle and Chris Cox. This song was not only a major hit at radio but it also gained heavy rotation at XM and topped the charts on iTunes that summer. SK8 is now in production with her third single on Music Plant Records in Chicago. This will follow Into the Light, which charted Top 20 on Billboard and enjoyed heavy rotation at over 80 stations worldwide, and Crazy in Love which hit lastsummer with a bang. Watch for her third release in late spring! SK8 is a rare nightlight in the dance music landscape. Her educated understanding of arrangements in music and digital editing give her a smart, sexy and sophisticated edge that time after time result in nothing but success. With gratitude, SK8 looks ahead to the future, and an exciting year in 2012. |