Gianna | tr

"For an R&B vocalist to capture your attention even before you capture the melody is a testament to the strength and full bodied presence of that vocalist. Newcomer Gianna Welling, aka Gianna is such a vocalist" is what Ronald Jackson of smoothvibes.com says of this Tulsa, Oklahoma native. The daughter of a professional bass player and arranger, Gianna has always had music pumping through her veins.Educated at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, Gianna quickly became a hot item as a session singer. After spending time in Nashville, Gianna had the opportunity to move to Houston, TX to begin working as a session and jingle singer. She quickly became one of the most recognized and sought after Jazz /Soul/R&B vocalists in the Houston area. The Houston Chronicle described Gianna as having "the look of a star in the making". High praise indeed.
In 2007, Gianna was turned on to the sound of brothers Kendall and Kelvis Duffie, the Soul/R&B duo Kloud 9. Their music and Kendall’s formidable credentials and track record as a producer(Incognito, The Isley Brothers, Maysa, Vickie Yohe) paralleled with Gianna’s musical aspirations. Immediately a meeting was set and this fateful meeting began the collaboration of Gianna’s first full record, "Something True", (Expansion Records, London) co written and produced by Kendall Duffie. The acclaimed album debuted in 2009 at #12 on the UK soul chart and quickly rose to #5. By the end of the year, "Something True" and 2 singles from the album ended up on 3 of the UK's "best of 2009" charts. Songs from the album are still in heavy rotation and the remixes continue to be dance floor fillers. "Something True has unquestionably emerged as one of 2009's best received releases within today's ever discerning modern soul fraternity", Peter Lewis, Blues and Soul Magazine .