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Artist description
Wendy Ip is a tomboy from the Canadian prairies who discovered the pop music of the British Invasion decades after it was over. At nine, she wished every night that she would wake up the next morning as Paul McCartney. Today, she no longer tries to speak with a Liverpudlian accent or write with her left hand, but does have a gift for writing hooks.
Her melodies are unforgettable; they linger in your head even if you've heard them only once. You'll find yourself singing them in the shower, humming them while you're walking down the street. A bewildering blend of unique vocals, melodic pop and smart poetry makes Wendy Ip an extraordinary and addictive act. She has been referred to as "Gwen Stefani doing Elvis Costello" - but her original style is undeniably her own.
Ip has always believed that music empowers, expresses, heals and unites. She wants her music to connect with people in a way that makes them realize that they are not alone. "Most of my thoughts and feelings are unconventional and people with unconventional ideas often feel isolated - until they discover others who feel the same way. Music is both my pen and my security blanket, my spokesperson and my therapist - my gift to others and to myself."
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Music Style
Pop/Rock |
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Musical Influences
The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, The Kinks, The Who, Sheryl Crow |
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Similar Artists
Ben Folds, Elliott Smith, Lisa Loeb, Natalie Imbruglia, Sheryl Crow |
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Artist History
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Ip aspired to be the best songwriter since Neil Young to emerge from the cold prairie city. Her parents, both medical professionals, hoped she would follow in their footsteps and become a dentist or doctor. Little did they realize that she, in fact, would follow in their footsteps - just a different set.
Her mother sang in her high school rock band - her nickname was "the girl Elvis". Her father, a folk music lover, played guitar in college. The daughter of a singer and guitarist who both wish they played piano, Ip was enrolled in piano lessons at age three. Guitar she took up later to emulate her idols, The Beatles. From age nine onward, she started singing and writing her own songs, accompanying herself on piano. Ip earned a reputation early in school as an academic overachiever and shocked classmates and teachers in high school when she became lead singer of the school rock band, covering songs by The Kinks, Janis Joplin, The Black Crowes and Lennie Kravitz.
Ip has showcased at North by Northeast, NEMO, the Philadelphia Music Conference, the Oxygen Tank Tour (sponsored by the Oxygen Channel) and most recently, the International Pop Overthrow Festival (2001). Her debut album Fan Favorites So Far (2001) is winning her all the right kinds of attention from both fans and critics. She currently resides in New York City where she is writing for her next album, planned for a mid-2002 release.
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Instruments
Piano, Guitar |
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Albums
Fan Favorites So Far (2001) |
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Press Reviews
"Wendy Ip could very well be the next in line of femme pop music writers that traces back to the master herself, Carole King. Blessed with a gift for melodic hooks that jump right out and grab you by the ears, saying "I will not go quietly!", Ip absorbed her music history by singing in her high school's rock band covering The Kinks, Joplin and Kravitz, while at the same time taking her parents' Beatles collection and doing her own teenage thesis study..." - Entertainment Today, November 2001;
"The penumbra between spotlight and shadow for singer-songwriters is mighty thin. At least three artists performing in IPO have the material to move out of the margins. Take Wendy Ip. On her album "Fan Favorites So Far", she comes off as a savvy '90's songstress who's been locked in a small room with old Beatles records."
-LA Times, July 2001
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Location
New York, NY - USA |
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