SHOKETTA

 

     The versatile Shoketta hails from Okinawa, Japan, where she began her incredible musical journey at the age of 13. Inspired by American gospel music she had heard and sung at a church on the U.S. base, she soon assimilated the soulful elements of gospel into her musical vocabulary.

 

     At the age of 19 she began singing professionally, eventually moving to Tokyo, where she studied with a vocal coach.  In 2003 she participated in the "Berklee in L.A." summer program and was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2007. 

 

     After Berklee, she moved to New York and was selected as a jazz singing image lady for the AT&T American mobile phone "Hana Cell.” Working with seasoned New York jazz artists soon led to an album project with bassist Richie Goods, drummer Clarence Penn, keyboard artist Andy Ezrin, guitarist Nozomi Yamaguchi, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, sax man Stacy Dillard and violinist Francis Liu. In 2014 she released her first album, "My Soul" which was produced by Richie Goods. It is an amalgam of jazz, soul and gospel, along with contemporary influences unique to her singing style.

 

     Currently she is living and working in Okinawa while studying orchestra and symphony through Harvard University’s online program. Most recently she has been appointed as "Soundproof Mansion/Apartment Ambassador" of Koshino Construction Co, Ltd, which has a history of more than 100 years in Tokyo, Japan. 

 

     The rich timbre and subtle emotional depth of Shoketta's voice never fails to move the discerning listener. 

 

~Bill Barnes

 (music writer, Jazz.com, New York Nitelife Magazine)