Krystle Dos Santos Bio (Word Count 118)
Krystle Dos Santos is a 2x Western Canadian award winning singer/songwriter and performer. Her award winning self titled album was released in 2008, followed by Fame Fatale in 2011. BLOOM|BURN, her 3rd studio release, awarded her the WCMA for R&B artist of the year in 2020. From singing on stage with Stevie Wonder and Michael Buble to theatre performances on stages all around North America, Dos Santos brings her eclectic style, powerful vocal prowess and magnetic charm to every performance she delivers. Catch her sharing the story of Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond in her original co-creation, Hey Viola!, or with her new country/rock project Orchard Sky in venues across our beautiful country.
Krystle Dos Santos Bio (Word Count 241)
2x award winning Soul, Jazz, country/rock singer-songwriter Krystle Dos Santos is doing it all! From touring across the country (family in tow) with her cabaret musical, Hey Viola!, co-created with Tracey Power, to recording with Country/Rock band project, Orchard Sky, while 9 months pregnant, Dos Santos isn’t letting anything break her stride.
Dos Santos’ self-titled debut CD took home Urban Recording of the Year at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards as well as in 2020 for R&B Artist of the Year. Her unique blend of dance beats, funky grooves and soft, jazzy soul have inspired comparisons to modern Soultresses, Sade and Jill Scott, as well as the Jazz and Blues greats of the past, like Etta James and Sarah Vaughan.
Armed with a Performing Arts certificate in musical theatre, Dos Santos is a versatile performer with a stage presence that has been described as both commanding and powerful. Comfortable in intimate or full-blown arrangements, Krystle has performed on theatre and concert stages across the country from Edmonton and Vancouver International Jazz festivals, the Vancouver Folk Festival, Charlottetown Festival in PEI and at the Stratford Festival in ON.
Dos Santos performs with a full band, and seamlessly moves from one musical genre to another, effortlessly mixing musical styles resulting in an extremely unique modern fusion. Pair this along with Krystle’s larger-than-life personality and sultry, smoky voice, and you have a live show that is dynamic, interactive and unforgettable.
Krystle Dos Santos Bio (Word Count 468)
Krystle Dos Santos is a 2x Western Canadian Music Award winning soul, jazz and R&B singer based out of Vancouver, Canada. With an extraordinary voice that is commanding, powerful and rich with talent, her music, inspired by classic and neo-soul combined with smooth R&B elements is executed brilliantly; It’s simultaneously elegant, bold and sensual, pulling inspiration from her idols Etta James, Nina Simone, Toni Braxton and Chaka Khan to name a few.
Her performances are mesmerizing; She sings with sheer heart wrenching dominion about heartbreak, struggle and falling in love. Krystle’s charming, self-deprecating manner establishes an easy rapport with audiences. She performs with her wildly talented and well-suited 3 piece band creating a magnetic performance with an avalanche of sound. Dos Santos is a rare marvel in contemporary music “an analogue girl in the digital world”.
From the sultry, syncopated funky rhythms to the Classic Soul and R&B infused instant classics, her writing pays tribute to her heroes and influences while exploring fresh new vistas of urban soul. Her impressive range of styles showcase the power and versatility of her voice; from soaring highs to throaty lows, from whispers to a howl, with a warmth that envelops you. Her approach to music is unmistakably genuine.
Dos Santos grew up in Edmonton and her roots are Guyanese. She studied at the elite Canadian College of Performing Arts and has a BSc from the University of Alberta. She released her debut self titled album in 2008, which was awarded the Urban Recording of the Year in 2009 at the WCMA’s. Her second, highly sophisticated and elevated album, Fame Fatale, was released in 2011, also garnering a nomination in 2012. Most recently, with her album BLOOM|BURN, Dos Santos received the WCMA R&B Artist of the Year for 2020.
In addition to live performances, Krystle is an actor in TV/Film and has starred in The Arts Club musical Dreamgirls, The Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen at The Firehall Arts Centre and created a series of shows called BLAK, exploring Canada’s Black History and more. She also loves performing for young audiences to share the History of Motown in schools. Dos Santos toured her cabaret style musical, Hey Viola!, across Canada in the summer of 2022/23 after its short lived 2020 debut. Hey Viola! is a musical exploration of Canadian Civil Rights hero Viola Desmond, a co-creation with award winning producer/writer Tracey Power. Most recently, Dos Santos joined Country/Rock band Orchard Sky having their first single, Canadian Party Song, make its debut on Sportsnet for the Battle of Alberta playoffs in 2022. 2024 mark sthe 10 year anniversary of her monthly at her Cabaret Series, Underneath The Harlem Moon, at Guilt & Co. in Gastown Vancouver on the first Tuesday of the month.