Debra Dicembre is one of Australia's
premier vocal and song-writing talents. In the last 3 years she has
independently released 2 CD's, " He Hears Me" and "What You Are". Both
have sold out in their respective outlets and are now only available
as a limited edition through this website. Two new album's are
currently in the works:-The first a Jazz CD in collaboration with Dale
Barlow and secondly a Gospel CD of all original material including the
award winning song, "Precious Lord".
Debra's career began as a child singing Gospel in church. It wasn't
long before Debra was recognised with the Australian Jazz Singer's
Award and began to tour with Galapagos Duck, James Morrison, Tommy
Emmanuel and Don Burrows.
A prolific songwriter, Debra continues writing and recording, both for
herself and other artists in a number of different styles from Jazz to
Gospel and Country. Her unique hybrid of soulful pop/rock is modern
day story-telling at it's best. The lyrics poignant and vulnerable,
the music earthed and raw. Debra has received 3 song-writing honours.
1st prize in the Unisong International Songwriters' Contest ( R& B
Division), was chosen by the ABC to record 6 original tunes for
airplay in the Young Australian Writers Program. These 6 tunes along
with the distinct quality of Debra's voice, opened the door for her to
live and work in New York for 3 years, performing, writing and
recording. Most recently, Debra was awarded at the National Gospel
Happening in Canberra, with the 2003 Australian Gospel Songwriting
Award for Best Lyrics , (Precious Lord).
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Debra is an exciting live performer with an
incredible presence. Whether you see her self-accompanied on piano or
guitar, or with her band, only two words describe it - SHE ROCKS! One
of Australia's legendary performers, Marcia Hines, said recently
having caught some of Debra's show, "It's always a pleasure to hear
such a great voice" - her many fans agree. Sensitive and
strong, Debra's voice and performance has that 'wow' factor, that you
won't forget in a hurry.
M I N I B I O
TWO: MUSIC
Debra
Dicembre is a great singer in every sense of the word. An award
winning vocalist and songwriter, she is gifted with one of the finest
female jazz and soul voices to be found anywhere. Her prodigious
talents also extend to the familiar bedfellows of gospel, blues and
country.
Following her
first public performance at the age of 5, she was touring locally
while performing on television and radio by the age of 10 and had
recorded professionally by her late teens.
She went on to
win an Australian Jazz Singers Award, record a one hour special for
2MBS FM and further established her reputation in the jazz community
by touring with artists including Don Burrows, Galapagos Duck, James
Morrison and Tommy Emmanuel. When putting together her own band, Debra
worked with Jackie Orszaczky, Carl Orr, Lloyd Swanton, Andrew Gander,
Steve Hunter, Kevin Hunt, Bobby Gebert and Roger Frampton.
An invite by
the ABC to record six songs for the Young Australian Writers series
ultimately saw Debra relocate to the jazz mecca of New York – an
experience that had long been dreamed about.
Debra arrived
at Penn Station with a suitcase and $400. She stayed for three years,
writing, recording, doing session work. Live performances included
gigs at the Sign of the Dove, Ecco L’Italia and the Bitter End. She
also recorded a collection of original songs and co-wrote with local
artists.
Other career
achievements include first prize in the Unisong International
Songwriter’s Contest R&B division, and most recently, Debra was
awarded the Australian Gospel Songwriting Award for Best Lyrics 2003.
In Australia and Singapore, Debra has held the position of senior
vocal lecturer at the School of Creative Arts.
Debra has
appeared as a guest soloist and co-writer on the debut self-titled
recording of Carl Orr , ‘Re-Birth Of The Cool’ by Dorian Mode, ‘Grace
City’, by Mark Isaacs and, ‘Ceremony’, by Kevin Hunt. At present she
is working on her own jazz album in collaboration with Dale Barlow.
Her discography
features two albums of her own material, He Hears Me and
What You Are, both of which sold out of their limited pressings
and are available through
www.debradicembre.com
As well as
being an accomplished pianist, Debra is a songwriter of incredible
talent and is sought after by major label recording artists for song
placement and co-writing sessions in genres as diverse as country ,
rock and pop.
Currently,
Debra is preparing for the release of 2 new CD’s in 2004. As
mentioned, there’s a jazz album in collaboration with Dale Barlow,
which will be the first commercial release for Debra in this style.
The other is a Spiritual/Gospel album of all original material,
including the award winning song, ‘Precious Lord’. Debra will spend
the remainder of the year touring and performing live. |
