View source for Ivana Santilli

{{Short description|Canadian musical artist}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name                = Ivana Santilli
| image               = ETalk2008-Ivana Santilli (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Santilli at the 2008 [[Toronto International Film Festival]].
| image_size          = 
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1975|08|04}}
| birth_place         = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| origin              = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| instrument          = [[Musical keyboard|Keyboards]], [[Trumpet]]
| genre               = 
| occupation          = 
| years_active        = 1991-present
| label               = Brown Recordings Inc., [[CP Records]]
| associated_acts     = [[Bass Is Base]], [[King Britt]], Sweetback
| website             = {{URL|http://ivanasantilli.com/}}
| current_members     = 
| past_members        = 
}}

'''Ivana Daniela Santilli'''  is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] singer and [[multi-instrumentalist]], who has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the 1990s R&B/pop trio [[Bass is Base]].

==Early life and career==
Santilli was born to an Italian father and a French-Canadian mother. Santilli's earliest performances began at age 9 playing [[trumpet]] for her father's Italian wedding band in Toronto.  Ivana is also fluent in both Italian and French.

==Career==
During her schooling, she hooked up with her first band, [[Bass is Base]], a band which gained national attention. The trio's funk and soul fusion garnered them a number of [[Juno award|Juno]], CMVA, and MMVA awards, and they released two albums with A&M/Polygram & Island Records in the U.S.

Bass is Base broke up, and Santilli asked to be released from her contract with A&M records. She wrote and recorded 10 new songs as a solo artist within a month of the breakup. She then began working as a [[session musician]] (keyboards, Back up vocals) with [[Soul Attorneys]], [[Women Ah Run Tings]], [[Punjabi by Nature]] and [[Holly McNarland]].

Santilli began a solo career in 1999. She performed in Toronto at The Bamboo Club in March,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000203074340/http://chartattack.com/road/reviews/1999/19990307-santilli.html "Live Reviews: Ivana Santilli, March 6, 1999, The Bamboo Club, Toronto, ON"]}}. ''Chart Attack'', by Mike Doherty</ref> and released her album ''Brown'' in April.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Santilli_Ivana/1999/04/16/749423.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709112908/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Santilli_Ivana/1999/04/16/749423.html | url-status=usurped | archive-date=July 9, 2012 | date=1999-04-16 | accessdate=2009-03-01 | title=Sex in the subtlety: Ivana Santilli brings elegance to the fore | first=Errol | last=Nazareth | publisher=[[Jam!]]/Canoe }}</ref> That year she performed in Hamilton as part of Showcase '99.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000203112000/http://chartattack.com/road/reviews/1999/19990917-showcase99.html "Live Reviews: Ivana Santilli, Pocket Dwellers, Dream Warriors August 20-22, 1999 Showcase '99, Hamilton"]}}. ''Chart Attack'', Shawn Despres, August 22, 1999</ref>

The album ''[[Brown (Ivana Santilli album)|Brown]]'' sold very well, outselling some major label releases.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} The album included soul and bossa nova, as well as drum 'n bass ("Sun + Moon = Tomorrow"), and featured Santilli's vocals, keys, and trumpet.  The album led to a Juno nomination in 2000 as best new solo artist,<ref name="Inc.2000">{{cite magazine|author=Larry LeBlanc|title=Morissette leads Canada's Juno nomination list|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Q0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45|date=12 February 2000|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=45–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> and also featured '"If Ever I Fall", a duet with singer [[Glenn Lewis]] during his early career.

Santilli toured across North America, including a performance at the 1999 Stardust Picnic festival at Historic Fort York, Toronto.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000204135613/http://chartattack.com/road/reviews/1999/19990721-stardust.html "Live Reviews: The Stardust Picnic"]}}. ''Chart Attack'', July 11, 1999, Howard Druckman</ref> She played live with [[James Brown]], [[Tito Puente]], [[Barenaked Ladies]], [[De La Soul]], [[Jamiroquai]], [[Brand New Heavies]], [[The Fugees]], [[Jann Arden]], [[Maceo Parker]], [[Sylk130]], [[Bahamadia]], [[Pharcyde]], and [[The Roots]]. One of her three performances during the Montreal Jazz Festival was the subject of a one-hour [[CTV Drama Channel|Bravo!]] television special.<ref>[http://www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?tvobjectid=199033&more=ucepisodelist&episodeid=4582218 ''Montreal Jazz Festival'': "Ivana Santilli" at TV Guide]</ref> Peer publishing signed her as a writer in the fall of 2000.

[[File:Ivana_Montreal_Jazz_Fest.jpg|right|thumb|Santilli at the [[Montreal Jazz Fest]] in 2004]]
In August 2004, she released her second album, ''[[Corduroy Boogie]]'', which included the singles, "Deserve", "Superstar" and "What Matters". The video version of "What Matters" appears on a various artists compilation entitled ''Required Listening''. This album featured collaborations with [[James Poyser]], [[King Britt]], [[Dwele]], Dego ([[4Hero]]), [[Kaidi Tatham]] ([[Bugz In The Attic]]), soul legend [[Omar Lye-Fook|Omar]], [[Stuart Matthewman]] ([[Sade (band)|Sade]], [[Maxwell (musician)|Maxwell]], Sweetback). She then became heavily involved as a keyboardist in remix collaborations for [[Jazzanova]], [[King Britt]], [[Scuba (musician)|Scuba]], [[Vikter Duplaix]], [[Steven Spacek]], [[All Saints (group)|All Saints]], [[Appleton (music duo)|Appleton]]: "Don't Worry", Rosey (Def Jam), [[Roy Ayers]], Larry Gold. After touring Japan (blue note), and Europe, in New York, she appeared as an instrumentalist on various soundtrack recordings for film. Her third album ''TO.NY'' was released in June, 2008 with the singles "Whateva U Want" and "Been Thru This" which reached #91 on the [[Canadian Hot 100]].

Santilli signed to [[CP Records]] and released her fourth studio album, ''Santilli'' in June, 2010. The first single is "Your Girl Tonight" and the second single is "Letting Go". Three of the songs on ''Santilli'' are new compositions & recordings, 3 are remixes, while the remaining 6 were remastered from ''TO.NY''. An amalgamation of song collaborations with [[Nasri Atweh]], [[Adam Messinger]], [[Belly (rapper)|Belly]], [[DaHeala]], Ethan White

Ivana's 5th studio album entitled '' Late Night Light'' was pre-released on February 13, 2015, and released digitally worldwide on March 10, 2015. It features collaborations with [[Mike Lindup]], [[Eon Sinclair]], [[Stuart Matthewman]].

Santilli began doing Voice Over work in 2015 and has done commercials for [[Bank of Montreal]], [[Marshalls]], [[WestJet]].

Currently she is composing for film. The most recent film score for an indie short art film is set was released in fall of 2021.

==Discography==
===Albums===
* April 1999: ''Brown'' (Brown Recordings)
* August 2004: ''Corduroy Boogie'' (Brown Recordings)
* June 2008: ''TO.NY'' (Brown Recordings) [https://web.archive.org/web/20110605044008/http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/discs.cfm?content=163351&archive=27,40,2008 review]
* June 2010: ''Santilli'' (CP Records)
* March 2015: ''Late Night Light'' (Brown Recordings)

=== Singles ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Year
! Single
! style="width:50px;"| <small>[[Canadian Hot 100|CAN]]</small>
! Album
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| 1999
| style="text-align:left;"| "Too Deep"
| -
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4"|''Brown''
|-
|align="left"|"Sun + Moon = Tomorrow"
| style="text-align:center;"|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "If I Ever Fall (Pt. 1)" <small>(feat. [[Glenn Lewis]])</small>
| -
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="1"| 2000
| style="text-align:left;"| "Lonely Lullaby"
| -
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| 2004
| style="text-align:left;"| "Deserve"
| -
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"|''Corduroy Boogie''
|-
|align="left"|"Superstar"
| style="text-align:center;"|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="1"| 2005
| style="text-align:left;"| "What Matters"
| -
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| 2008
| style="text-align:left;"| "Whateva U Want"
| -
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"|''TO.NY''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Been Thru This"
| 91
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|2009
|align="left"|"Hollywood"
| style="text-align:center;"|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Your Girl Tonight"
| -
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|''Santilli''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2010
|align="left"| "Letting Go"
| style="text-align:center;"|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="1"| 2016
| style="text-align:left;"| "Lovers Love 2 Rock" <small>(feat. [[Mike Lindup]])</small>
| -
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="1"|''Late Night Light''
|-
|}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://ivanasantilli.com/ Official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080613040428/http://watch.ctv.ca/etalk/music/extended---ivana-santilli/#clip57514 CTV eTalk interview]
* {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130115091100/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/S/Santilli_Ivana/ Ivana Santilli at Jam!/Canoe]}}

{{CP Records}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santilli, Ivana}}
[[Category:Canadian contemporary R&B singers]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Franco-Ontarian people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Singers from Toronto]]
[[Category:Canadian women pop singers|Santilli, Ivana]]
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian women singers]]