January 3, 2018
Page 9
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
photo from
s ounD c louD
Portland-based singer Fritzwa creates soulful vocals by combining elements of jazz, classical, soul, R & B, and hip hop.
Soul singer from
NYC settles in
D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
In her latest single, ‘Sittin’ Pret-
ty,’ acclaimed Portland-based soul
singer Fritzwa combines elements
of jazz, classical, soul, and R & B
to create a tune that is both rhythmic
and relaxing.
The song’s video, which can be
found on YouTube, has her dancing
and singing in scenic Oregon back-
drops like Angels Rest, Boardman
Tree Farm, Jefferson High School
and Washington Park. Some of the
shots are from the Columbia Gorge,
captured before the area was black-
by
A Change
of Pace
ened by this summer’s wildfires.
Originally from New York City,
Fritzwa told the Portland Observer
that the change of pace to the West
Coast has been a welcome one.
“Growing up in NYC was very
fast paced. It’s a compact city so
doing an abundance of things in one
day is the norm. Portland forced me
to slow down a bit. Oregon is eas-
ily the most scenic place I’ve ever
lived. The different topographies are
what made shooting “Sittin’ Pretty”
here an easy decision,” she said.
Trained in classical and jazz pia-
no from a young age, Fritzwa said
music in many forms has been a part
of her life for as long as she could
remember.
“My father was also at one point
a drummer and passed down a lot
of his musical taste. In addition to
what was on the radio growing up,
I listened to jazz soul and funk from
the 70’s and 80s. My mom was into
big band. There was just a myriad
of music swirling around my house-
hold.”
All of those genres coalesce in
Fritzwa’s music, which can be found
at soundcloud.com/Fritzwa-music.
Her next show will be at the Holo-
cene on Southeast Morrison Street
on Wednesday, Jan.10 at 7 p.m. Fol-
low her on social media for the lat-
est info.