katia floreska

 photo by Dorothy Shi

BIO:

Katia is a New York based singer, musician, songwriter and voice-over artist who got her start as a little girl on her family piano and singing in school musicals and recitals from Grade School through to High School… later on writing and recording her own songs. During her College years at Manhattan’s Hunter College, Katia began singing in live bands during New York City’s amazing live rock music scene in late 1989 with The Dragons as their backup singer. Sharing the stage with Johnny Thunders and other members of the long disbanded legendary band, New York Dolls, playing at The Bitter End and The Conntinental Divide when it was still catering to the late Punk scene. From 1993 - 1996, was part of the ethereally romantic alternative band, 47th Rhyme (previously Mind Over Matter). She later on joined Mark “Moogy” Klingman, founding member of Todd Rundgren’s UTOPIA, in his band Freak Parade in the late 90s. Made her live music Solo Debut at The Cutting Room with more solo performances at CBGB’s Gallery and The Bitter End during the first half of the 2000s, then later on at Bowery Electric. She was a backup singer for Ronnie Spector as a “Ronnette” from 2008 - 2010. Performed and collaborated with numerous bands, artists and producers in New York, Los Angeles, London, Munich and Barcelona. Katia was also featured on a previous release of UK single, “Who Needs Love” by Colourphonic with Neil Woolfson, where Katia also wrote and arranged lyrics. Sang backup and played keyboard for live shows with The Tall Pines. One of Katia’s most proud contributions was in 2007 for the late, beloved and strongly missed Michael Hutchence of INXS, where Katia re-recorded one of Michael’s solo songs “Possibilities” as a tribute to his legacy, along with Hutchence family friend Dennis Ian Patterson. You can hear it here: https://michaelhutchence.org/work/projects/. In 2017 sang backup for Nona Hendrix in a live performance and shared the stage with Roberta Flack and Valerie Simpson for Lincoln Center’s NPR Music concert. Katia’s voice can also be found on the album ‘MCID’ by Highly Suspect, where the hit single “16” landed at #1 in the Mainstream Rock charts in October 2019 and remained there for several weeks. The single was used in a Jeep commercial during the latter half of 2020.

Today, Katia continues to perform live with NYC’s beloved institution, The Losers Lounge with Joe McGinty (formerly of The Psychadelic Furs) and the McGinty 7. Her work is ongoing with solo and collaborative music projects.

OWN WORDS:

Growing up as a Caribbean immigrant in New York, not a day would go by without there being music playing in the family living room. Either from a variety of radio stations pouring out of my parents’ stereo or my Mum's amazing collection of records including Classical, Cuban, Haitian, Mexican, French, American Standards, Country and absolutely everything in between! Other days it would be my Dad playing his classical guitar flamenco style, or my older sisters putting on their great pop, disco and RnB records. Listening to Broadway soundtracks and the countless hours watching Rogers and Hammerstein and Leonard Bernstein musicals. The exposure that my brother, sisters and I had was incredible. A wealth of culture in music and literature that I am forever grateful to my parents for. At the age of 3 and a half, for the first time I climbed onto the family piano to recite the Star Spangled Banner with one finger, completely lost in the moment. I was hooked. Later on becoming enthralled with poetry and story books, I'd discovered a magical world created in my childlike mind. The creative process of composing a song and the desire to sing and perform eventually began to surface. As a geeky kid, it didn't take much more to realize that music would become my destiny.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY BEAUTIFUL DAD (Papi) ROGER CHARLES FLORESKA September 7, 1935 - April 12, 2020

Forever your Ti ceour. Je t’embrasse