Don't be fooled by Avery*Sunshine's name, she's more than a cheery girl
With her self-titled debut, she's raising the heat on Atlanta's soul sound
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Avery*Sunshine recently took some time to catch some rays — literally. The singer, songwriter and pianist wrapped up her Tampa spring break vacation with her children this week to return to Atlanta in preparation for her Saturday night concert at Apache Cafe. If her recent accolades are any indication, Ms. Sunshine is definitely a bright spot on Atlanta’s soul scene. She was named one of Jet magazine’s "Top 5 Indie Artists” in its Dec. 2010 issue, and listed as one of iTunes’ best new soul artists last year. No small feat, considering her independent status: Although she's signed to Dome Records in the U.K., the Chester, Penn. native created her own label, Big Shine, to release her self-titled debut in the U.S. last year. The resulting critical embrace propelled Avery*Sunshine to No. 93 on Billboard's R&B/soul chart. While chatting by phone, the Spelmanite and longtime ATLien talked about her true-to-life lyrics, keeping indie soul alive, and that little bad girl element behind her name.
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Where did the asterisk symbol come from in your name? It looks like a little sunburst.
Avery Sunshine: You’re so right, it is a sunburst. I wanted people to see my name and see the symbol and identify it with me. It just makes it look happy. My kids liked it and said, “Mommy that’s cool.”
Wait. How did you come up with your name?
I needed to come up with a name at the last minute. My real name is Denise White.
I was in Atlanta, outside of my studio, before a trip to Japan. My music partner, Dana said, ‘What do you want to be billed as?” I just said, “Avery Sunshine.” Avery comes from The Color Purple’s Shug Avery, and Sunshine comes from Lela Rochon’s sexy prostitute character in Harlem Nights.
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That’s kind of bad girl.
Laughs Yes that’s part of who I am.
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Soul music is on the rise again. What do you think will help keep it at the forefront?