Biography

Armed with great song   and a wonderful voice Ilene Barnes steps out  in this musical world  . Born in Detroit USA, spending her childhood in Surinam, Barbados and Jamaica. She comes out of a quite unconventional Afro-American family with   native   American, East Indian and Irish roots. Her father was a tropical disease researcher for the WHO and travelled with the family through the Caribbean and South America. She began to play guitar in Barbados and decided at the age of ten to live later as a writer in Paris. She studied drama at the Smith College in Boston taking classes with Len Berkman   and Jerzy Grotowsky    before moving to Europe in 1990. Living between London  , Paris and now the USA   she started touring in EUROPE   as a singer song writer  with her first album “SET YOU FREE “  released in 2000 . The  2end  album “Time”, released three years later is a very good  representation  of her personal style .. Her amazingly strong and fragile voice reminds   us of   Nina   Simone,  Joan  Armatrading  and Tracy Chapman. Her lyrics are very personal stories, Talking of   the depth of human fears and the human concerns of yesterday and today .Her Third album “Yesterday Comes” was produced by Jimmy Hoyson   who  worked  previously with Ben Harper and Green Day. After a live album “ Live à FIP” a French radio  special,   Ilene Barnes  entered the studios with Ian Caple  (Tindersticks , JJ 72 , Tricky , Yann Tiersen , and Alain Bashing “ among others ) “Here’s to you “, Ilene Barnes  new album will be released on march 2009 followed by an intensive tour . , This will  confirm that she is one of the most influential artists on the European SEENE  today .As  since 2004 Ilene Barnes  played on numerous important  festivals such as the  Paleo, (Switzerland)   Eurosonic,  Parkpop,(Holland)   Arezzo Wave (Italy) , Mercas de Musicas de Vic (Spain) and  more than  25 dates in Germany opening for acts such as ERIC BURDON & the Animals   , but  France being a temporary home Ilene  Barnes Hit a tour of more than 15 important  French Festivals    and  played  more than  400 sold out concerts  between 2003 &2008   ending with a   three weeks sold out concerts at The EUROPEEN venue  in Paris  between February & march 2008.and now  her new tour supporting her new album  will Kick out  at the Alhambra venue in Paris on April 7th 2009 .….

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