“She has a beautiful voice that can soar and scat, get folky and funky, and enchant crowds” — Daily Hampshire Gazette
“One of the most original singer/songwriters to come out of the Bay Area.” —Larry Kelp, Music Critic, East Bay Express
“The voice of an angel” — Brendan Okrent, ASCAP, Sr. Dir. of Repertory
Deborah Levoy possesses a riveting stage presence that is as irresistible as her expressive and versatile voice. Levoy’s songwriting radiates intelligence, compassion, and a poet’s love for language. Her writing is fierce and fearless, dreamy, lush, and plaintive all at once.
After taking time off from music to raise her daughter, Levoy is back in the studio recording her fourth album, Extraordinary Muse. In Muse, Levoy, inspired by her love of wild places and work as a climate activist with 350SiliconValley, has turned to new territory to explore our relationship with nature. Levoy’s prior discography includes two acoustic albums, You Are All of These and Hungry City and the much edgier Something Sacred.
Levoy has toured throughout the West Coast, Texas, and New England, performing at the some of nations’ most prestigious music festivals and listening venues, including the Great American Music Hall, the Iron Horse Music Hall, the Kerrville Folk Festival, and the High Sierra Music Festival as well as in premier showcases and music conferences in Los Angles, Las Vegas, and Seattle, including ASCAP’s Quiet on the Set, The National Academy of Songwriters’ Acoustic Underground, EAT’M, and Rockrgrl.
As a songwriter, “Levoy cleans up at nearly every contest she’s entered, and for good reason. She has a strong, emotive voice, crisp guitar accompaniment, and an eye and ear for taking everyday life situations and creating high drama in song form,” writes The East Bay Express (Oakland, CA). God Watch My Back, Levoy’s rootsy ballad of a woman forced to defend herself against an abusive lover struck a chord with Lilith Fair fans to garner the most votes in the Lilith Fair National Online Talent Search. NYC’s Fast Folk Compilation, known for showcasing rising talent including Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega, featured Maria.
Growing up in New Jersey, Levoy absorbed diverse musical influences, including Joan Armatrading, Paul Simon, Billie Holiday, George Gershwin, Joni Mitchell, Billy Cobham, Joan Baez, and Irving Berlin. While in college, Levoy honed her vocal chops, performing in a vocal jazz ensemble at the University of Massachusetss, a jazz duo, and a world-beat band before launching her solo career. Levoy’s songwriting and vocal style fuses her eclectic influences into a unique one-woman show that is “exceptional, resonant, and passionate,” according to the SF Weekly (San Francisco). Levoy now performs solo and with her band throughout the SF Bay Area.
REVIEWS:
“She has a beautiful voice that can soar and scat, get folky and funky, and enchant crowds” — Daily Hampshire Gazette
“Her deep, rich vocals will win you over after one listen.” — All Music Guide
“The voice of an angel” — Brendan Okrent, ASCAP, Sr. Dir. of Repertory
“Exceptional, resonant, and passionate…” — SF Weekly
“Evocative lyrics, powerful images, compelling performance.” — Derk Richardson, Music Critic, San Francisco Bay Guardian
“One of the most original singer/songwriters to come out of the Bay Area.” —Larry Kelp, Music Critic, East Bay Express
“As a great story captures the mind and paints vivid mental images, so does Levoy capture my attention with her words and music.” — Bob Skye, The Plant Recording Studios
“Poetic as hell, raw, visual. I’m a fan.” — Jim Ocean, Creative Music Alternatives
“The most spectacular aspect of Deborah’s music is not the wonderfully written songs, or her resonant crystalline voice. It’s the way she sings: straight from her soul.” —WMUA 93.1FM, Amherst, MA
AWARDS:
Winning Composition, National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Contest
1st and 2nd Place, Mid-Atlantic National Songwriting Competition
2nd Place, Unisong International Contest (Rock Category, over 4200 entrants)
1st and 3rd Place, Portland Songwriters Association National Songwriting Competition
Song of the Year, Northern California Songwriters Association
2nd Place, Jewish Music Commission’s National Competition
Emerging Songwriter Finalist, Napa Valley Folk Festival
Emerging Songwriter Finalist, Spokane Music Festival
New Folk Finalist, Kerrville Folk Festival
