Ute Welcome To My World!

Ute says she’s not out to be a soundalike: “I try not to have any influences. I used to prefer Barbra Streisand, but right now I listen to everything from George Michael to Norah Jones and Blue. If you have influences, there’s a fear that you’re copying someone.”

On her self-titled debut album, Ute offers an inspiring set of adult-contemporary songs including the jazzy first single “Train,” the inspirational “Sometimes it Rains,” and three songs from musicals – “Someday” (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), “I Dreamed a Dream” (Les Miserables) and “Beauty and the Beast.”

Ute is produced by a trio of seasoned talents: Eric Kupper (Marc Anthony, Pet Shop Boys, Jessica Simpson, Celin Dion), George Duke (who’s written songs for Jeffrey Osborne, Deniece Williams and Frank Zappa), and Curt Victor Bryant (Celtic Frost, Inner Circle’s Calton Coffie, La Mode De Jardin). George Duke wrote three songs for Ute’s CD.

Born in Kiel, Germany, Ute has always felt great affection for the U.S.; her family loved to visit Miami when she was growing up. A classically trained vocalist, she realized two years ago that pop music was a better fit for her personality.

“Classical music must be sung in a special place,” she says. “But pop music you can sing anywhere. Pop music cheers me up. You have more choices with the rhythm and the instruments. You have a band behind you and you are part of a group, and I like that too.”

She’s fluent in English and has a way with words, but says she’s happy to concentrate on her singing, rather than dabbling in songwriting.

Ute knows how to use her emotive voice to full effect, and she believes that emotion is an important part of music: “If everybody would play an instrument and get into music I think there would be less aggression in the world. If you make music, you’re always in a good spirit and you feel happy. Music gives you emotions. If you watch a movie and there’s no music, it doesn’t affect you as much as if there is music.”