DIONNE BENNETT
Dionne Bennett is a British/West-Indian singer-songwriter, producer, and radio personality.
She started singing and performing live at age 14 and released her first soul single by the time she was 15.
She is now internationally known for her unique and diverse vocal style that covers all Afro-culture influenced genres from blues, jazz to rhythm & blues, soul, reggae, drum bass funk, rock & roll, and beyond.
During her career she has performed throughout Europe, and has shared the stage with music legends such as Dr. John. She has also opened up for Maceo Parker and the British super group Oasis as one of the members of the ’The Peth’ fronted by Welsh actor, producer, and singer Rhys Ifans.
She has released singles with renowned jazz pianist Jason Rebello, Grammy award winner saxophonist Tim Garland, and rock bands such as Super Furry Animals and „The Earth”.
Dionne has had a varied career path within the arts, as was part of a Cbeebies educational program called the Bobinogs. Dionne played the part of ‘Bobin’ who played the piano and sang, and the programme used music and song to educate and inform pre-schoolers alongside positive messages and problem solving.
She presented the BBC program ‘The Maths Channel’, another programme, targeted at young school age children in order to help educate and solve math problems while using music and song to educate.
She also starred as a ‘Bluette’ in the official Blues Brothers Musical. She gained the part after beating thousands of singers and toured successfully throughout Britain and Europe for 18 months.
Dionne has recently started working for a sync music company ’Sonic Culture’ based in the USA and regularly writes toplines for Tv programmes and adverts.
She is a vocal and performance university lecturer, who coaches the next generation of up and coming singers on the music scene and at degree level.
She hosts and produces her very own music show ‘The Suga Shack’ for local radio station, Radio Cardiff, UK . On the program she spins an eclectic mix of black music genres.
She is the chair of grassroots music organisation ‘Ladies of Rage’. This network was setup to support women in electronic music genres in Wales and has been highly successful in highlighting the imbalances of the industry when it comes to women in music and providing support and advocating for 50/50 line up and the inclusion of women when programming for gigs and events.
Dionne also chairs the Diversity Advisory Group ant the Royal College of Music Drama, helping to ensure that incision of black music and black artists within the curriculum and the college itself.
Dionne has pursued her dreams even after suffering an acute asthma attack where she was put into a coma and lost the ability to speak and sing due to a tracheotomy procedure ,as well taking time out of the scene to raise her son.
Her love and desire to sing and perform has never been lost and she continues to work, play and perform and release new music.
Her official debut album ’Sugar Hip Ya Ya’ is produced by International Blues Challenge Winner, USA Blues Music Award nominee, Two Time Blues Blast Music Award nominee Little G Weevil. As of October 29th, 2021 the record is released for worldwide distribution under Hunnia Records.
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