Jazz singer Teira Church to enchant audiences at Fowler Out Loud concert
Teira Church, a second-year ethnomusicology student with an emphasis in jazz studies, will perform tonight as part of Fowler Museum’s Fowler Out Loud concert series.
Courtesy of Brandon Hicks
By Manjot Singh
March 8, 2012 1:42 a.m.
She’s just like any other student except she has a secret weapon: her singing voice. Teira Church is a musician actively battling the conceptions of jazz as “elevator music.” Church is a second-year ethnomusicology student with an emphasis in jazz studies and will be performing today as part of the Fowler Out Loud concert series. Church spoke with Daily Bruin’s Manjot Singh about her origins and influences that have shaped her as a musician today.
Daily Bruin: When and why did you start singing?
Teira Church: Music was always in my house. I started singing when I was 3. My mom was the music director at her church and so I would sing there. Then I went to Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and that’s where I discovered my love for singing jazz. Then I transferred to Hamilton High School where I started competing with their jazz choir and performing at different jazz festivals like Monterey and Reno.
DB: If I were to turn on your iPod right now, what five artists would I see on your recently played list?
TC: You would see King, a neo-soul female trio, Chaka Khan, Doris Day, Charles Mingus and A Tribe Called Quest.
DB: What kind of music influences inspire you?
TC: I’m probably inspired by jazz and by gospel. … I can’t really pinpoint one thing. But I’m very much inspired by music that just has a lot of soul. And I love classical music too. I just have so many influences like (Claude) Debussy, a famous classical composer.
DB: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?
TC: I have a distinctive sound that incorporates and is influenced by jazz (and) soul. … I would say (it’s like) Nancy Wilson has a coffee break with Sly Stone.
DB: Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
TC: Oh, all the time. … It seems like when I start singing, that’s when all of the nerves go away. And I think it’s a good thing because it keeps you humble. Being nervous means that you know and recognize that you can make a mistake at any moment. … I just take a breath and you just have to do it. Music is something that I do and I can’t allow my emotions or nerves to get in the way of it. How do you get up in the morning? How do you brush your teeth? You practice. That’s how I get over it.
DB: What are you most excited for your performance today at UCLA? Have you performed here before?
TC: I have performed at UCLA before and I’m so excited about singing ’90s R&B tunes. Recently, I’ve arranged them. So we’re flipping a ton of ’90s R&B songs, a little bit of TLC and Musiq Soulchild. We’re taking some of their songs such as “Waterfalls” by TLC and “So Beautiful” by Musiq Soulchild and creating a jazz aesthetic with it.
Email Singh at [email protected].
