When Donna Greenberg steps onto the stage, anxiety disappears. She remains focused, calm, and enjoys herself – it’s her time to let it out, and the audience knows it, as they hang on to every word.
Greenberg, a Toronto-based singer, songwriter, and lyricist, recently released Mav’rik, her sophomore effort. But the road to success has been filled with many obstacles. Discouragement from family, friends, and illness at a young age may deter some from following their dreams, but Greenberg didn’t let it stop her. Instead, her strong-will helped change her ways of living and got her to where she is today.
“Everyone wanted me to be conventional, but that wasn’t me,” she says.
Greenberg however, wasn’t able to follow her dreams until much later in life. Though classically trained as a singer since a young adult, dance preoccupied most of her time before making her mark as a sought after classical solo artist. A choreographer, dancer, and dance filmmaker, she graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in English Literature, and continued her education with extensive musical training.
As a mature woman, she feels there is a greater need to prove herself within the jazz music industry: “People think it’s only young women that can do this, but that’s not the case.” She uses her youthful spirit and love and appreciation for life to break this barrier and believes this is what comes out through her voice and draws audiences in: “People are not here to see how I look, but to listen to my music.”
Her formula to success is proving to work, as she says audiences have been nothing but appreciative and attentive to her music. As a dancer, she feels the rhythm of the beat, which she believes is what makes her songs so natural, danceable, and allows audiences to sing along to.
Mav’rik is an eclectic mix of 12 original songs composed by Greenberg herself. Jumping through genres – salsa, swing, and Celtic folk – she incorporates several different languages into her songs as well, in hopes of reaching a greater audience. Greenberg launched the CD with a special Valentine’s Day concert on February 12 at The Annex Live in Toronto. She is currently promoting the CD and plans to announce upcoming shows for spring.
For more information and a chance to listen to her music, you can visit her website.
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