Rizo puts on intimate show

Grammy winner Lady Rizo performs at Baycourt in April with a show that has received critical acclaim at Edinburgh and London. Photo/file

American cabaret star Lady Rizo is bringing her full-throttle voice and stage presence to Tauranga, with tickets to her latest show, Indigo Child, going on sale tomorrow.

A presentation from Tauranga Arts Festival and Baycourt, Indigo Child is described by Lady Rizo as "an hilarious and intimate show about love and sex", full of her trademark old-school diva imagery (false eyelashes and couture gowns), comedy and luscious vocals.

Born Amelia Zirin-Brown, Lady Rizo grew up in an artists' community in Oregon and attended drama school before crossing the United States to explode on to the New York cabaret scene in 2004 with her voice being likened to a mix of Peggy Lee, Amy Winehouse and Janis Joplin.

The Wall Street Journal called her "a high-class, high-energy belter, who specialises in making old standards sound soulful and contemporary".

Lady Rizo is a Grammy winner for her 2010 collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma (on the album Songs of Joy and Peace) and has sung and recorded with Moby (Pale Horses).

While MC at New York hotspot The Darby, she entertained luminaries like Prince, Beyonce and Jay-Z, and performed alongside John Mayer, LeAnn Rimes and Bruno Mars.

Her stage show, received with critical acclaim for three consecutive years in Edinburgh, won the inaugural Edinburgh Fringe Cabaret Award in 2012. The prize included an extended run at the Soho Theatre in London where, two years later, she won a London Cabaret Award for best vocal act.

the fine print
What: Indigo Child: Lady Rizo
When: Wednesday, April 5 at 8pm
Where: Baycourt.
Tickets: Baycourt or Ticketek.co.nz, $49 (plus booking fees).