ROCK CHICKS SPOTLIGHT ARTIST: Hailing from the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, Cocoa Sarai draws inspiration from a poignant past but infuses it with her current successes and a wild imagination of a future she continues to bring into existence. Life for Cocoa wasn’t easy. The eldest of three siblings, Cocoa Sarai was raised by her grandmother and notes her as the source of her strength. She took on the role of caretaker at home with her grandmother due to health issues arising from diabetes when she was very young. “My mom & I were never as close as we are now, There are things I had to learn on my own & it made me a stronger person” By age 18, Cocoa had already moved out. She maintained a job while simultaneously pursuing her high school education and nurturing her love for music. Now only 20 years old, Cocoa remains a positive influence on her two younger siblings. “It doesn’t even matter to me what I went through. My goal is to show my brother and sister that you can have whatever life has to offer as long as you put in the hard work and never give up.” With several accomplishments to her name, Cocoa Sarai is moving full throttle towards a very successful music career. Her first single “Ring” and her second single “Camera’s On” is receiving much praise from numerous outlets including recent 5 star DJ reviews on Hottwax.com and Digiwaxx.com. Trevor Gale, Vice President of Sesac, notes Cocoa Sarai as “One of the best new songwriters on the horizon.” Cocoa started gaining recognition at an early age by being the youngest member of the The Hip Hop Project a documentary that was executive produced by Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah. She has also traveled the world sharing her talent and serving as a pillar of inspiration to the nation of Guam. She recently toured Southern Europe (France, Hungary, Spain and Italy) with the world renowned “Harlem Gospel Choir” She has also received numerous nominations including “Best Female R&B Artist” at the 2007 Underground Music Awards along with an impressive Grammy nomination for the song “Treat You Better” which featured her vocals. More recently Cocoa delivered an incredible performance on BET’s 106 and Park and was invited back for a second performance within just six months. In August, Cocoa won the 1st Place trophy for “Best Female R&B” at BET & Hot 97 Presents: “Blaze the Stage”. Cocoa is currently working with Grammy Nominated producers “The Buchanan’s” (Jay Z-”What More Can I Say” Beyonce “Hip Hop Star” Amerie, Lupe Fiasco, Dr. Dre ( etc.) on her debut album. For more COCOA SARAI UPDATES, please visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cocoa-Sarai-Music/367839358309?sk=info

ROCK CHICKS SPOTLIGHT ARTIST: Of Laura DiStasi a fellow artist once said, “Her music does what every songwriter wishes their music could do: it hollows you out, then fills you back in. It breaks your heart and builds you a new one. It moves you.” A singer/songwriter by way of Southern New Jersey, Boston, MA, and now Brooklyn, NY, Laura DiStasi’s music captures both the vibrancy and isolation of city life. Her lyrics hit close to the bone and are heavy with imagery. She plucks moments from the everyday, holding up promise in one hand and heartbreak in the other. The music feels its way though impressionistic landscapes, exploring the complex depth of relationships and change… nostalgic, yet hopeful… that anything worth lamenting is, once was, or could be beautiful. Best known as the writer and angelic voice behind the electro-pop collaboration ‘Measure’, Laura has been performing original compositions as far back as a piano recital at age 8. Her hypnotic and captivating voice has drawn comparisons to Dido, Maria Taylor, and Regina Spektor, while her writing could be categorized with Ben Gibbard and Feist, among others. Growing up in the thriving 1990′s music scene, when songwriters dominated top 40 radio made it easy for Laura to find role models and feel comfortable taking her songs from the privacy and vulnerability of composition to live performances in local coffee shops, demos on local college radio stations, and then eventually away from home to Berklee College of Music. “It was the only place I could imagine myself going at that point in life,” Laura said, citing how the fellow musicians and songwriters she met while living in Boston make up most of her very best friends and important collaborators. “I am beyond lucky to know such wonderful and incredibly talented people – and grateful that time and time again, they are enthusiastic about making music with me.” Laura worked with many of those friends to create her first album, 2005 release “Winters Never Quit” – an ode to Boston, winter, and that period of time in her life. To date, she has shared the stage with artists such as William Fitzsimmons, Nada Surf, Ellis Paul, Fountains of Wayne, Chris Barron, Slow Runner, Tom Brosseau, and Caroline, to name a few. Beyond the live show, Laura’s song “Begin Again” was a John Lennon Songwriting Contest (USA) Finalist and winner of the 100% Music Contest (France). Her music has been prominently placed on television shows, such as “Melrose Place”, NBC’s “Mercy”, MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”, ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars”, as well used in a Public Service Announcement narrated by Morgan Freeman for volunteerism, a cause dear to Laura who recently completed her third marathon to raise money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Releases include Laura’s 2005 debut “Winters Never Quit”, Measure’s 2008 debut “Begin Again”, a 2010 3-song pre-release for Measure’s highly anticipated LP – due out late fall of 2011, the 2010 Measure holiday single “Auld Lang Syne”, and most recently Laura DiStasi’s self titled EP – due out August 15, 2011. For MORE LAURA DiSTASI UPDATES, please visit https://www.facebook.com/lauradmusic (LAURA DiSTASI Info. courtesy of Cyber PR, https://www.facebook.com/cyberpr)

ROCK CHICKS SPOTLIGHT ARTIST: Haikaa, an international pop singer/songwriter hails from Brazil, Japan, and the U.S. Her multicultural background blends seamlessly to create songs with universal themes, sung with a luminous voice full of emotion, honesty, and pride. Haikaa’s new album, Work of Art, debuts Fall 2011. The nine track album features songs by Haikaa and songwriting partner, Mercuri. Producers Ross Leitner and Michael Bradley lend their expertise to develop songs artfully deployed through rich melodies, rhythmic beats, and lush vocals. The album speaks about love, empowerment, the search for genuine happiness, and the courage to change and break paradigms. Pulling from her past and guided by love, Haikaa sings about her own truths and experiences in an authentic way that reveals itself through her voice, melody, and lyrics. She channels light through her timeless and refreshing music with a voice of striking purity that bares an exquisite soul. The title track, Work of Art, speaks of self-acceptance and the tolerance, diversity, and harmony it can lead to. Haikaa also promotes these cross cultural ideas through her humanitarian effort, The Work of Art Global Project, where she masterfully records the title track in 20 languages. Listeners can view the project’s video on her website www.haikaa.com. Another standout track, Everything I Know About Love, evokes her positive persona by acknowledging rejection and embracing the concept of learning to love “Love” again. The album will be released digitally, and Haikaa plans to perform in music festivals around the world. The talented musician is already finishing her second album and working on her third. Like in Work of Art, she envisions including songs recorded in different languages into her future albums. For MORE HAIKAA UPDATES, please visit http://www.haikaa.com/ (Courtesy of CYBER PR , https://www.facebook.com/cyberpr

ROCK CHICKS SPOTLIGHT ARTIST: With credits that include work for Coca Cola, Apple, and MTV, bassist, singer and songwriter Nik West is anything more than just another pretty face. Challenging and changing the industry around her day by day, West is a special musician with a deep love for music and the chops to back it up. West’s musical journey began in her hometown, Phoenix, AZ. It was there that her father T. West—an accomplished guitarist—taught her how to play the axe when she was just 13-years-old. Growing up in a household filled with music and creativity. West’s family includes her sisters (keys, drums, violin, and guitar) who were her first band and singing act, and an older brother, a few of which she still records with today. Though she began her musical journey playing the guitar, the left-handed phenom truly realized her calling when she discovered the bass in high school while listening to Michael Jackson’s “You Wanna Be Startin Somethin”. After discovering the instrument there was no stopping her. Music was not the only area West excelled in. The accomplished model and musician was a straight A student in high school and a track and field record holder. Unfortunately for the universities that offered her scholarships for her mind and athletic acumen, West chose music as her career path. For MORE NIK WEST UPDATES, please visit https://www.facebook.com/nikwestmusic

ROCK CHICKS SPOTLIGHT ARTIST: Writing and performing since the age of 13, this strikingly blue-eyed south Florida native is as much at home in the studio mixing her own tracks as she is on stage. Rae combines her talents for writing, singing, rapping and recording to produce a truly unparalleled sound. Since moving to New York City in 2010, she has been featured in Bravo’s hit TV show, “Drop Dead Divas”, performed the opening titles song for “Big Mommas House 3: Like Father, Like Son”, performed on songs for the films “HOP”, “Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming” and “Third Degree”, and has a featured song in the upcoming film “Red Dawn”, due out in Fall of 2011. Her debut single, “Lucky Star”, drops to the masses this summer! Her 2011 Tour is currently being booked, which plans to include gigs in major cities along the East Coast, with special performances planned for Las Vegas and the West Coast. For more RAE UPDATES, please visit https://www.facebook.com/RaeChillMusic