You can make a difference while watching by donating to the Women’s International Music Network on behalf of the performers and supporting the artist community amid the current pandemic. Get to know this week’s She Rocks Spotlight artists: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Cindy Alexander was trained at the acclaimed USC School of Drama, but realized quickly that there was enough “drama” in real life, and the best part she could play was herself. She has released ten studio albums (and added to numerous compilations and soundtracks). She has also performed all across the US, Japan, Germany, Ireland, and islands as far as Barbados and Guantanamo Bay. No stranger to overcoming the odds: she is a cancer survivor, mother of twin girls, and a successful, touring independent artist for 15 years prior to signing with Blue Élan Records. She wrote her latest record, While the Angels Sigh, while her mother was dying from dementia, recording while navigating a world of pandemic and protests, and trying to finish anything while teaching her kids from home during a “Safer at Home” order. These are just a few more elements to add to her already colorful story of personal perseverance. Singer-songwriter Bre Kennedy creates music soaked in rich storytelling with piercing pop sensibilities. For many years she wrote with other artists and for other artists and is now allowing her own music to take center stage. Influenced by mesmerizing talents like Brandi Carlile, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and Cat Power, her delicate, raspy sound simply soars. Throughout her music, she touches on profound themes of life’s messy moments and self-growth, and has also opened for renowned artists such as Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr. and Birdtalker. In 2019 she released her acclaimed, buzzworthy EP Jealous of Birds making her a definite artist to watch.With her second EP released the following year in 2020 Twenty Something,she continues to build that momentum leading to an exciting release of her forthcoming debut album arriving this fall 2021. Tony-nominated Broadway star and Billboard top 5 recording artist, Laura Bell Bundy made her debut at age 9 at Radio City Music Hall. Since then shehas originated the stage roles of Tina in Ruthless (Outer Critics/ Drama Desk Nominations), Amber in Broadway’s Hairspray, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde The Musical (Tony Nomination), played Glinda in Wicked and received an Ovation nomination for her role of Charity in Reprise 2.0’s ‘Sweet Charity.’ Bundy has recorded multiple albums, starred and appeared in a myriad of hit shows and blockbuster movies including roles on Perfect Harmony, How I Met Your Mother, Hart of Dixie, American Gods, Anger Management, Dream Girls, Jumanji, amongothers. Her newest trailblazing project, Women of Tomorrow, was produced and written by Bundy, Shea Carter and Jeremy Adelman, encapsulates the experiences of today’s modern women. The original songs cover issues like equal pay, breaking the glass ceiling, over-apologizing, the mental load of motherhood, pitting women against each other, unrealistic beauty standards, the obsession with social media, ownership over women’s bodies, doing it all, and women’s relationship to men. Bundy also hosts the Women of Tomorrow podcast, which dives into the issues each song on her album presents, examines the history of those matters and provides solutions for moving forward. To learn more, visit www.thewimn.com, or tune in at Facebook.com/parademag. Next, do people who are tone-deaf hear music differently?
