Her life’s path was also paved early for young Coda, “When I was 8 years old, I auditioned for Children National Talent show in Sweden. I was totally surprised when I made the finals. I couldn’t believe that a professional organization took me seriously, it was the musical turning point in my life.”
Living up to the musical meaning of her name, Coda, exercised her independence and concluded her time in Sweden and left to seek out her dreams in the United States. “I came to New York City with a girlfriend of mine after High School. I only had $500.00 dollars in cash. We stayed at a youth hostel our first week in Manhattan. It was such a learning experience, being so far away from home, on my own, pursuing my dreams. Imagine, going on auditions, looking for a place to stay, checking out schools, and surviving with limited funds in NYC, it was a blast!”
Coda adjusted well to the hustle and bustle of the busy city. “Waking up in the morning seeing another beautiful day, no matter if it’s sunny or rainy, starting a new adventure, not knowing who I will meet or what I will experience that day, I just enjoy the moments of life like, traveling, movies, water sports, checking out great concerts. I enjoy stand up comedy, I literally live at the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan. I love the energy of this city and taking in all different cultures, food, fashion and the people. I also just signed up as a volunteer at New York Cares to help feed the homeless this winter.”
Working now and then in various clubs around New York City , Coda’s main focus is creating a great musical project, “I took voice, piano, dance and acting lessons in the early years and since I’ve been in the Big Apple, I studied at the New School . My piano training allows me to write melodies, inspires lyrics and play and sing with family and friends, but don’t put me on the Carnegie hall as a pianist,” Coda says, laughing. “I’ve had hundreds of hours in vocal training. In New York, I studied with Dr. William Riley, who has a client base of Celine Dion, Monica, Usher, Faith Hill and Don Lawrence, who worked with Jon Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera. Maybe their greatness and understanding of singing will rub off on me. My musical career only became real when I met Nat Robinson of First Priority Music. With his vast knowledge, his mentoring and years of executive producing experience, he helped me grow as an artist. Right now, we are working in the studio to complete my demo. I’m now 60% finished with a debut album. I already got a buzz on myspace and they are giving me amazing love and support. I just did a cover of Kanye West” Love Lockdown” which is getting great response from DJ’s all around the world. Working in the studio. I also had the opportunity to work with amazing musicians, arrangers, engineers which was very inspiring and exciting.”
Reveling in her soothing brand of melodic, beat-driven pop and song lyrics with substance, Coda is optimistic about her future, both personally and professionally. “I would say my true passion is music. The path to achieve that dream is usually blurry. I try to stay focused, keep my chin up and deal with all the obstacles this business confronts me with. The most perfect future and life for me would be to be able to make a living and secure a financial future in the thing that I would do for the rest of my life for free. I hope one day I achieve success, so I can be a positive role model for the young girls coming up behind me. To me, fame is the opportunity to make a real difference in the future.”
Coda Ray’s dramatic energy shines onto everything she does. “I’m a free spirit that loves the melody of life. I’m far from perfect. I’m a bit shy, yet bold. I’m sensitive, yet tough, when I have to be. I experienced a lot of positive and negative things in my life. I’ve learned that people can be very judgmental and cruel or very supportive and loving. We can make a choice which one influences us. Life is here and now. We all have a purpose, it’s a journey and everything happens for a reason, everyone is unique in their own special way. I’ve learned to be thankful and live my life the best way I can, I’m riding it until the wheels fall off. I love singing; it’s a part of me, without music, I don’t exist. I tried to conform to a more secure life style, but felt empty inside, like something was missing. So here I am chasing my star.”
| written by Debbie DuBois Miller
