MUSICAL DISCOVERIES: CHRISTINA ROTONDO: THE HARD WORKING VERSATILE QUEEN

MUSICAL DISCOVERIES: In this series, I will share my impressive, unexpected, and breathtaking musical discoveries. In every post, I will describe how I came across the bands and artists' amazing music. I also explain the reasons which make me firmly believe that you should give the band's or artist's music a try. Finally, I will provide you with songs recommendations. From Pop to Punk, you will definitely be able to find something for your ears, mind, and heart to fall in love with. 

How I fell in love...

I wish I could remember the exact date on which I came upon this remarkably talented singer's videos. I can at least recall the year; 2017. It was the type of afternoon during which I most likely debated between being productive or letting myself catch a breath. I made the decision to take a break from university assignments and watched all kinds of music related YouTube videos. Suddenly, I noticed that a cover of Pvris' St-Patrick (one of my favourite songs of all time) was recommended to me. HOLY SMOKES!!!! Let me tell you that I was not disappointed at all with the vocalist's rendition of this beloved tune. The singer I just had found was named Christina Rotondo. There was no doubt in my mind that Rotondo’s version was as stunning as the one written by Pvris' lead singer Lynn Gunn. Rotondo's vocals were definitely unique and strong which made for a very solid cover. 

First cover I have ever seen/heard

Over the upcoming days, weeks, and months, I started viewing more and more of Christina's videos which made me further understand what made her so special. Christina Rotondo is an exceptionally open-minded musician who is not afraid of covering songs from various genres. When exploring Christina's YouTube channel, you will notice that she has covered some of the most influential pop artists of recent times such as Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Pink, and Camila Cabello but also some of the most acclaimed heavier bands such as Architects, The Amity Affliction, and Beartooth. Furthermore, Rotondo has the ability to truly transform already existing songs into her own. Christina's covers often feel and sound like new songs and that is exactly what makes her work so phenomenal. Give her the heaviest song in the world and she will turn it into the most magnificent lullaby you have possibly ever heard. Whenever I listen to new covers Christina releases, I just know that a significant amount of work, time, and effort was put in the process. I also appreciate how you can distinctly hear Christina’s English accent in every single cover she puts out; it shows she is certainly not trying to imitate any other vocalist. I recently had the chance to ask Christina a few questions via Instagram and wanted to know more about her philosophy about what a cover is/should be. Christina explains: "I think it can be anything as you, the musician wants it to be. Whether that's covering a song because you love it and you want to have a go at singing fun melodies that can challenge you, playing a guitar riff that you enjoy playing or want to learn, re-composing a song to offer a different rise. It's totally down to the musician and that's always been a great thing about music, in my opinion."

A recent one; the contrast between this and the original is mind blowing.

Making her Own Bangers 

If you have made it this far in the article, I can imagine that you are asking yourself the following question: has Christina Rotondo produced any original material? The simple answer is yes. Christina Rotondo was the lead singer of a band called Searching Alaska. Unfortunately, the band is not together anymore. However, songs of theirs can still be found on YouTube and Spotify. Moreover, Christina released an original song on her YouTube channel  entitled "Holy" in September 2015. "Holy" is characterized by its captivating sound and compelling lyrics. In September 2017, Christina put out another original solo track entitled “Waves”.  Yes, I love that one too. GO CHECK IT OUT!!! Try not to get emotional during that chorus, I dare you.

Mid-2018 was an exciting period of time for Christina's supporters, the vocalist announced her brand new original music endeavor called Day; a duo completed by fellow English musician Ali Marshall. On November 7 2018, Day released their fantastic debut single “Reverie”; a perfect balance of heavy and melodic. I know for a fact that this stellar tune left many  listeners eager to hear much more from the English duo. Thankfully, Day released an equally amazing tune entitled “Blessings” in January 2019. In June 2019, Day announced that they were changing their name to Adelyn for legal reasons. The motivation behind the name change was also to make it easier for people to find the duo on social media. At the moment, Adelyn has not released any other single but the duo has assured fans that more music was in the making. In the meantime, if you cannot get enough of the magic created by those two talented human beings, you can always check out the covers they collaboratively worked on (available on Christina’s YouTube channel). For instance, Christina and Ali have completely revamped Ariana Grande’s One Last Time. How??? I will let you find out for yourself. Christina describes Adelyn's music as "Alternative, Rock, fun and delayed (ha)".

Adelyn's fantastic debut single "Reverie"

Musical Super Heroine

Christina’s amazing voice can be heard on multiple tracks composed and produced by other artists/bands. Just like with the songs/artists she chooses to cover, Christina is not scared of diving into a plethora of genres. For instance, in 2018, English pop punkers Home Wrecked released an exquisite ballad entitled "Nothing like You" which features one of my favourite vocal performances from Christina. In 2019, Christina collaborated with English Metalcore band Here Lies Titania on their hard hitting song "The Ghost of You".  Rotondo’s voice has also been showcased on covers produced by gifted fellow musicians/YouTubers’ such as Lauren Babic, KtheScreamer, and Andrew Beana. Christina affirms that those YouTube collaborations has enabled her to "meet people from all over the world she wouldn't have met otherwise and becoming friends with them". As if she was not enough of a musical super heroine already, Christina, along with her collaborator and friend Harry, performs at weddings across England. Christina points out that this particular experience has provided her with "the chance to perform songs from various genres and become better at techniques by practicing/singing often."

Epic cover of an Emo classic with KtheScreamer and Lauren Babic

Mouthwatering cakes and the cutest dogs you have ever laid your eyes on  

I know, I know this section of the article has nothing to do with music but I genuinely wanted to share this aspect of Christina’s life. When navigating through her Instagram posts, you will realize that Christina (on top of being an incredible artist) is also a devoted dog mom to two of most adorable dogs I have ever seen; Theo and Thunder. And the cakes…? Every time a new a cake baked by Christina appears on my Instagram feed, I ask myself: "Would I even be able to eat it? It is too damn pretty to be eaten. Fuck it, let snap a few pictures and savor a slice of that culinary beauty!"

Just look at them... Taken from Christina's Instagram

I am not suddenly hungry, you are. Taken from Christina's Instagram

Thank you so much for reading! I truly hope that this post has made you want to start supporting Christina in any way, shape or form.  Here are a few useful links for you:

Christina's YouTube channel

Adelyn's Spotify

Christina's Instagram

Adelyn's Instagram

Ps: shoutout to Christina for being an absolutely lovely human being and one of the most talented vocalist I have ever had the chance to hear sing

Ariane 

*all video and picture references available in the reference page