Sarina Paris
Sarina Paris is a Canadian/Italian singer best known for her 1999 hit single "Look At Us." Sarina Paris released one self-titled album in 2001 which was a collection of bubblegum italodance flavoured tunes.
In 2011 after a long hiatus Sarina Paris returned with a new single called "Sophisticated." Originally intended to be the first single from a new album, no further singles have been released by Paris, suggesting that the artist has once again retired from music.
Music style
Sarina Paris' music style fits into the bubblegum italodance category, with cute high-pitched vocals featuring heavy auto-tune effects (something that was popular at the time due to the influence of artists such as Cher and Eiffel 65). The production is typical of italodance with thumping bass beats aligning perfectly to electric synths in a precise way only the Italians could do in the early 2000s.
Biography
Sarina Paris was born on December 22, 1973. She is of Italian descent but grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in a working-class family. She moved back to Italy in 1996 after her mother died to get in touch with her ancestral roots. Before moving to Italy she released her debut song "Mystery Man" in Canada.
In 1996, she was discovered by Italian manager/producer Vince Tempera (Kill Bill). He invited her to become a member of the Gam Gam Project alongside producers Max MOnti and Mauro Pilato in Rimini, Italy which aimed at teaching Italian children to sing in English. A year later she moved to Milan where she worked as a receptionist at a CX music publishing and production where she was discovered by Charlie Marchino and Nico Spinosa of EMI's Italian division, and began her career as a recording artist.
Sarina Paris' initial single, "Look at Us", charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001, but did not reach the Top 40. The song did make it onto the Rhythmic Top 40 and also became a dance-club hit internationally. As a result of the success, she was signed to the U.S. label Priority Records.
Album release
In 2001, she released her debut album, Sarina Paris, composed of songs she co-wrote, with the exception of a cover version of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors". In an interview, she said the album was "nothing too intellectual—just music to make you happy and to make you feel good" and that "I wanted to make an album that kids could listen to with their parents. Songs that were clubby for mom, but weren't x-rated so the kids could play and dance along with." She received feedback from her 14-year-old niece as she wrote and recorded. Indeed, the record label's target demographic was noted to be 12- to 25-year-old women. The single "Just About Enough" was released as a club-exclusive single.
She released another dance track, "This Is My Life", found exclusively on a Canadian dance compilation Euro Mix 5 through SPG Records. In 2000 "Do You Love Somebody" was released exclusively on the compilation Dancemania x7 in Japan under Toshiba/EMI record label. A remix of "Look at Us" (called "Look at Us (Daddy DJ Mix)") appears on the Konami dance simulation video game DDRMAX2, as well as various CD maxi releases and prints of the album.
Sarina Paris toured with La Toya Jackson in Hawaii in May 2004. For the rest of the 2000s, her music career had been mostly on hold, although she released a new song, "You Are My Valentine" as a single in 2003.
2011 comeback and new album
In 2011, Sarina Paris returned with a new single "Sophisticated." The new single departs slightly from her bubblegum italodance and features new producers. The single was not successful with many fans saying the production was lacking punch, particularly when compared to her earlier songs which were always so intricately produced.
While "Sophisticated" was meant to be the first single in a new album release by Paris, no new singles have followed since, suggesting that the project may be back in hiatus.
