Both on stage and in private life, these two internationally acclaimed artists share incredible chemistry! Their first introduction (lasting only a few seconds) in the crowded lobby of the historic Orpheum Theatre during the 2018 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee left a lasting impression on both of them. It was not until a year later, at a recording session during 2019 IBC that their professional acquaintance blossomed into a love affair, culminating in marriage in August of 2019! Since that time, renowned Canadian Blues-Rocker Paul DesLauriers and acclaimed American Soul-Blues singer Annika Chambers have unified their artistic destiny, much to the joy of everyone who’s had the pleasure of hearing and seeing them together!

Houston, Texas native ANNIKA CHAMBERS, like most great American singers, began singing as a child in the Southern Baptist church. Though Gospel music is her mother tongue, it is in the Blues that she found her true voice, and what a voice it is!! She is the 2022 Blues Music Award Winner for Soul-Blues Female Artist of the Year. After winning her first Blues Music Award for Soul-Blues Female Artist of the Year in 2019, she gave us her third release entitled Kiss My Sass on the VizzTone Label Group. It debuted at #4 on the Billboard Blues Chart and won the 2020 Living Blues Award for Best Southern Soul album. Annika performs regularly at top Blues festivals across North and South America as well as Europe including Montana Folk Festival, Gloucester Blues Festival, North Atlantic Blues Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Montréal Jazz Festival, Sierre Blues Festival, Vancouver Island Music Festival, Gravitaz Blues Festival, Mississippi Delta Blues Festival and White Mountain Blues Festival.

Deeply rooted in the blues-rock idiom, guitarist-singer Paul DesLauriers is the winner of the Maple Blues Awards (Canada’s national Blues Award program) for Entertainer of the Year (2016, 2017), Electric Act of the Year (2016), Guitarist of the Year (2013, 2019) and Acoustic Act of the Year (2013). In 2016 he took 2nd Place at the 32nd International Blues Challenge held by the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennesee. His most recent recording Bounce (Bros/Vizztone) debuted at #1 on Canada’s Roots Music Report and held the top Spot for several weeks. In November 2019, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joh Lord of Deep Purple fame’s Concerto for Group & Orchestra, the Paul DesLauriers Band were invited perform the piece at Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, Canada along with Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and L’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec under the direction of Paul Mann.Paul DesLauriers’ international touring schedule includes regular performances at top Blues Festivals in North America and Europe including the Montreal International Blues Festival, Ottawa Blues Fest, Edmonton Blues Fest, Calgary Blues Fest, Big Blues Bender Las Vegas NV USA, White Mountain Boogie n’Blues NH USA, Heritage Music Blues Fest Wheeling WV USA, Passion
Blues Cognac and Cahors Blues Festivals in France, the Sierre Blues Festival, Switzerland, and Grölsch Blues Festival Shöppingen Germany to name a few.

Bilal

Bilal Sayeed Oliver is a truly independent artist. A singer, songwriter, and producer who has always been ahead of his time – blending jazz, afro-futurism, classic soul, alternative r&b, rock, and even classical in his vocals and music. He’s known for his wide vocal range, work across multiple genres, and magnetic live performances. Philip Bailey said Bilal is the rare singer who uses his voice like an instrument.

Interscope Records signed Bilal to a major label recording deal fresh out of college, after studying jazz composition and opera at The New School in NYC. His debut album, “First Born Second,” showcased a range from the emotionally charged fan-favorite, “Soul Sista,” which peaked at No. 18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, to the political viewpoints of “Fast Lane” and “Second Child”.

Bilal quickly developed a sizable following at his live shows which were known for being emotional and electrifying. He received great acclaim from his peers, who noted his range and ability to sing in a freeform style and his classically trained falsetto. The soulful feel of the album caused Bilal to be labeled as “neo-soul,” but throughout his career his expansion in music and pushing of boundaries has proved his point that he is much more than that.

Playing jazz venues and recording more progressive soul music in the following years, Bilal has commercially released four albums to critical success. His unreleased but widely leaked second album “Love for Sale” found wide acclaim among critics and listeners. It features collabs with Dr. Dre and J Dilla and was built around Bilal’s own musicianship, included live instrumentation and had a vibe completely new and different from its predecessor. Interscope shelved the album indefinitely. It still received over half a million downloads and Bilal began touring even though there was no proper release of the album.

As a member of the Soulquarians, an experimental collective that was active from the late 1990s to early 2000s, Bilal has been culturally and musically influential on a whole new generation of musicians and producers. His extensive list of collaborations includes Kendrick Lamar, Common, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Guru, Kimbra, J Dilla, Robert Glasper, and The Roots.

With the release of his next album, “A Love Surreal,” Bilal immediately achieved commercial success, debuting at No. 1 on iTunes’ R&B Chart. On Billboard, the album debuted at No. 17 on the Independent Albums Chart, No. 19 on the R&B Albums Chart, and No. 103 on the Billboard 200. The album received shining reviews, including an 8/10 from SPIN magazine,4.5/5 stars from Allmusic, and 4/4 stars from USA Today.

In an essay on the Soulquarians, Michael A. Gonzales traces the collective’s impact to Bilal’s contemporary contributions: “Listening to Kendrick Lamar’s newest album “To Pimp a Butterfly”, “Bilal has transformed himself for the post-Soulquarian generation that includes Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding and now Kendrick.”

In August 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Bilal wrote and recorded his first EP, Voyage-19, over the course of three days and in collaboration with various musicians in remote experimental sessions, which were streamed live on YouTube. The resulting three-track EP was released digitally the following month, with revenues of its sale and accompanying donations given to the participating artists, many of whom had been struggling financially due to the pandemic.

He is working on new music and currently splits his time between the US and Morocco, where he paints and writes music.

Avra Boom

Based out of Oak Cliff, AVRA BOOM is a singer-songwriter, dancer, and composer. Growing up as a dancer, she spent her time expressing her inner world through movement. As her desire for creative exploration grew, she turned to a new medium, and in 2021, AVRA BOOM began her journey as a singer-songwriter.
AVRA BOOM’s style is a flowing mixture of pop, R&B, and dance music.  She has released two singles and is set to release her debut EP in June of this year. Her textured tone and mesmerizing stage presence entices audiences and guides them into a world of her own making.