Lili Haydn

In a time of countless sound-alike bands and musicians, Lili Haydn is a true original. Thats made clear in the opening seconds of Light Blue Sun, her debut album for Arista, with a mix of soaring violin, hypnotic-groovy beats, sensuous pop hooks, and vocals alternately passionate and breathy.

A child prodigy, Lili grew into, as George Clinton describes her, "the Jimmy Hendrix of the violin." She has worked with everyone from Clinton to Jimmy Page and Robert Pant, Sting, Josh Groban, and the LA Philharmonic. On Light Blue Sun, Lilis own passionate blend of musical styles is tied together with the plaintive, nakedly emotional sound of her violin and voice.

A native of Toronto, Lili led an unorthodox childhood. Her mother, comedienne and singer/songwriter Lotus Weinstock, may have infused her with a sense of theatricality, but Lili chose to study Political Science at Brown University. She paid her college tuition with money earned from acting gigs, another field in which she continues to work to this day.

Lili performed often with her mother, but her first rock appearances were jams in the clubs of LA while on summer break from college. That soon led to Lilis becoming the violinist of choice in the rock world. It would be easier to compile a list of the people with whom she hasnt shared a stage or recording studio than those she has.

But notables include Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, who first saw her perform during a lengthy residency at LAs notorious Viper Room. They were so impressed that they brought her to their show the next night at the Forum and brought her onstage to solo on Kashmir. That quickly led to Lili and her band joining the Led Zep alums as an opening act on their US tour. Sting, Josh Groban, Christina Aguilera, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, The Rolling Stones, Porno for Pyros and the LA Philharmonic are just a few of her other studio and concert credits.