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Ariana Savalas

Ariana Savalas is an American singer, songwriter, and burlesque performer. She has performed in burlesque cabarets worldwide, including as the emcee and singer for Dita Von Teese and at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris.

She was one of the original members of Postmodern Jukebox alongside Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, Robyn Adele Anderson, and Morgan James. Savalas tours with the band and has appeared in a number of the group's YouTube videos, two of her videos in the top five most popular videos in the group's history.

Fusing her original music with elements of traditional vaudeville and burlesque, Savalas was described by Las Vegas Magazine as "the musical burlesque queen" and "the mistress of the modern Moulin Rouge".

She is the daughter of Greek-American actor Telly Savalas.

Early life

Savalas was born in Los Angeles, California, but was raised in Minnesota following the death of her father Telly Savalas in 1994. She attended an all-girls Catholic convent school in her teenage years before graduating early and moving to London to pursue a career in performance. She studied Shakespeare and acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and was a member of Playhouse West, a repertory theater directed by Jeff Goldblum. She eventually graduated from Harvard University years later.

Before turning to burlesque, Savalas toured and recorded in Europe as a pop singer in her teens with European producer Jack White. She made a guest appearance as Bobby Lainsford on the CBS hit drama Criminal Minds in 2010. Savalas began her music career in Los Angeles as a singer/songwriter playing venues on the Sunset Strip, such as the Whisky a Go Go and Hard Rock Cafe.

Career

Debut singles and EP

Savalas' first jazz EP, Sophisticated Lady, was a combination of her original compositions as well as two standards from the Great American Songbook, including the song "Sophisticated Lady" by Duke Ellington, Mitchell Parish, and Irving Mills which she named the record after. Savalas was widely known in the cabaret world headlining in venues such as the New York Friars' Club and Michael Feinstein's late New York cabaret Feinstein's. She was the opening act for saxophone legend Kenny G and has toured the world with 14 time Grammy nominee Dave Koz.

Postmodern Jukebox

Savalas was introduced to Scott Bradlee in 2015 and began collaborating on online videos and touring with the band soon after. They have performed at venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Greek Theater, and the O2 Academy in London. Savalas was their first female emcee, and hosted the first-ever PMJ PBS special "Postmodern Jukebox: The New Classics". Savalas has garnered praise for her singing and also for her skill at jazz whistling.

Burlesque

Savalas began incorporating her own music into live shows, drawing influences from the Weimar Republic era of German Cabaret and the Moulin Rouge. Her 2019 live album, "The Ménage a Tour! Live from Las Vegas" was a showcase of music, songwriting, dance, comedy, and burlesque. Savalas released a single and music video for her original song "Legendary Lover" in early 2020.

The Dead Dance

Savalas released her debut full studio record, The Dead Dance, in early 2020. The album was released exclusively under Cargo Records in Germany and digitally worldwide. The first single, "Memory", features trumpet player Brian Newman.