Get To Know Mo

(© L. Solari)

Mo was born in the cacaphony of sound of a music & broadcast family in the region of Amsterdam. She remembers her mom (gifted with a beautiful voice) carrying her on her arm while singing and dancing on songs of Burt Bacharach, Louis Neefs, Nat 'King' Cole, Jacques Brel and many others: other influences include her DJ brother and his 70ies repertoire, her very well singing- and piano playing sister and her guitar-, clarinet- and piano playing dad who was also a widely respected sound engineer, specialized in live music engineering with Dutch National Broadcasting NOS. Mo's dad takes her along to broadcasts, recording sessions, concerts and introduces little Mo to radio, live sound and the world of music (classic, jazz & easylistening) with its national and international icons. Mo is soon taken - at age 6 - under the wings of classical piano virtuoso A. Benrath Bolman. In primary school she is asked to sing upfront in music class and she starts building upon her voice in a choir where she's put in the back in between 'the elderly' due to her vocal register.

Mo accompanies her fellow scholars on the piano in music class and plays/sings in theatre plays by the time she leaves primary school. The death of her piano master, with whom she had a very special connection, occurs when she's 17 and provokes a 100% shift towards singing... and the world that her DJ-brother introduced her to: jazz, funk, soul and rock. Mo pops up in the underground scene of the Amsterdam region (guest vocalist in several combos), starts backing vocalist work for a.o. producers Koopman & Huysdens ("The President") and, later on, becomes front lady of rock band Affengeil (Tilburg, south-NL). She tours with Dutch band Defauve for 2 seasons as tour manager (France & Spain). A European tour as vocalist with another band, Too Hot To Handle, brings her to Switzerland (1995).

Socquettes frontlady in Annecy, France (2000 © Socks live)

She meets, jams and plays with a variety of people (the Argus Blues Band from the Haute-Savoie-region in France, Broadcast, Colin Vallon, Clélia Band, Diana Miranda, Elina Duni, Fabiana Rodrigues, Funky Rabbit, Gérard Suter, Herbalist Crew, Joe Frank, Laurent & Olivier Quinche, Marc Favez, Angeles Cuevas Quarteto, Mike P. White, Patatas Chipas Club, José-Luis 'Sartèn' Asaresi, Sito, Slim Rouai, Sophie Ding, Uptown Studios and more). She tours extensively the festivals in France and Switzerland throughout 5 years with the Vaudoise party band Les Socquettes Mauves and with her own band Mo Better Blues (French-Swiss-Arabic lineup), still next to her second life as international journalist.

With soul mate Luca Solari (© Pierre Virot)

She meets Italo Peruvian drummer/percussionist, composer, producer and sound engineer Luca Solari in 1998. Solari sees and hears what Mo also finally understands herself about her own talents and calling against her many services to other artists. He introduces her to American topvocalist Jennifer Weatherly (an incredible source of warmth and wisdom to Mo), bluegrass fiddle virtuoso Willy Wainwright, guitarists Nicolas Wetzell and Olivier Uldry, bass player Bob Harrison, banjo-player John Spangler, piano players Markus Fillinger and Al Blatter, as well as many other great musicians. Mo tours Europe, handling the on-the-road CD sales and promotion for Jennifer Weatherly & Willy Wainwright, further learning about road-life with well-established artists. With Wetzell, Peruvian composer and songwriter, Mo delivers her first project "Goin' Basic", initially a demo-project but, due to the demand, independently released as mini-CD in 2005. It's time to quit journalism: Mo finally allows herself to live up to her calling. Not so surprising: she has always "flourished late" in life.

(© L. Solari)

Since collaborating with people like Luca Solari, Nicolas Wetzell, Dutch/Latin guitarist Guy Nikkels, Venezuelan percussionist Julio D'Santiago, Swiss bass player Julien Gahwiler, Argentinian pianist Alejo Garcia Mendes, "milles-pattes" Sarten Asaresi and many others of various musical horizons, Mo's universe broadened significantly. It allowed her to discover a different approach to music, experiment a lot and further build upon various ways of vocal use.

Mo: "There was a time I lived up to other's expectations, overlooking my fundamentals, drifting away from myself. Then I went 'basic', according to what friends had been telling me and I can't thank these people enough - they know who they are! Working fulltime with my voice, putting it at the disposal to those who wish to learn and better understand their own instrument, as well as combining my passion for the written word with my love for music generates an amazing energy."

Mo took up the piano again and specialized herself vocally in Cathrine Sadolin's Complete Vocal Technique (CVT). She graduated from the 1-year Curriculum for Advanced and Professional Vocalists in Utrecht - the Netherlands - in 2007, obtaining her certification. She further develops her skills as vocal coach at the Complete Vocal Institute (CVI) in Copenhagen - Denmark - in the 3-year CVT Curriculum, continuously updating her knowledge and skills. Mo additionally represents CVI in Switzerland, organizing CVT-introductions, workshops and masterclasses.

She also plans to record a 2nd album, trying to find the time in her busy schedule to do so.