“Rock n’ Roll Soul Chick” an apt moniker describing Davina Robinson’s powerhouse blend of rock, soul and wild woman attitude, recalling the magic of Mother’s Finest and Betty Davis.
Davina Robinson is from Philadelphia, USA and based in Osaka, Japan. With her debut EP, The Blazing Heart, Davina has won accolades from the Billboard Song Contest, the Great American Song Contest, the VH-1 Song Of the Year Contest, the UK Songwriting Contest, and a nomination for “Best International Rock Song” from the Toronto Exclusive Online Music Awards.
Davina was also selected to perform a showcase at Indie Week Toronto 2008, and received the 2008 Voice Award from the international singing competition, Les Vignes D’Or.
In addition to her solo performances with her backup band, Davina has teamed with guitarist/composer Kohei as a songwriting collaborator, and they also perform as an acoustic rock duo. 
Davina’s voice has been described as powerful, rich and fierce; her style of rock soulful, pulse-pounding and smoking. With her proven songwriting skills and commanding vocals, this “rock n’ roll soul” singer is blazing her way into the international scene.
When a MySpace friend described her music as “pure rock n’ roll soul,” Davina Robinson embraced the term, declaring herself as “The Rock n’ Roll Soul Chick.” “It’s cool, edgy and tough,” Robinson says, “It basically says it all.”
The title of Robinson’s rock-n’-soul-inspired debut EP, The Blazing Heart, speaks to a generation of talented indie singer-songwriters who, like her, are fiercely dedicated to doing whatever it takes to share their talents with the world – defying the odds, overcoming setbacks and surviving to emerge with their own distinctive voice. For the cool, edgy and rockin’ Philly-bred, Osaka, Japan-based artist, that voice is seasoned, tough, sensitive and powerful, the launching pad for a charismatic all-around performer who can sing her ass off – any song, any genre – and make the song her own.
The Japanese audiences she’s been playing to these past few years go crazy for Robinson’s attitude and energy, and with her powerhouse originals, she’s slowly weaning them off their love for covers of familiar pop songs only. A few years ago, four of her tunes won Honorable Mention in the 11th Annual Billboard Song Contest, and while gearing up for the May 2008 release of The Blazing Heart, she’s added a large handful of cool, funky accolades to the mix.
“Making Love To Your Girlfriend,” the blistering soul-flavored tune that leads off the EP, received an honorable mention (top 500) in the 15th Annual Billboard Song Contest, an honor award in the Great American Song Contest, was runner-up for VH1 Song Of The Year, a semi-finalist in the U.K. Songwriting Contest and a nominee for Best International Song by Toronto Exclusive Online Magazine. Beyond crossing so many international borders, the track is also featured on the Violet Femmes, Vol. 1 CD (from Vancouver-based RPW Records) and Females On Fire, Vol. 3, a Spring 2008 release on Warrior Girl Music. 
The Blazing Heart also includes “Conversations In My Head,” which she fashioned as a tribute to her grandmother, and the electronic/industrial rock influenced “Keeping Me Sane”. In a nutshell, “Conversations…” expresses a desire to be the tough yet kind, tragedy-overcoming dignified woman her grandmother was. It also questions death and what happens when we die – do we cease to exist or do our energies continue on? “Keeping Me Sane” is about the quest for fame/stardom and the love of one person who will keep the narrator on the right track to survive the quest and achieve the goal. “Never Good Enough” is a power pop tune written with the entertainment business in mind – how you have to be a certain type to make it, but the minute you take one piece of advice, the business comes up with something else that needs to be changed. Robinson says it can also be interpreted romantically, referring to a guy who makes demands on his girl, who changes something about herself only to be told she needs to change more.
A true musical citizen of the world, Robinson is Italian on her mother’s side and African-American, Cherokee, Blackfoot and English on her father’s side. She grew up listening to everything – jazz, blues, soul, country, R&B, disco, oldies, pop, rock, metal, hip-hop and even classical – and saw rich connections between all of those genres. Along the way, she became interested in Japan, and after earning her degree, she moved there to teach English, while also studying Japanese.
She was headed towards the civilian life of working for a multinational company when her passion for music re-ignited and she formed her first bar band. While working on developing her own style, she’s played in a great variety of professional situations ever since.
“I was reunited with my first love, music, because of Japan and for that I am eternally grateful,” she says. “And now it’s time to kick some ass on the international stage!”
And for this spunky “Rock n’ Roll Soul Chick”, that time is now.
Visit the Official Davina Robinson Website: www.sonicbids.com/davinarobinson
Tags: acoustic, Blues, davina robinson, funk, jazz, osaka japan, rock, rocknroll soul chick, soul, women in rock
