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Benjamin Disraeli : "There is no index of character so sure as the voice," and if that be the truth then Yaz Alexander's disposition must be angelic and because she's been singing since the age of three, then heaven must have been missing an angel ever since Yaz was a toddler. However, the diminutive vocalist with the big voice wouldn't necessarily describe her tones as being heavenly, "warm, sultry and ambient" are the adjectives she uses to define her pitch. An exponent of reggae ever since hearing the roots reality of Jamaica's most successful musical export - Bob Marley, Yaz also dabbles in reggae's sister and cousin genres i.e. soul, r&b, trip-hop as well as reggae's 1990's offshoot, drum 'n' bass. Ironically, it's reggae's polar opposite that gives Yaz's voice its second home, "I love the roots rock reggae music but I do have an affinity for jazz - and my voice lends itself naturally to the jazz genre." Apart from reggae legend, Bob Marley, Yaz finds inspiration in three of music's biggest ever prima donnas. Billie Holiday by virtue of her unrivalled talent - by default - would be an inspiration for any would-be female singer and it's the struggles and tragedies that Billie was subjected to that make her Yaz's number one female inspiration. But again it's ironic that the artist/actress who portrayed Billie so credibly in the biopic, Lady Sings The Blues, also inspires Yaz. "I look up to Diana Ross not only because she's feminine, glamourous and wonderfully flamboyant but also because of her distinct and unique vocal sound. I also love Shirley Bassey because of her energy, boldness and divaship, whilst at the same time I admire her amazingly powerful vocal delivery," explains Birmingham's best kept reggae secret. Yaz first realised that she wanted to forge a career in music since leaving school at the age of seventeen and her objective has never veered far from wanting to achieve and sustain a successful recording and stage-performing career. But when the glory days are eventually over - and the curtain starts to fall, the silken-voiced, golden-girl - who incidentally has strong links within the creative communities in both Leeds and Manchester, hopes to be in a position to give back to the industry that's become her domain. "I want to be able to establish a foundation one day, where I can pass on the benefits of my experiences in the industry, an establishment that helps people to get ahead in music." But that's a legacy for posterity and for now it's all about the institution of Yaz, and who's to say that the little Reggae Princess wont go on to emulate her muses, Billie, Diana & Shirley - certainly not anyone who's ever seen or heard Yaz Alexander perform - that's for sure. Yaz was talking to her A&R and New Style Radio broadcaster Dennis Edwards.
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