#SpecMagNC Featured Artist: Yolanda Rabun (fea. CD Release Party)
On July 7, 2016 Yolanda Rabun presented a concert of the chart-topping, fan-funded “YOLANDA” album during Theatre Raleigh’s Cool Summer Evenings Concert Series.
Having graduated from a renowned performing arts high school in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, Yolanda Rabun (pronounced yo∙lawn∙duh | ray∙bun) honed her singing and stage skills from a young age.
She is a fierce songstress and North Carolina based recording artist who also is versatile enough to handle all styles of music, although she favors jazz and soul. She often says, “…people ask me where have I been, and I tell them, I never went away! But I’m so glad you stopped to listen!” Ask any of her supporters, once you hear and experience Yolanda, you are a fan for life.
Studio Albums and Live Shows
Rabun exploded onto the jazz scene first on Stanley Baird’s 2007 Traffic Jam hit single, “I Want 2 Love You,” and, in 2011, released her debut CD project, “So Real,” on which she co-wrote several songs, including the title song. In 2012, Rabun infused Soul, R&B, Gospel, Folk, Smooth and Traditional Jazz on her sophomore solo album, “Christmastime,” and followed in 2013 with the Adult Contemporary single, “Hold on To Your Dreams.”
A skilled singer with a natural storytelling instinct, Yolanda Rabun comes out the gate stunning her live audiences with her endless energy, commanding vocal power, and inventiveness. Her stage shows are engaging, full of passion, and include straight-ahead and contemporary Jazz, Blues, Folk, Pop, and even Gospel. And,
Yolanda is never afraid to take risks. This rich-voice chanteuse has opened for and sung with such iconic artists as Jennifer Holiday, Howard Hewitt, Ron Isley and the Isley Brothers, R&B singer KEM and the world-renowned iconic drummer, Sheila E.
Yolanda has also performed with the NC Opera, the Durham Symphony, and the Raleigh Symphony Free Spirits; she appeared on a number of TV and radio programs. A proud equity-actor, Yolanda even has achieved notoriety on regional theatre stages with magnificent reviews alongside Tony-award winning actors, and is an often requested motivational speaker.
The YOLANDA Album
An award-winning attorney, Yolanda has always decidedly had an interest in creating good music. She even promised the legendary Isaac Hayes after touting she would study law that she would always sing. Isaac Hayes did a special arrangement of “God Bless America” that Yolanda Rabun sang for the late President Ronald Reagan.
To her credit, Yolanda has also picked up fans musical admirers around the world at Atlanta’s Jazz Festival, D.C.’s acclaimed Blues Alley Jazz, and Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz. In fact the idea for Yolanda’s third studio album, YOLANDA, was born on the road.
On July 7th, Yolanda presented a concert of the chart-topping, fan-funded “YOLANDA” album during Theatre Raleigh’s Cool Summer Evenings Concert Series. The songstress brought to Raleigh’s Kennedy Theatre stage an engaging presentation of straight-ahead and contemporary jazz, blues, folk, pop, classic R&B and more. She said, “…this album is full of everything, so plan for an entertaining evening of fun.”
For the YOLANDA project, Yolanda Rabun effortlessly shifts between eras and genres to produce a mix of classics, standards and originals. The YOLANDA album, includes songs that showcase Yolanda Rabun’s unique ability to interpret diverse material and deliver meaningful musical stories (whether new or told before) with bare honesty and striking stylings.
Modern Day Renaissance Woman
If you imagine a wise person who is sophisticated and well-educated with self-respect and compassion for others, but also multi-talented in many fields with expert knowledge to tout, you might think of modern day Renaissance woman. She has nothing to prove. She is the proof.
As a wife, mother, corporate lawyer, professional actor, music entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and acclaimed recording-performing artist extraordinaire, Yolanda Rabun is the proof. She is the real deal. She is impressive and transformative. She is, in her own words, not done!
“There is a message for everyone in each song,” says Yolanda, who laughs when people rattle off who they think she sounds like! Yolanda counts it a privilege to be able to use her gifts to be an inspiration to others. “Music inspires and heals! There is nothing better than that!”
Yolanda Rabun’s brand of Soulful Jazz is here to stay.