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BIOGRAPHY/PRESS Lili Añel considers music a calling. This striking six-foot tall singer-songwriter-musician grew
up in New York City's Spanish Harlem, where she discovered her passion for music. As a child,
Lili remembers singing along to her mother's Cuban, jazz and pop-standard albums. It was also
her mother who supported Lili's desire to join the church choir. However, it was her Afro-Cuban
grandfather's recognition of how much joy her singing brought others, being the voice that stood
out in that choir, which served to set her feet firmly on the path of a career in music.
"Think Joan Armatrading, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone all rolled into one...blurs the lines
between Jazz, Folk and intelligent Pop...strong and heartfelt." - Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
Always defying rigid categorization, Lili's music has been called a hybrid of jazz/folk/soul/pop
always propelled by her powerful vocal stylings, guitar playing and songs that often recall her
eclectic influences, all merging seamlessly. "I am a sum of many parts ethnically, and my music
reflects this," she says. "I have many influences, but I am totally me. When I am asked, 'What
kind of music do you play?' my response is always 'I play Lili music.'"
Taken under the wing of jazz superstar Cassandra Wilson, Lili soon shared bills with Madeleine
Peyroux, Boz Scaggs, B.B. King, Peabo Bryson and Raul Midon, to name a few, along with
being invited to perform a co-bill with Cassandra Wilson at her venue.
Laughed Last (1994)
was followed by Hi-Octane Coffee (2002), Dream Again (2007),
Every Second In Between
(2009), all self-released. In 2007, JazzTimes Magazine said of Lili, "...her songs are consistently
excellent..." and proclaimed of her 2009 release "...a CD to blow your mind at first listen...".
Every Second In Between (produced by Glenn Barratt) also made the All About Jazz 2009 Year
End Writers Choice for the "10 Best New Jazz Releases" list, along with winning 3 New York
Music Awards in 2010 for Best Singer-Songwriter, Best Jazz Album and Best Female Jazz
Vocalist. 2013 saw her release I Can See Bliss From Here, followed by 2017's Another Place,
Another Time, each receiving critical acclaim. Both recordings were released under Cassandra
Wilson's "Ojah Media Group", with Lili being invited to perform at Wilson's venue "The
Yellow Scarf" in a co-bill with her.
Better Days (remastered) was released October 2021, and is a re-imagining of Lili's October 2019 album
Better Days which lost momentum when COVID hit.
This time Lili's co-producer Dale Melton who recorded, mixed and mastered the album was able to revisit it with fresh ears and make improvements with the addition of two more tracks and new
artwork. One of the special bonus tracks is a live version of "Got Me Thinking" recorded at NPR station WRTI in Philadelphia. This stunning live track has never been publicly heard until now.
The other bonus track "Climb The Wall" is one of Lili's best written songs from her 2013 album I Can See Bliss From Here. In its remastered form the song sits perfectly with
Better Days (remastered). This captivating album was embraced by fans and critics alike.
Lili recently co-wrote a song for the award-winning play Folk City: The Greenwich Village
Musical. The track, "Lovers Leap," has
become a standout on the recently released cast album and was entered for several Grammy
categories. The song will be included in the upcoming film adaptation of the play, directed by
Venice Film Festival Award-winning director Jane Spencer.
Over all these years, Lili has performed to standing ovations from sold-out crowds in clubs to
concert halls. And now, she has her ninth album, You Have a Visitor, ready for release in
February 2025. Stepping aside from a full band, this is Lili at her most intimate, in a
guitar/acoustic bass/drums-percussion trio setting. It is also her first time as a producer. With
songs showing her wide range of influences, included are the free-form, Gil Scott Heron-inspired
"I Saw the Light"; the jazzy, whimsical "Fairy Tales"; cinematic song of resignation and
acceptance "Anymore"; and the African-roots folk track "Gone the Other Way." ("Lovers Leap"
is also featured as a bonus track.) And, of course, there is that incomparable voice anchoring this
highly anticipated, multiple-style-spanning release.
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(Jonathan W. Whitney, Dale Melton, Jeff Blount and Lili) 
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