“A force of nature.”
Songwriter & Performer. Connecting hearts, souls & community.
For the better part of her life, Louisiana native Wendy Colonna has been communing with folks through the gift of live music. She was born and raised in Lake Charles, in southwest Louisiana, close to the Texas border. From church choir pews, to front porches and fishing docks, Wendy’s childhood and teen years were spent strumming guitars and belting out songs at gatherings.
How could she not? She grew up steeped in the swampy, music-rich culture of Cajun Country. Her musical lineage is part memory and part DNA melting pot: Italian, Portuguese & English via Trinidad, French, and Cajun. Her dad’s mother performed vaudevillian follies for troops stationed in the Caribbean in WWII, and she has a few fais-do-do musicians on her mom’s side of the family.
Wendy and environmental activist papa Colonna used to sing and dance for fun. Then in elementary school, she joined the church choir and became hooked. At an early age, she says, she “loved the resonance, harmony, and the magic of feeling what happens when lots of people sing together.”
With a few childhood pals, she started a little trio, singing favorite songs from the 60s and 70s. Wendy started writing songs in high school. The momentum continued through college. Her focus sharpened when the duo she was in at the time was given the chance to open for Jeff Buckley.
Then in 2000, upon first dipping her toes in Barton Springs, Wendy decided to move to Austin, Texas, where she fell in love with the city’s clear lakes, verdant greenbelts, and collaborative music community. Her powerful alto was dubbed, “smokey” and “alluring” by Queen of the Austin Music Scene, rock writer Margaret Moser.
As Wendy carved out her place in Austin, she treated each opportunity as a blessing, forging musical partnerships that continue today. Along the way, she’s racked up accolades – Black Fret, Apple Music, Spotify, Wall Street Journal, New York Times – as well as commercial success, including landing an original song on a Coca-Cola ad. Visit Lake Charles, her hometown’s convention & visitors bureau, commissioned Wendy to write and produce a song celebrating the culture, beauty, and cuisine of the region. The result was “My Southwest Louisiana Home,” featuring Joel Savoy on fiddle, among other luminaries.
She’s released eight albums since her move to the Lone Star State, with time well-spent developing close relationships within Austin’s fertile musical community. Currently, she’s working on The Paradigm Project, featuring a variety of pairings of Austin musicians in a tiered release of songs, all reflecting her faith in the power of collaboration.
“Her songwriting combines both rich heritages, while her vocals draw in audiences in like bees to a flower—a sturdy, slightly prickly flower, not a shrinking violet, ‘cause she can move from a sweet whisper to a full on bayou-soul-shout without skipping a beat.”
“Fans of both Lucinda Williams and Motown soul will find much to like in Colonna; the Louisiana-born troubadour brings a decidedly fresh spin on twangy Americana. “Girls Like Me” is an upbeat anthem written for the women who don’t quite fit the mold.”
“On Nectar, the sweet honey of Colonna’s voice fills our cups with the enduring energy of her pure songwriting. She has blossomed as a songwriter, but it’s the unadulterated beauty of each song that moves us from one flower to the other on the album.”
“. . .One of our favorite new artists . . . undoubtedly, the songwriting is superb and Wendy’s voice is warm and welcoming. There is not a bad song on ‘Nectar.’”
“The songs . . . are all pearls to discover. No flaws. Wendy’s voice sounds more seductive than ever: it winds its way through with a pronounced, elegant diversity . . .”
“soulful tunes of innocent sin . . . “Nectar” is a beautiful composition… it’s a collection of songs that has several lives to live”
“A soulful performer, Colonna digs deep for her words and sings them with the kind of swamp/soul conviction that draws listeners in and keeps them in.”
“A sumptuous tour through swamps, smoky pool halls and empty church pews. . . a surprising album that manages to be both reverent and sexy.”
“ . . .gifted country-influenced singer-songwriter. . .”
“WE ARE ONE perfectly demonstrates Wendy Colonna’s unceasing maturity as both songwriter and vocalist. Papa Mali appears to be just the sort of producer capable of capturing her incredible range in both areas an ability to emote everything from gentle sweetness to belting it out like a full-blown, scorching Soul Queen.”
” . . If you weren’t already, consider yourselves informed: Wendy Colonna has a serious set of pipes. . . Colonna masterfully blends a colorful variety of genres while staying true to her Cajun roots. Still, the most refreshing part of the album might be the wise, uplifting lyricism sprinkled throughout. . . ”
“Colonna’s new record is such that if it had dropped at any time during the 1970’s, it would have been accepted without any problem. Still, it’s not exactly a retro record. The reason is that there’s much focus on the craft of songwriting here. . . . If I had to compare the sound of “We Are One” to that of anything else, I’d say it reminds me, in a very general way, of the Leon Russell and Dr. John records I listened to in the late 1960s and the 1970s. It’s a kind of songwriting I identify with New Orleans, though, in fact, it may well be a sound that thrived throughout South Louisiana in general. The songs I’m thinking of draw from both blues and R&B and are substantial but accessible.”
“Colonna’s fourth album is a cohesive mix of funky blues that immediately carries you into the swampy sounds of Louisiana. The music is a mix of horns, funky oldschool organs and hard driving blues guitar that flow together with Colonna’s voice and lyrics for a category five storm.”
“Colonna’s recently been named best singer/songwriter by the Austin American-Statesman, and this time around, I’m going to agree with them, and go a step further. She’s the best singer songwriter to come out of Lake Charles, Louisiana, anytime in recent memory.”
“If you’re a great soul singer, it really doesn’t matter your skin color. . . .If you can sing you can sing. Add Austin, Texas, resident Wendy Colonna to that list.”
“We Are One” demonstrates, “Colonna’s soulful grit, her tender-tough abilities, her talents as a singer and as a songwriter”
“Colonna chisels her finely faceted gems in “Girls of Stone,” “Coffee Today,” “Hold Me Tight,” and “Thunder” and does so with panache and confidence.”
“With smoky vocals that call to mind Norah Jones or Joan Osborne”
“This fiery beauty has incredible stage presence and a voice that ranges from gravel to nightingale.”
2007. Wendy Colonna & ME Television partner to release “Yoga-To-Go” a yoga DVD, CD & Workbook tailored to the lifestyles of musicians and traveling professionals.
“On Nectar, the sweet honey of Colonna’s voice fills our cups with the enduring energy of her pure songwriting. She has blossomed as a songwriter, but it’s the unadulterated beauty of each song that moves us from one flower to the other on the album.”
“On Nectar, the sweet honey of Colonna’s voice fills our cups with the enduring energy of her pure songwriting. She has blossomed as a songwriter, but it’s the unadulterated beauty of each song that moves us from one flower to the other on the album.”
Exclusive Premiere of Girls Like Me Official Music Vide in The Girlfriend Letter 8.2.17
Video produced by Ryan Doty. Featuring friends and fans who share their personal mantras for love and empowerment.
New York Times interview on live music at the airport. “Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is among over a half-dozen airports in the United States that offer travelers frazzled by bottlenecks on security lines and cramped seating on planes (not to mention pressured airport employees) a bit of a respite in the form of music.”
Henry Carrigan at No Depression Magazine wrote a beautiful caption about “No Moment But Now” and the song “I Will Take You In” in his end of 2017 Reflections.
“Wendy Colonna is a soul singer, and she delivers hard-hitting truths about loss, anguish, and love on her new album, No Moment but Now. Colonna’s just-right way with a phrase strikes right to the heart in songs like “I Will Take You In,” a beautiful anthem about the power of selflessness and love that could easily be a song of resistance in hateful times.”
“I’m Satisfied“ (single) exclusive song premiere in Elmore Magazine. “Originally from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana,Wendy Colonna’s called Austin, TX home since 2000. Her songwriting combines both rich heritages, while her vocals draw in audiences in like bees to a flower—a sturdy, slightly prickly flower, not a shrinking violet, ‘cause she can move from a sweet whisper to a full on bayou-soul-shout without skipping a beat.“
“Every Second” Exclusive song premiere by The Bluegrass Situation.
“Girls Like Me” (single) Exclusive Premiere on The Boot. “Fans of both Lucinda Williams and Motown soul will find much to like in Colonna; the Louisiana-born troubadour brings a decidedly fresh spin on twangy Americana. “Girls Like Me” is an upbeat anthem written for the women who don’t quite fit the mold.”