Singer/songwriter/musician Atoosa has been performing New York City gigs, touring, and making appearances on local and regional radio and television in anticipation of the release of her third album, Night of the Deep Bloom. She describes her folk pop sound as “warm, hopeful, alternative, haunting at times, classically influenced, spacious, lyrical, truthful, and from the heart, baby!” With her crisply resonant voice, Atoosa has been compared to Tori Amos, and in poetic piano songs like “Yellow Reversal” and “Question for You,” she explores love and hope, devastation and desire, in her unflinchingly honest search for truth. Her intensely personal lyrics, captivating vocals, and magnetic stage presence have been transcending musical boundaries while garnering audience attention and critical acclaim.

Atoosa, who currently lives in New York City’s West Village, was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to New Jersey shortly thereafter, where she grew up. At 17, atoosa moved to New York City to attend NYU, where she studied English and American Literature, then went on to Parsons School of Design to paint, and finally, received her M.A. from Hunter College in English and American Literature. Multi-talented Atoosa draws inspiration from all these sources, and themes of literature and art often weave their way throughout her songs. Incredibly resourceful, Atoosa supported herself by working several out of the ordinary side jobs while pursuing her dream of music, such as an EKG technician, a nursery school assistant teacher, and a freelance editor at Cosmogirl magazine.

Atoosa always dreamed of being a singer, and is a classically-trained pianist and self-taught guitar player. Her early influences were incredibly diverse – from Beethoven to The Police to Tracy Chapman - but all contain the common thread of great storytelling, a legacy that Atoosa intends to continue with her stirringly hopeful songs.

Compelled by her passion for music, Atoosa went on to gig widely in New York City at venues such as The Bitter End, The Living Room, and Sidewalk Café, and to release Out of the Jar, produced by Emily Lazar, and her self-produced second album, Sound Travels Up, which she describes as “my hopeful twist on twisted things.” Both received rave reviews. CDBaby Magazine wrote of Out of the Jar, “sparkling piano, shimmering strings, widely varied percussion, fragile-yet-confident vocals, and heavenly guitar combine and shine in this well-rounded and musically complex CD.” Of Sound Travels Up, musicdish.com wrote, “Atoosa’s own blend of pop, folk and raw, un-genre’d ballad style is a persuasive argument against NO....This CD is very strong, and lets us witness the poet that has taken the time to craft such pretty flowers.”

Her success and critical acclaim led to increased touring, and Atoosa has since appeared in San Francisco, California, Nashville, Tennessee, Frederick, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hoboken, New Jersey, and Cleveland, Ohio, playing such festivals as the NYC Summer Anti-Folk Festivals 2000 and 2001, NYC Underground Music and Poetry Festival 2001, Sono Arts Festival 2002 in Connecticut, and recently, the Nashville New Music Conference 2003, where she was one of only 19 artists included on its compilation CD. Awards and honors include an honorable mention in the 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Competition for her song “Miranda,” and a nomination for Best Female Singer-Songwriter Album of 2002 for Sound Travels Up in the Just Plain Folks Independent Music Awards.

Today, Atoosa, a voracious student of life and humanity, is constantly exploring different forms, and she is inspired by literature and classical mythology, listening to music, painting, writing poetry, rollerblading, cooking, reading Tarot Cards, studying Buddhism, going to museums, and birds and butterflies, citing her “obsession with things that fly,” a statement which is remarkably telling of her underlying intention to use her music and her life to uplift and soar. Throughout her busy schedule, Atoosa recognizes the importance of her family, friends, meditation, and laughter in keeping her centered.

Looking forward to her third release, produced by Brad Albetta and Cameron Greider, and continued touring and media appearances, Atoosa explains that she thinks of her new album as “complete darkness with one faint light shining,” created out of a difficult time of struggle for her, which she compassionately credits with making her “stronger, wiser, and WAY sillier than before!” She courageously uses her life experiences in her songs to “tell the truth from (her) perspective,” hoping all the while to “spread hope” for her listeners, “no matter how dark it is.”

Derek Sivers, President of CDbaby.com, lauds Atoosa as “creative and delicious,” and collectedsounds.com wrote, “I can’t wait to hear what she does next!” Her next effort has arrived and lives up to the expectation and buzz. With its release, Atoosa excitedly looks forward to continued local gigs, touring and media appearances, and especially, “learning more about this world we inhabit,” and continuing to uplift and inspire audiences by “having the freedom to be who you really are.” Because to Atoosa, that is what her music is all about.