Download Cara Salimando Bio

Cara Salimando
Dust
After pressing Play and drifting into the notes on Cara Salimando's debut EP, Dust, it's
hard to imagine that the singer/songwriter is just a senior in high school.
Her evocative lyrics, powerhouse vocals, and confident piano chords reveal a maturity
that's well beyond her years. Cara Salimando's brand of mellow, expressive poetry speaks
directly to the heart, with cool compositions that reach right into your core, igniting
memories of loves once rejoiced or forgotten.
Her passion for music began at an early age when, as a baby, the Little Silver, NJ native
began mimicking and mouthing her mother's lullabies. At 7 years old she started piano
lessons, and two years later took a dive into writing at the urge of her vocal coach.
"My voice teacher noticed that I was pretty good at writing poetry for a 9-year-old, so he
encouraged me to write my own songs," she remembers. "I wrote my first song when I
was 10, and after that it was just such a great feeling that I had to keep doing it."
This intuitive drive to write has proven to be one of Cara's strengths. Each song on Dust
was carefully crafted by the young writer, drawing inspiration from close relationships
with friends, family, and of course, boyfriends. After years of serenading audiences at
coffee houses and bars, performing as a member of the choir at the Red Bank Regional
High School, and honing her writing skills at songwriting circles and summer sessions,
the young composer is ready to present her art to the masses.
On Dust, Cara conjures the intimate intensity of Fiona Apple with the playful charm of
Regina Spektor to craft a collection of songs that capture the experiences of her youth.
The album finds the 18-year-old flipping through pages of her life, remembering the
tender beginnings and unfortunate ends of love with a delivery that's all her own.
"Anonymous Letters" follows Cara as she flirts with fluttery vocals and quirky horns in a
story about venting and coping with the frustrations of a relationship. "Anything At All"
is an aching ballad about the disappointment of giving your all to someone, only to have
them write you off a little too early for your heart to bear. A young girl's addictive
personality is explored on "Cigarette Smoke," and the title track features a moody string
arrangement that backs the tale of meeting someone who—to your surprise—has become
one of the most important people in your life.
Cara's shy, humble personality morphs during her performances with an honesty that's
easy for anyone to relate to. Performing, in fact, is one of her favorite things to do. "It
feels good to pour your heart out to a room full of complete strangers," she says. "People
come up to me afterward and say, 'I really know what you're saying. I love this song. I've
been through that too.' It's interesting to make a connection like that with someone you
don't know at all. It's very powerful."
Lucky concertgoers can experience a Cara Salimando performance at this year's South
By Southwest (SXSW) music festival. She was on tour throughout the Midwest with
fellow acoustic artists Ingrid Michaelson and Mat Kearney and she will perform at
selected dates for the 2010 Lilith Tour. Although she's still busy juggling precalculus
homework while putting the finishing touches on her full-length album, Cara is prepared
to trade in her books and take the stage as a budding young star.
"I hope to keep creating songs that are very intimate to me, but could also be widely
understood by a lot of people," she says. "To be able to keep being true to myself but still
have a connection with other people."