Columbia Records Performing Artist & Singer/Songwriter Goapele [Gwa-pu-lay] broke out of Bay Area at the beginning of the last decade determined to make a difference in the world of music. Seamlessly blending genres while refusing to be limited by the “neo-soul” tag, the eloquent singer/songwriter completed her first release Closer in 2001 and never looked back.

Embraced from the beginning by critics and fans alike, Goapele craved the perfect niche for herself as she created music that fused jazz, soul and hip-hop with her own beautiful poetry.

While Rolling Stone magazine once called Goapele the “spiritual love child of Sade and D’Angelo,” her searing voice can be both sensuous and serious, often on the same song. After taking off six years from recording, Goapele has returned to the forefront of the music scene with Break of Dawn, a collection of sophisticated songs dealing with love, loss and all the life in between.

Recorded mostly at Zoo Studios in Oakland, her album: Break of Dawn, digs deep while honestly revealing the many layers of experience that defines Goapele, from the birth of her daughter to the death of her father as well as a close friend.

HolidayFest 2013 gave Goapele the opportunity to meld some of her most popular hits with well-known Holiday songs. As always, her performance was a showstopper.