Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanna Choffel.
Hi Suzanna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Austin, TX and grew up in a family who really appreciated music. Records always on the turntable, loud singing and dance parties, road trip sing-a-longs, so when I showed talent and interest for singing and playing piano at a young age, it was very encouraged and supported by my parents. I was always in choir, band and stayed in my room for hours with my Casio keyboard as a young schoolgirl writing songs, pouring my heart out on the page.
Because I grew up in the Live Music Capital of the World, it was very easy to start playing music in clubs at a young age and I joined a local band of teens called Red-Headed Step-Child when I was 14 and started singing at Saxon Pub & The Broken Spokes was awesome to get that experience and soon after I begged my mom for a guitar and started teaching myself and writing my own songs. I played open mics and coffee shops around town and then I went to college at Texas State University for a couple of years, continuing to play in bands in San Marcos and Austin, then decided I wanted to study music and transferred to a small private fine arts/music school in Santa Fe, NM called College of Santa Fe. It was there that I was exposed to lots of global sounds and I played and sang in ensembles that performed Middle-Eastern/Balkan songs, West African drumming, Afro-Latin Pop, and more. It definitely had an impact on my developing style.
I graduated in 2004 with a degree in Music Technology and moved back to Austin to start pursuing my dream. I started recording an album, playing out around town and piecing a band together. I was very fortunate in that local radio took to my first album (released in 2006 – Shudders & Rings) and gave me airplay, thus allowing me to start building a local following. I played gigs at Ruta Maya, Hole in The Wall, Antones and other various places, anywhere I could really. In 2009, I won Best Indie Band/Artist at the Austin Chronicle Austin Music Awards which was huge for me. I feel like that really boosted awareness of me as an artist and at that SXSW, I had way more attention and press than I ever had before.
In 2011, I released my second album Archer and started touring more. That year I played ACL Fest, SXSW, Voodoo Fest and more. I started getting great opening act opportunities (Buena Vista Social Club, Angelique Kidjo, Old 97s, Solange). I decided to move to New York in 2012 and right after moving there was invited to do a private audition for The Voice. I made it onto the show & landed a slot on Team Blake’s team (Season 3). It was a crazy experience and I only made it three rounds in, but it definitely helped me obtain way more visibility and fans. My social media accounts got way more likes/follows and this allowed me to do a bit more touring. I did my first international tour in 2013 venturing to France and returned three times, playing festivals and clubs both solo and with a French band we pieced together. It was incredible.
In 2014, I moved back to Austin and began to start work on my third album Hello Goodbye. I had a small hiccup when I got pregnant and ended up having my first daughter in 2015. My album had to wait just a little bit longer, but it was released in 2017 (produced by David Boyle). Since that time, I’ve had a second child and have become a daytime DJ at Sun Radio, a local solar-powered radio station here in Austin & the Texas hill country. It’s a wonderful day job that allows me to stay connected to and plugged into the scene while I took just a small step back from touring and playing so much. But I continue to do so and since things are picking back up again since April, I’ve been very busy playing live shows while also working on new material for a new album. I’m excited to get back into the studio and release new songs!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been the easiest and it hasn’t been the hardest. I’ve had my fair share of struggles. Getting heard and making your mark among so many other artists can be very challenging, but I feel like I worked hard to open the doors that I thought might be closed for me. I feel like if you are a hard worker and have the talent but most importantly the stamina and self-confidence, you can make the things happen for yourself that you want to do. But I would be lying if I said I never got down and a bit doubtful about my career, especially now as a mom. I start to compare myself to other artists and have to remind myself, hey they don’t have kids, you’re trying to be a badass mom and a musician and that’s a really hard act. I’m doing my best and feel like I’m showing my daughters that if you love something and it brings you and others joy, it’s worth doing, even if it is a bit of a struggle at times. Plus, this time as a mom to young children is so special and goes so fast. It’s worth it for me to be here for them and get to be a part of their world. The music is always there, my love for writing and performing it hasn’t diminished at all.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a singer-songwriter, guitarist and radio personality. My music is a blend of different sounds that have influenced me: jazz, pop, folk, soul, and reggae. I have a unique guitar picking style that people often say distinguishes me from others… I was very influenced by a lot of global music I discovered in college (African, Afro-Brazilian and Reggae) which have very percussive guitar styles and interesting rhythmic phrasing and that really spoke to me and I just found rhythmic finger-picking to be my thing. My singing has also been influenced by a lot and I feel like I absorbed all of the Motown and folk I heard growing up (my parents had a great record collection) and tried to create my own little blend of soulful, smoky, but slightly understated tone. I love singing “big” but I don’t do that a lot, I prefer to draw listeners in with a little more soft, sultry vibe. I am most proud of my ability to blend sounds, styles and rhythms to become my own. In some ways, it makes my career harder because it’s so hard to tell people what kind of music I make, it’s a bit of this & that. But I do feel like you have to set yourself apart in this world and that is kind of what makes my sound unique.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Yes, of course. I have learned that it’s nice to pull back and take a break from the constant promotional side of music, it was nice to just breathe for a bit and re-set. In fact, now that things are kind of “back on” again in regards to live music, I am trying very hard to make sure I don’t just go full speed ahead with any and every gig, that I am more careful about how thin I spread myself. It can be like the hamster wheel in a way where you just say yes to everything, worried that if you don’t you will lose momentum and be forgotten. But I think it’s better to pull back and make more meaningful, mindful decisions and Covid-19 did that for me and many others. It’s also great to have a side hustle or something you do besides music so it’s not your one line of income. As we all learned, that very quickly went away during the pandemic. I also learned that I greatly missed the communal aspect of playing music, as in the pre-show band hang, the talking to the crowd, the interactions with the bartender…those little things that really fed my spirit on a weekly basis. I felt very disconnected without that.
Contact Info:
- Email: zanna@suzannachoffel.com
- Website: suzannachoffel.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/suzannachoffel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzannachoffelmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/suzannachoffel
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SuzannaChoffelMusic
Image Credits
Daniel Cavazos, Sandra Dahdah, Dave Pedley
