Stereolizza

Overview

“X.Y.Z.” – the first single from “X-amine Your Zippa” album that made the group popular in Europe in 2005-2006 remained on top of the charts of Ukrainian, Russian, Polish radio stations (Europa Plus, Europa FM, Hit FM, Gala Radio, Radio NRJ, Prosto Radio, ESKA Radio, RMF FM and other).

Stereolizza’s music videos were broadcast and charted on major TV channels of Ukraine, U.S., Russia and Poland (MTV, M1, OTV, TVP1, TVP2, Polsat, International Music Feed, etc.)

The band’s songs became soundtracks for the following movies and TV shows:

Formation and early years (1998-2003)

Lizza and AlecZero met in a 7-piece jazz cover band in Kiev, Ukraine, where Lizza was one of the lead singers and AlecZero played bass guitar. The band performed at various live venues playing jazz standards and evergreen hits for a couple of years, unless Lizza and AlecZero got together on a side to create their own music. The name Stereolizza derived from playing around with the name of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Mona Lisa, that the band transformed into Mono Lisa and to the final band name Stereolizza that integrates feminine appearance with musical vocation.

The band’s Russian language album Escape (Russian – Побег, 1999), fully written by AlecZero, was not simply a compilation of songs, but rather a conceptual Rock opera, where all songs were liaised into one piece of work – a story about a virtual girl with a name Stereolizza, who lived in the World Wide Web and ran away from an imaginary Cosmo-jail into a mega-city, looking for better life and adventures. “Escape – is all about breaking stereotypes, about escaping from principles imposed by society that are suppressing many people.”

Although this being the first attempt to create a virtual artist on the music scene, Stereolizza’s new album was dubiously perceived by local mass media and was not commercially successful.

International start (2003-2008)

Despite the failure of the debut album, the duo continues to write songs. Influenced by Eminem’s The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP, Lizza is trying herself in Hip hop, now contributing to the songwriting process with AlecZero, but this time their songs are in English. Enticed by the international potential of the band’s new material, Ukrainian Records, a licensee of Universal Music Group in Ukraine, signs them to a multi-album deal in 2003.

The group gets into the studio to turn their demos into records with AlecZero supervising the music production. Although, the recording process took much longer than the band expected due to the Orange Revolution that started happening in Ukraine in 2004.

Finally, in 2005 Ukrainian Records launches Stereolizza’s X.Y.Z. – the first single of the X-amine Your Zippa album. X.Y.Z., the abbreviation of the examine your zipper, is a derogatory message, addressed to Lizza’s imaginary partner in a promiscuous relationship. The music video for the single was shot in New York City by Radioactive Films and directed by Victor Priduvalov. The song later became Stereolizza’s breakthrough hit on the European market.

The follow-up single Corporate Logic derides corporate ethic rules that everybody knows of, but nobody abides by in a regular day-to-day office life. The music video, directed by Jason Argyropoulos and produced by Tree Filmworks in Los Angeles, was influenced by the era of Art Deco and the story of Bonnie and Clyde.

In 2006, during The Black Eyed Peas’ Monkey Business Tour Stereolizza were selected to be the only opening act for the American band in Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. Stereolizza themselves started touring with the support of the national mobile operators Kievstar GSM and djuice, lined up with the artists like Apollo 440, Sean Paul, The Chemical Brothers and Planet Funk.

X-amine Your Zippa album, released in Ukraine (2006), Poland (2006), Russia (2007), EU (2006) and UAE (2007), established Stereolizza as one of a kind white female hip-hop performer at that time. Some mass media claimed Lizza was “Eminem dressed in a skirt”.

Album track list:

The European version of the album released by Universal Music Group International (London, UK) also included a cover song to Blondie (band)’s Rapture.

In 2007 Stereolizza was being sponsored by the manufacturer of kid’s clothes and uniforms Yunist, taking part in photo shoots, runways and charity events for kids. At that same period of time Lizza accepts an offer from Playboy to pose for their November 2007 front cover, thus demonstrating her contradictory behavior that made her even more liked by the band’s fans and hated by the others.

In the end of 2007 M1 Music Channel invites Lizza to be a celebrity co-host of Guten Morgen – a national daily morning show. Writing songs for the next album with AlecZero and playing occasional shows, Lizza was combining her music and hosting career all the way through the middle of 2008.

Move to the U.S.A. (2008-present)

When Stereolizza felt they had enough material for the new album, it turned out Ukrainian Records were not able to cover the recording costs and to further invest in the artist’s career, and Stereolizza were dropped from the label thereafter. By coincidence, at this very moment the band received an offer from several U.S. promoters to play shows in the United States. The band packed their instruments and left Ukraine to perform in a couple of American cities, not yet knowing that Los Angeles would then become their final destination.

Having settled in Los Angeles the group continued to play shows at local live venues, colleges and universities.

Later on AlecZero and Lizza become U.S. residents, upgrade their home studio and form their own label, StereoZzilla Music. At this time AlecZero further develops his hands-on music production skills, which made it possible for the band to complete their songs independently and release them on their own label.

In 2012 Stereolizza released a pop-dance single Carousel. It was produced by AlecZero, mixed by Ariel Chobaz, mastered by Brian Gardner (Big Bass) at the Bernie Grundman Mastering. The cover art for Carousel was created by a world-renowned graphic designer from Brazil Adhemas Batista. The track received an award from Malopolskie TV as Best Summer Hit of 2012.

Four months later a Swedish house label Clubstream pink released Stereolizza’s Carousel Club EP with remixes from Inossi, DJ S1 and U4Ya.

Go Back To Your Mama – another recent track from the band. Stereolizza continues to work in the style of urban pop, keeping their “hook” from the times of X.Y.Z. – aggressive verses and melodic choruses, but this time adding some elements of house music. The music video was shot in Los Angeles and Lancaster, California and premiered on M1 Music Channel.

Go Back To Your Mama EP was released worldwide by Ego Music on March 15, 2013 and included remixes by Rico Bernasconi & Jordy and Stereo Palma.

Go Back To Your Mama - Release History

Band members

Current members

Former members (touring)

Discography