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Biography

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Biography:

Sananda Francesco Maitreya, (Artist Name: Sananda Maitreya) was born from the smouldering ashes of a former artists heart who had undergone severe trauma, lost his will and prayed devotedly to his creator to restore him to a new life. After much meditation, in 1995, at the age of 33, earth years, his prayers were answered and he was given a new consciousness. The name given to this consciousness was Sananda which means 'one who walks with light', Maitreya which means 'among the sons of God'. He presents his music as POST MILLENNIUM ROCK because he feels that it is more inclusive and representative of the vision his spirit inspires him to share. He inherited a body born March 15th 1962, in Harlem-Manhattan-New York City and married for the first time in 2003 his wife and long time friend Francesca Francone Maitreya. He lives full time in Milano-Italy and looks after his own affairs. He says that he had his light switched on at the age of 2 by the music of the Beatles and has been a fool for music ever since. "I have suffered music and she has suffered me and there is no doubt that she has seen my willingness to bear her love even in the darkest hours and because of that we have earned one another's trust and our bond is close and deep. I would die for the music and in fact already have". He plays the four basic instruments of Rock: drums, bass, guitar and keyboards; as well as a few others instruments besides and can never remember a time when music wasn't playing in his head! From the beginning of his professional career he has written and produced his musical affairs. He was and remains a fan of all kinds of music and is committed to completing his own unique vision of what music can be as filtered through his own set of circumstances and the truth of his own nature. In describing his music he quotes from one of his idols, the great American Prophet and Poet Walt Whitman "Listen, I will be honest with you. I do not offer the old smooth prizes, but offer rough new prizes". His hobbies include whatever explains beauty and allows him to put more of it back into the world of wonders.

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Once upon a time, an artist, a fish, woke up to find himself in an era swimming in various kinds of music,
the best of which touched him as a fish swimming in water feels everything that the water contains.
He decided to take elements of all that moved him, wrap it around his vision and call it: 'POST MILLENNIUM ROCK' (PMR!).
PMR acknowledges with respect all that has gone before it, adds new strains and continues it passing it forward.
PMR recognizes no valid ethnic, gender, age or language barriers and recognizes that its origins belong to the people. It is by its nature a hybrid form just as pre-millenium rock was/is and so contains aspects when inspired of country, soul, gospel, jazz, 'world', hip-hop, classical, reggae, and anything that moves the spirit. Its main elements are heart and soul (the soul that is present in all true music, that comes from the heart, not the marketing category of soul). Its nature is passion, courage and curiosity and it acknowledges no rules and will not be tamed merely for easy corporate consumption. It is its own beast and shall remain so. Its purpose is to lead the listener back to the garden in their heart, to provoke the mind into seeing fresh new shapes in order to encourage fresh new visions and PMR has a preference (though no rules) for natural instrumentation played by living beings praising spirit and humanity through their chosen intruments.
This particular fish heard the call of Sananda in 1995, at the age of 33. And he has been one of his voices since.
He was also instructed to use the new music he would be given by Sananda not as a further barrier of separation, but as a call to community and shared values, because we are all one!

Sananda

ps: 'throwing different shapes at your mind since time'

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Facts & Figures:

March 15, 1962: Birth of Terence Trent Howard in Manhattan, New York.
When his mom married Reverend J.B. Darby his last name changed and later he completed it with the apostrophe.
July 30, 1980: Joined the US Army and was shipped to Frankfurt, Germany
1980: Joined the band The Touch
April 15, 1983: Got a formal discharge by the U.S. Army 'cause he went AWOL (Absent Without Leave)
1984: Release of LP "Love On Time" with The Touch, which was re-released in 1989 under the name "Early Works" with more songs on it *(1)
From 1980 till 1986 he was singing with The Touch and the last years full-time

1986: He went to London and joined the 9-piece soul & funk band The Bojangels
1986: Was signed for CBS
1986: New Musical Express put the till then unknown singer on the cover of their magazine with the headline: NEW PRINCE OF POP

July 1987: Release in the UK of "Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby", which sold 1 million copies in three days after the release! (And total sales of 12 million copies so far)
November 1987: First one-week US Tour, to New York, Los Angeles and several other big American cities *(2)
December 1987: European Tour *(2)

February 20, 1988: AIMS Gala, London
1988: Nominated for a Grammy as "New Artist" (30th Grammy Awards)
1988: At the British Awards chosen as "Top International Newcomer"

May 1989: At the International Rock Awards he was nominated for "Artist of the Year" and "Album of the Year" for "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby"
1989: Release of "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" (Total sales 2 million copies)
February 1989: Nominated for a Grammy and won it for: Male R&B Vocal "Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby" (31th Grammy Awards)
1989/1990: 7-CITY U.S. Tour

May 5, 1990: John Lennon Tribute Concert, Liverpool

1993: He moved to LA, USA
1993: Release of "Symphony Or Damn"
June 1993: US Tour *(2)
End of June 1993: Special Guest at concerts Bruce Springsteen *(2)
July - August 1993: Support for Duran Duran concerts in the US *(2)
October - November 1993: European Tour *(2)
December 1993: Japanese Tour *(2)

"Symphony or Damn went on to receive unprecendentedly favorable coverage from Rolling Stone, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Spin, Musician, the Los Angeles Times and literally scores of other publications. Musician described it as "Sgt. Pepper's as sung by Sam Cooke," while calling Terence "an extravagant talent." The album's singles, "Do You Love Me Like You Say?," "She Kissed Me" and "Delicate" went on to receive wide airplay. Symphony or Damn landed on numerous year-end "Top-10 album" lists for 1993." EMI

1995: Release of "Vibrator"
May 1995: Japanese Tour *(2)
June - July - August 1995: European Tour *(2)
August till November 1995: US Tour *(2)

1996: Left Sony

1997: Was signed for Java Records, new promising daughter (at the time) of Capitol, with Glen Ballard as leading man

1998: Recorded his new album which would be named "Terence Trent D'Arby's Soular Return" but wasn't released by Java
1998: Played a small role as A&R manager in the movie "Clubland", premiere April 16, 1999

June 12, 1999: Performed with the remaining members of INXS at the opening of the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia
1999: Played the role of Jackie Wilson in the CBS's mini-series "Shake, Rattle & Roll" which was broadcasted in November that year

2000: Bought the rights back of his album and then left Java Records and his management Lippman Entertainment

2001: He left LA and moved to Munich, Germany where he created his own label: "Sananda Records"
April 1, 2001: Free Internet-release of the song "Shadows"
April 8, 2001: Free Internet-release of his new album, now under the name "Wild Card"
September and October 2001: Showcases for his new album in Germany and Austria *(2)
October 4, 2001: The day his name Sananda Maitreya was legalized
October 11, 2001: Release of the cd "WILDCARD" in Japan, with bonus track
October 22, 2001: Release of the cd "WILDCARD" in the German Speaking Areas and over the Internet
October 25 - 31, 2001: Sananda was in Japan for promotion
October 26, 2001: Release of the cd "WILDCARD" in Italy
November, 2001: Release single "O Divina" (Germany and Italy)
November 3, 2001: Performing at the musicevent "Charity 2001" Hand in Hand for Children, Velodrom Berlin
November and December 2001: He would be the Special Guest at UB40's European Cover Up Tour for 18 concerts but it was cancelled
November 30, 2001: Aids - Benefit - Party "Red, Hot and Dance", Hamburg
December 15, 2001: Concert in Vatican for the Pope with other artists

December 2001: "O Divina" was the most aired song on the Italian Radio!
Also the song was at number 1 at many charts for ordering belltones for cellphones :)

Begin of 2002: He moved from Munich to Milan, Italy
March 15, 2002: Sananda's Birthdaygift, free Internet-release of several songs
May 2002: 3 Unplugged concerts with Louis Metoyer in Italy *(2)
June 2002: Sananda formed a new band
June 21, 2002: Festivalbar event in Taormina, Sicily
June 24, 2002: Sananda modelled for Roberto Cavalli's Fashion Show in Milan
July 2002: More concerts in Italy *(2)
July 15, 2002: Re-release album: WILDCARD! - The Joker's Edition and the opening of:
Sananda's Online Store
Also the release of a new single: "What Shall I Do?"
August till end of 2002: More concerts, the "upbeat" for a coming World-Tour *(2)

August 2002: The site reaches the number 1-spot at the main searchengines Google, Yahoo, Aol, Netscape and CompuServe! Also indexed at MSN :)

December 2002: Sananda's Xmas-gift; 4 LIVE songs from concerts 2002

Some from reviews WildCard!:
"(..) All that and the newly metamorphosed Maitreya gives a remarkably sublime vocal performance throughout. Wildcard! is soul music with a capital "S" and in the broadest, most stirring, and visionary sense." AMG

"(..) So it’s something of a surprise to be shaking hands in 2003 with the eminently sane individual who has bounded through the door of a London hotel room. He’s stick thin, looks ten years younger than his age (40), clad in designer casuals, and has none of the hallmarks of a rock’n’roll casualty. He’s here on a charm offensive, promoting a new album, Wildcard!, on his own label. And another surprise is just how good it is, full of the fierce passion and sharp hooks of his debut release. The catchy first track, O Divina, has already been a minor hit in Italy, his new home after a decade in LA." TimesOnline

"(..) Whàt a voice, whàt a talent, whàt a comeback!" Dutch Newspaper

February 2003: FREE internet release of 3 more songs
March 2003: Starting with his WildCard! World-Tour! *(2)

June 3, 2003: Release WILDCARD! - The Jokers' Edition in the USA
June 10, 2003: Release WILDCARD! - The Jokers' Edition in France
June 30, 2003: Sananda married with Francesca Francone

Angels & Vampires - Volume I:
May 11, 2004: Release of Chapter 1: "THE JAGUAR AND THE JUNGLE SOUND"
August 15, 2004: Release of Chapter 2: "MONKEY PUZZLES: pastiche, present & future"
November 8, 2004: Release of Chapter 3: "NYMPHETAMINES: new pills for new thrills"
February 11, 2005: Release of Chapter 4: "THE RETURN OF THE MISSING LINCOLNS"
May 1, 2005: Release of Chapter 5: "THUNDERCHICKEN"

Angels & Vampires - Volume II:
October 8, 2005: Release of Chapter 1: "THE RISE OF THE HETERO-SAPIENS"
February 2, 2006: Release of Chapter 2: "THE BALLAD OF LONESOME RHODES"
April 28, 2006: Release of Chapter 3: "CONUNDRUMS & BASS"

July 2007: release of DVD LIVE AT THE BLUE NOTE

October 19, 2007: release of "ANGELS & VAMPIRES" 2CD LIMITED EDITION

Nigor Mortis
October 10, 2007: Release of Chapter 1: "DYING IS EASY"
February 4, 2008: Release of Chapter 2: "NEUTERED & SPADE"
May 9, 2008: Release of Chapter 3: "PUSSY FOR PERJURY"
December 5 , 2008: Release of Chapter 4: "SUCK MY CONTRADICTION"
March 4, 2009: Release of Chapter 5: "IF YOU WERE LIVING HERE (WITH ME), YOU'D ALREADY BE HOME BY NOW"
May 20, 2009: Release of Mastered Mp3 & Instrumental/Karaoke versions & CD

The Sphinx
December 9, 2009: Release of Chapter 1: "BRUSHSTROKE SUNRISE"
May 7, 2010: Release of Chapter 2: "ZOOATHALON - Part 1: "STRAW HORSES & PAPER TIGERS"


*(1) See Discography

*(2) See Concerts & Televison for those dates

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - COPYRIGHT SANANDA MAITREYA 2001-2009