A native of Chicago who now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, Stella Soleil (born Stella Katsoudas) was trained in classical ballet when she was a teenager. Her opportunity to sing came when the band formed by her brother held auditions for a lead vocalist. It was then that Stella realized what she was destined to do for a living.
She soon built a loyal following within the club scene of Chicago. While living there, Stella convinced Chicago Trax, a revered recording studio, to give her free studio time. She soon found employment with the company. In a short period of time, Stella found herself singing backup on records by acts like Ministry, 16 Volt, Chemlab, and others.
in need of some catharsis
In the process of trying to acquire a recording deal, Stella became familiar with rejection. A seven-song demo she sent out to record labels was returned intact every time. Left with the impression that the big recording labels would listen to her product if it looked official, Stella decided to form a pseudo label of her own.
The idea soon took shape when she assumed a false name and title to serve as a believable liaison between her and record company receptionists. Friends were recruited to participate in the ambitious ruse.
Stella, who had never even played live before, created such a buzz that her first concert, at the celebrated Metro in Chicago, was a sellout. With the financial windfall from the show, Soleil formed her own real label, Katharsis Records.
stella has a secret
Stella Soleil soon released her first viable record under the name Sister Soleil before Universal recruited her and produced the album Solarium in 1998. After the project ran out of shelf life, Stella remained signed to the label and began work on Dirty Little Secret, released in 2001 to critical and popular acclaim.
The collection of dance songs and ballads won sexy Stella new fans and propelled her into the echelon of fresh new fusion pop acts. For the album, the talented singer worked with a series of established musical collaborators, as well as a team of producers and executive producers who worked with acts such as The Go-Go's, Joan Jett, Enrique Iglesias, and Cher. If this list of talent is any indication, Stella Soleil has a bright future ahead of her.