Brief Bio:

California Folk by Way of Sweden...

Cleopatra’s debut album Pacific was released in Fall, 2014. Following its release, Cleopatra was a featured artist on NPR’s World Café Next, and the record has charted on numerous college radio stations. She has been touring since the record’s release. The Austin Chronicle suggested that Cleopatra is the “Emmylou Harris for a new generation of folk.”

Although she was born in California, Cleopatra spent most of her childhood in Sweden. Despite this, as NPR’s David Dye says, the songs “speak fluent Californian.” Pacific is a lush collection of tunes that dive deep as they seek meaning. It’s a record underpinned by traditional American folk influences, but Cleopatra is no museum piece. The album resides securely in the present, even if the ghosts of Laurel Canyon and the Dustbowl do make frequent appearances.

Pacific features a cast of collaborators who, individually, have worked with Leonard Cohen, Warren Zevon, Peter Case, Lucinda Williams, and many others.

This winter/spring, Cleopatra is touring the West Coast and Southwest, including showcases at the 2015 SXSW Music Conference. This summer, she’ll be playing shows on the East Coast and in Europe.

The video for the song “California Forest Fire” was directed by filmmaker James Reid in L.A. and can be seen on Youtube. Cleopatra was also chosen as a finalist in the 2014 San Diego County Fair Singer/Songwriter Contest. 

Full Bio:

Cleopatra Degher California folk by way of Sweden...

Cleopatra’s debut album Pacific was released in Fall, 2014. Following its release, she was a featured artist on NPR’s World Café Next, and the record charted on numerous college radio stations across the U.S. The Austin Chronicle says she may be the “Emmylou Harris for a new generation of folk.” San Diego critic Layla Marino said the “pitch-perfect timbre of Degher’s voice . . . rivals those of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell.”

There’s a lot of California in Cleopatra’s sound – NPR’s David Dye noted that the songs “speak fluent Californian” – but, in fact, she spent more of her childhood in Sweden. After attending kindergarten near San Diego, she lived the rest of her school years in Malmö (the child of a Swedish mother and a Californian father). But Cleopatra sometimes felt like an outsider in Sweden and experienced a deep sense of homecoming when she returned to California at eighteen. She released a debut EP Restrung soon after (in 2012). Referring to the EP’s title, she said that’s how she felt coming back to California, “like a guitar with brand new strings.” The San Diego Union Tribune called the EP “a catchy acoustic collection brimming with melody and insight.”

With Pacific, Cleopatra has taken things to the next level. It’s a lush, fully-realized collection of songs that dive deep, that seek, that calm. It’s a record where traditional American folk influences underpin both the songs and the performances. But Cleopatra has little interest in being a museum piece. Her contemporary folk sensibilities, along with something fresh in her haunting voice, ensure that the album resides securely in the present – even if the ghosts of Laurel Canyon and the Dustbowl do make frequent appearances.

Pacific was produced by Darius (Cleopatra’s singer-songwriter dad, who has released five CDs and played on Warren Zevon’s Sentimental Hygiene album). It was mixed by award-winning San Diego producer-engineer Jeff Berkley and mastered by Gavin Lurssen (T-Bone Burnett, Jackson Browne) in Los Angeles. The album features an eclectic cast of L.A. musicians as well, including drummers Phil Leavitt (7Horse & Dada) and Kevin Jarvis (Leonard Cohen, Peter Case), and keyboardist Carl Byron (Michelle Shocked). The record also features vocal harmonies courtesy of her friends in the San Diego acoustic music scene.

Cleopatra is currently touring the West Coast and will then head south, where she will play in New Orleans, Nashville, and at the 2015 SXSW Music Conference, among other tour stops. Of course, she has also logged quite a few shows in Southern California, opening for such artists as Aoife O’Donovan. This summer, she’ll be playing shows on the East Coast and in Europe.

The video for the song “California Forest Fire” was directed by filmmaker James Reid in L.A. and can be seen on Youtube. Cleopatra was chosen as a finalist in the 2014 San Diego County Fair Singer/Songwriter Contest.

Cleopatra is managed by Loophole Management, Austin Texas. For more information, visit www.CleopatraDegher.com