“I pull you to me…” sings Dina Layzis, as she begins the chorus to the song “Rain.”
It’s a moment that works on multiple levels, as her voice itself draws you in, creating the sense that she’s standing mere inches away with a secret intended for you alone. Dina Layzis has that special ability to conjure up intimacy in her music – a quality found in the work of so many of the truly great singers through the decades
Of course, this doesn’t mean Layzis can’t belt it out when she wants to. Indeed, much of the appeal of her singing stems from the way she moves between gentle vulnerability and soaring power, showing impressive command of diverse material and moods.
Dina’s life as a musician actually began when she was only four years old, when she started studying voice, piano, and violin, thanks to the contagious love of music in a household of classical violinists and an opera singer. Unfortunately, Dina’s parents were forced to leave behind their careers in music when they moved to the United States from Ukraine following the Chernobyl disaster. This alarming turn of events uprooted their life but didn’t stop them from infusing Dina with years of artistic wisdom and discipline. Later, she also gained additional education from the Berklee College of Music. This all helped prepare a singer with an accomplished technique who can sing with tenderness and sensuality in a number of languages.
Not surprisingly, fans and musical colleagues have taken notice. Dina recently recorded a powerful selection of ballads with Grammy-nominated Marco Marinengeli, who has written and produced for artists such as Josh Groban, Placido Domingo, and Il Divo. For her next project, she is in talks with Oscar-, Grammy-, and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter Jud Friedman.
Dina has also been maintaining a steady performing schedule in the Northeast and has garnered more than 100,000 plays on YouTube, where she provides a consistent stream of new content. Dreamland, an album of children’s lullabies she co-wrote and produced, has sold more than 500 copies and received a starred review from the national School Library Journal. Her single, "Magic Unfolding" won international songwriting honors, and her performance earned her a Hollywood Music in Media Award nomination. She was featured on the east coast news segment “Music Mondays,” was listed on Hot 100 Unsigned Artists by Music Connections magazine and was also highlighted in the Burlington County Times. She also works to promote EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa) awareness and donates to Debra of America, a charitable organization in New York.
“I want to change the world for the better through singing,” she sums up. “I think musicians hold an important responsibility to cultivate their craft and share it with the rest of the world. We should aim to be someone’s inspiration, as great musicians have been for us.”