China Forbes (Pink Martini) is Releasing Her First New Solo Material in 13 Years

Pink Martini, Portland Oregon's globetrotting, self-described "little orchestra," is excited to announce that lead singer China Forbes, the Voice of Pink Martini since 1995, is releasing new solo material on the band's label Heinz Records for the first time since her autobiographical album 78, which came out in 2008.

The second single from this long-awaited new recording project is "Rise", a personal and uplifting tribute to Forbes's friend and former bandmate, percussionist Derek Rieth, who lost a long battle with bi- polar disorder and died by suicide in 2014.

The official music video for "Rise" will premiere worldwide on YouTube and Vimeo on Wednesday, September 7, during National Suicide Prevention Month, and in the middle of National Suicide Prevention Week. The video was produced by filmmaker Joanie Fox, Howie Bierbaum, AJ Gordon and Sascha Fix. Fox and Gordon co-directed the video on location in Portland, Oregon, and the nearby Columbia River Gorge, with editing by acclaimed Portland-based filmmaker Jacob Pander.

In addition to Forbes, the video features members of Portland's Lions of Batucada, a Portland-based Brazilian-styled marching samba ensemble, co-founded in 1996 by Derek Rieth, along with Pink Martini percussionist Brian Davis. The song "Rise" will also be featured in the upcoming feature documentary film Beatlore, about the life of Derek Rieth which is also being directed and produced by Fox.

In 2021, Forbes released her first new solo material in over a decade, with the single and video "Full Circle." She has also recently co-written, with bandleader Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini's two latest hits, including "The Lemonade Song", released in 2020, which has over 9 million streams on Spotify alone.

About "Rise," Forbes says "When my bandmate and great friend, Derek Rieth, was suffering with depression, I sent him a text with some imagery that I thought might help him: 'Rise to the surface of the water, so you can feel the sun on your face again...' I thought that if he stopped resisting the phase he was in, he would rise up out of its grasp. But depression is a desperate, enervated place, and too many of us cannot see a way out. After Derek died by suicide, the words in my text became a song-a song that I hope will help anyone who is suffering from hopelessness. There is hope, and I hope you can feel it."

Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, China Forbes graduated cum laude from Harvard and was awarded the Jonathan Levy Prize for acting. She appeared in New York regional theatre and off-off Broadway productions, earning her Equity card alongside future stars of stage and screen such as Norm Lewis, Peter Jacobson and Rainn Wilson. In 1995, she was plucked from New York City by her Harvard classmate Thomas Lauderdale to sing with Pink Martini, and has since written many of Pink Martini's most beloved songs with Lauderdale, including "Sympathique," "Lilly," "Clementine," "Let's Never Stop Falling in Love," "Over the Valley" and "Hang on Little Tomato."

Her original song "Hey Eugene" is the title track of Pink Martini's third album and many of her songs can also be heard on television and film. She sang "Qué Será Será" over the opening and closing credits of Jane Campion's film In the Cut and her original song "The Northern Line" appears at the end of sister Maya Forbes' directorial debut Infinitely Polar Bear, which was released in 2015 by Sony Pictures Classics.

With Pink Martini, Forbes has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Later with Jools Holland. She has performed songs in over twenty languages and has sung duets with Michael Feinstein, Jimmy Scott, Georges Moustaki, Henri Salvador, Saori Yuki, Faith Prince, Carol Channing and Rufus Wainwright among others. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall to Red Rocks, the Sydney Opera House to the Grand Rex in Paris. In 2022, Forbes was presented with the prestigious Ella Fitzgerald Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival; previous winners include Diana Ross, Etta James, Liza Minelli and Aretha Franklin.

The New York Times has called Pink Martini lead singer China Forbes "an unpretentious, pitch-perfect chanteuse" and Variety states, "impressive at every musician's station, this ensemble produces music that's charming and elegant." The Washington Post notes, "this is rich, hugely approachable music, utterly cosmopolitan yet utterly unpretentious. And it seems to speak to just about everybody."

About the creation of the "Rise" video, Forbes states: "Making this video on the top of a cliff touching the heavens brought me closer to Derek. Dancing with members Derek's samba community brought me closer to him. When we lose our loved ones, any way to stay connected is like finding treasure. I wanted this video to pay tribute to Derek's memory and capture the joy and hope in life that is available to all of us if we can find it. I want this video to help anyone struggling to stay alive."

Joanie Fox is a writer/producer/director living in Portland, Oregon who began a career in the arts at the age of 11 dancing with Ballet West. At 17, she moved to Boston to train and dance professionally before moving to New York City to perform on Broadway at Radio City Music Hall with "The Wizard of Oz, Live". From there, Fox went on to do national tours and off-Broadway productions before studying acting and moving to Los Angeles, where she landed a recurring role on the hit TV Series ER, along with numerous film and TV appearances including Grey's Anatomy, JAG and The Fighting Temptations.

Fox produced the North American premiere of Wedding Dress at Theatre 40 in Los Angeles after being granted the rights by the family of Nelson Rodríguez, Brazil's most prolific writer, poet and playwright. The play received numerous Ovation awards and began her journey into producing. Fox is also the writer of Skater Boy with Paramount Pictures and MTV Films and her original screenplay, Arranging Mia was an official selection and award winner at the LGBT Toronto Film Festival 2017.

Reflecting on the creation of the "Rise" video, Fox stated "China is undeniably a powerhouse talent; her ability to sing in many different languages is phenomenal. China is also a natural in front of the camera. Never pushing, her instinctive performance was beautiful to witness. Our amazing crew loved working with China and appreciated her work ethic and collaborative spirit. 'Rise' is a message of hope. In sharing Derek Rieth's story our hope is to create awareness for mental health and suicide prevention."

In 1994 Pink Martini bandleader Lauderdale had finished college and returned to his hometown of Portland, OR. He was working at City Hall with an eye towards running for office. Being a classically trained pianist, music was always in the background, and he formed his "little orchestra" Pink Martini as a means to provide music for political fundraisers for progressive causes near to his heart - including civil rights, affordable housing, the environment, and public broadcasting.

China Forbes, Lauderdale's friend from their college days at Harvard, joined the group the following year, and the first song they wrote together, "Sympathique" (Je ne veux pas travailler), became an overnight sensation in France, where it remains a mantra ("Je ne veux pas travailler" translates to "I don't want to work") for striking French workers. Politics continues to be a focal point for the band, as both Lauderdale and Pink Martini lend their voice to progressive causes. Lauderdale is also passionate about curating and incubating talent, and often features a variety of guest singers or musicians in the band's performances, from local student musicians to internationally known stars.

Throughout their history, on record and live in concert, Pink Martini has featured a dozen musicians with songs in 25 languages, and they perform their multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout the world. Pink Martini's 13 studio albums, all on the band's own label, Heinz Records, have collectively sold over 3 million physical copies worldwide, and been streamed on Spotify over 200 million times.

The upcoming documentary, BEATLORE, is a look at the life and legacy of Derek Rieth, former percussionist with the world-famous band Pink Martini. Derek was always running towards life but during a manic phase followed by a deep depression Derek died by suicide. Derek was world renowned for his mastery of Brazilian and Afro Cuban drumming. Everyone who met Derek fell in love with his charismatic nature and undying passion for music and community.

Watch the new music video here:

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