China Forbes

China Forbes

Born: April 29, 1970
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
China Forbes (born April 29, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter who has been the lead singer of the band Pink Martini since 1995. In 2022 she was the Ella Fitzgerald award winner at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

The daughter of Peggy (née Woodford) and Donald Cameron Forbes, China Forbes was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her father was of French and Scottish descent, and her mother is African-American. She attended Phillips Exeter Academy ('88), then studied visual arts at Harvard University, where she met Thomas Lauderdale, a classically trained pianist. They became friends and met regularly to play music together. At Harvard, she won the Jonathan Levy Prize for acting.

After graduating in 1992, Forbes worked as an actress for several years, performing Off-Broadway in New York City. She then became a musician, forming a band and recording a solo album. She sang the song "Ordinary Girl" for the television series Clueless and "Que Sera Sera" over the credits for the movie In the Cut. While living in Portland, Oregon, Lauderdale asked her to sing with Pink Martini, a band he had assembled to play at political fundraisers. After three years commuting from New York, she moved to Portland in 1998 to work full-time with the band. Forbes and Lauderdale co-wrote the band's hit "Sympathique (Je ne Veux Pas Travailler)" among many other band originals.

Apart from her work with Pink Martini, she has released solo albums, including Love Handle (November 1995) and '78 (Heinz 2008) which includes her song "Hey Eugene" in its original version. She is featured on Michael Feinstein's album The Sinatra Project, singing a duet of "How Long Will It Last?". She recorded two songs in French with Georges Moustaki for his album Solitaire.

She is a cousin of former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and indie-rock musician Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear. Her sister is Maya Forbes, a screenwriter and director.

Source: Article "China Forbes" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for China Forbes...

The Polka King
Title: The Polka King
Character: Grammy Reporter
Released: January 22, 2017
Type: Movie
Local Pennsylvania polka legend Jan Lewan develops a plan to get rich that shocks his fans and lands him in jail.
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Pink Martini Live at Jazz Open Stuttgart
Title: Pink Martini Live at Jazz Open Stuttgart
Character: Self - Vocals
Released: July 19, 2010
Type: Movie
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Pink Martini - Discover the World
Title: Pink Martini - Discover the World
Character: Self - Vocals
Released: June 2, 2009
Type: Movie
Pink Martini's Discover the World: Live in Concert was released June 2, 2009 worldwide. The feature presentation on the DVD is a performance, previously broadcast on public television and released on DVD, of a December 31, 2005 concert at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. In this second release, a set of Polaroid photos taken by Thomas Lauderdale and a short documentary on the band's history are included.
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Title: Victoires de la musique
Character: Self - Pink Martini
Released: November 23, 1985
Type: TV