Claudya - Straws & Candy (1990)

So, Adriana never fails to please, and this week she sent me the only album by Claudya, an artist I have never heard of but most definitely enjoyed.  As always, I am intrigued by these obscure ladies and I just HAD to find out more.  I immediately went to Discogs, which gave me nothing as per usual (though I was sure to update her page there after I did my research. ;)  A little poking around revealed that Claudya is Claudia Soumeru, an Indonesian lovely from The Netherlands.  While I can't find out much about her beginnings, at some point she was signed by Indisc Benelux.  In 1989 she released her first maxi-single, the dance-poppy "Saturday Night", which also included the ballad "Let's Not Begin".  Her oddly titled album appeared the following year and followed the same dance-pop formula.  One other single was released, the mid-tempo "I Wanna Go There", but neither the singles nor the album were a success.  It seemed that was the last of Claudia, but in 1994 she teamed up with two other Dutch-Indonesian ladies, Selina Loupatty and Tosca Aijal, to front the group Clau-Dya's.  They had some local success with their first single, "Tudeletutu (Wish We Were Lovers)", and released their second, "Round & Round", in 1995.  In 1996 the ladies competed in the Dutch Nationaal Songfestival, the preselection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, where they performed a few other songs, but apparently they broke up after they weren't selected for Eurovision.  Claudia mostly left music to pursue stage production, but in 2002 she rejoined former Clau-Dya's producer and bandmember Michiel Eilbracht to form funk-metal band Bagga Bownz.  The group released their debut album Done With The Pain in 2008 and continue to record and perform.  You can download some of their tracks for free at their Bandcamp page should you wish.  Thanks again to Adriana for the album, especially since I enjoy hunting down such obscure artists on the internet (when I have the time!) and discovering that they are still alive, well and making music! :)

UPDATE:  Just got a message from Claudia herself!  Thanks for writing, Claudia!!  Here's her message:

"Hi Nasty G, Nice to read about myself!!! Currently we 're on the latest album of Armin van Buuren, and busy recording Acoustic Dance Music, and of course new Baggabownz songs. thnx…and I'll keep you posted. Claudia Soumeru  (Never stop singing)

Claudia's Official Facebook Page

Download Straws & Candy

1		Don't Push Me
2		Back To The Beat
3		Everything In Me
4		Anywhere You Go
5		Let's Not Begin
6		I Wanna Go There
7		Always Be Waiting
8		Good Side
9		Tell Me Baby
10		Saturdaynight
11		Saturdaynight (Extended Dance Version)