Up and coming acoustic singer visits Fresno

Her name is not a household name at the moment when it comes to popular music, but she is steadily gaining ecognition and momentum as she tours.

Alyssa Campbell, also known as Alyssa Suede, is touring to promote her new album, “Black and White in Color.”

Suede will be performing tomorrow night at The Babylon in Fresno. The concert costs $5 and begins at 9 p.m. She will be playing an acoustic set and will also be selling her CD, which was released earlier last month.

Tomorrow night’s performance will be the fourth in nine stops on her three-week California tour.

“I’ve never been there before, it should be fun,” said Suede, referring to her Fresno visit.

Other stops on the tour include Ventura, San Diego, San Francisco, Studio City, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

“I’m really doing it to expand my fan base outside of L.A.”

Another positive aspect of the tour she mentioned is “getting to meet other artists and musicians.”

Suede’s talent is merely a reflection of the family that she has grown up in.

Her father is David Campbell, famous composer/arranger who worked with artists such as John Lennon. Her mother is Raven Kane, a singer and theater composer.

One of her brothers is Beck, the popular alternative singer responsible for progressive rock hits such as “Loser” and “Where It’s At.”

Suede has found her place in the Los Angeles music scene as a solo artist, but she found time in the spotlight even before that. She was formerly a professional figure skater, training alongside Sasha Cohen under instruction of Olympic coach John Nicks.

While figure skating, she brought home numerous medals and trophies from competitions. She was given a role in the Knott’s Berry Farm production of “The Nutcracker on Ice,” where she starred as “Clara.”

She also landed a role in the NBCmade-for-TV movie based on Nancy Kerrigan titled “Nancy Kerrigan —Tonya Harding: The Inside Story,” where she portrayed a young Kerrigan.

Before figure skating, Suede was singing as early as three years old.

She has had starring roles in her high school’s musical productions, as well as on numerous commercials, and was featured as a guest singer on Neil Diamond’s Christmas album.

She eventually discovered that figure skating was not her only passion, so she moved onto singing and songwriting. “I’ve just moved onto something else; onward and upward,” she said. “I just wanted to get a chance to bring out who I am.”

Her music is a blend of her many musical influences that include folk, jazz and Broadway style.

She also mentioned other individuals who inspire her. “Personally, I love Jewel,” she said. “I’m also a huge fan of John Lennon.”

Her style has often been compared to Jewel, as well as singer and songwriter, Lisa Loeb.

Suede’s ambition and wide area of talent will likely lead her into other areas and mediums. She said she has major interest in fashion, adding that she’d like to make her own clothing line someday. She also hopes to act or direct in the future.