We hate for you to know this, but Rania was born into a musical family and studied classical violin and music composition from a young age, completing her studies at a very nice conservatory. The cynics are right, there's nepotism everywhere. But the cynics won't tell you the cute parts, right? Like, for example, how little Rania used to write showtunes for her Polly Pockets. Isn't that adorable? Does that information make you resent nepotism less or more? Asking for Rania's PR team. Do let us know. Anyway, that cute girl grew up, played in a shoegaze rock band (electric violin! rad!), studied avant-garde operas and microtonal modes, earned a schmancy music degree, and then...realized she wanted to go back and write more of the character-sketch songs she started with. So now that's what she's doing.

As a singer-songwriter, she's inspired by myriad performers whose senses of humor have matched their musicianship: Christine Lavin, Judy Henske, Lou and Peter Berryman, Tom Lehrer, the Smothers Brothers. Although, if you stumble on her after midnight, you'll catch her listening to more melodramatic fare: the keening strains of Robert Burns' wintry ballads, the rich melancholy of Josh Pyke, the tantalizing tragedy of Phil Ochs, the rockingly anguished jams of Jesus Christ Superstar. (If it's much later than midnight, English will have gone out the window in favor of what people like to call the "universal language" and you'll find her taking solace in the voices of Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan, Hyde, Koshi Inaba, Taemin, Key, Yasemin Mori, and Rita Pavone.)

But enough free advertising for all of these folks. 

Rania's style represents a maximalist amalgam of her musical influences, from the classical to the popular to the avant-garde. She aims to surprise you...which she realizes is harder to do now that she's said it. Well, that's okay, as long as you at least smile and laugh, she'll be happy.