AMANDA MARTINEZ

Amanda Martinez is a Toronto-based singer/songwriter whose music exultingly blends her unique Mexican and South African roots with flamenco soul.

She has released four albums and working on her 5th album Momentos for release spring 2024. Her songs have been selected for four Putumayo world music collections – Bossa nova around the world, Café Latino, Latin dreamland and Mexico.

Growing up in a bicultural household, Amanda was influenced by her father’s eclectic record collection which she spent hours listening to and her trips to Mexico to visit her family. She credits her parents for sparking her love of music.

Her upcoming album Momentos features collaborations with Juno award winning Malagasy guitarist Donné Roberts, multi-instrumentalist Waleed Abdulhamid and Ladino singer/songwriter Aviva Chernick as well as her long time band mates Kevin Laliberté (producer and guitarist), Drew Birston (bass), Rosendo “Chendy” Leon (percussion) and Alexander Brown (trumpet) Her previous albums have featured collaborations with Juno award winning singer Kellylee Evans, Grammy nominated Miami based singer Elsten Torres and Grammy winning producerJavier Limon.

Career highlights include headlining the Blue Note jazz club in NYC, the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the Pan American Games in Mexico and Canada. She has also been a guest recording and touring artist of award-winning guitarist Jesse Cook. She has sold out Toronto’s Koerner Hall multiple times and Ottawa’s National Arts Centre and Winter Garden Theatre.

Amanda has been recognized with multiple nominations as Latin Jazz Artist of the Year (Canada’s National Jazz Awards), Best World Music Artist (Canadian Folk Music Awards) and she was the winner of Best World Music Artist (Toronto Independent Music Awards) for her debut album Sola. Her albums have reached the top 10 on iTunes World Music charts.

In addition to her music career Amanda works as an actress in film and tv including roles in Hallmark’s Two for the Win, Private eyes and The Hot Zone. Her voice may be recognized as Queen Haven on My Little Pony and Abuela on the PBS series Rosie’s rules for which she also co-composes the music.