Stella Soleil

Stella Katsoudas, originally of Sister Soleil fame, has always had a hand in electronically charged music. A sassy female singer/songwriter with a saucy edge, Katsoudas found herself following her musically inclined brother during her teenage years. Splitting her time between New York and Los Angeles while working as a professional ballet dancer, Katsoudas opted for a career change. She found herself in Chicago, playing around with free studio time at Chicago Traxx. Shortly thereafter, she had gigs singing backup for Chemlab and Ministry, soon noticing that her love for Cocteau Twins and Nine Inch Nails was motivating her to do this singing thing by herself. A seven-track demo was sent to more than 150 labels, and naturally neglected, but Katsoudas remained optimistic. She formed her own Katharsis Records and plugged her music, landing a sell-out show at Chicago's Metro club. Universal picked up Katsoudas and her outfit, Sister Soleil, for 1998's Soularium. The single, "Torch," received moderate play among college radio and a tour with Michigan's Getaway Cruiser created a brief buzz, but Sister Soleil only lasted a year. Three years later, Katsoudas, now going by the moniker Stella Soleil, returned for a solo career with 2001's Dirty Little Secret. Molding more of a spunky dance twist to her funky girly drawl, Dirty Little Secret yielded quick praise with debut single "Kiss Kiss."