Watching Bay Area singer Karina Denike perform is like going back in time, to an era of torch singers. You can hear a lifetime of musical influences in her music — a jazz vocalist’s depth mixed with a punk edge, a little doo wop, an Eastern European lilt, and some 1960’s soul.
Denike was born to Czech parents in England, and grew up on the road — doing street theater with her mom and brother throughout Europe and India, before moving to the East Bay at the age of twelve. In this episode of Bay Area Beats, Denike talks about how being a teenager in Berkeley brought it all together.
DENIKE: I had traveled so much as a kid but [moving to] the States was a big culture shock, actually. But then of course there was the beauty of this place, which is just still stunning to me. The wildness and the freeness of Berkeley was pretty impressive to me, and in some ways actually felt the most like home for us.
You can hear Karine Denike perform live at Slim's in San Francisco January 29.
