Astatine | Bio

BIOGRAPHY

Naturally blessed with a warm, soulful voice, Astatine has been enchanting audiences from an early age. In her home town, an ancient port and cultural center on the banks of the Danube, art and music were never far away.

But even without this bohemian influence, one gets the impression that Astatine would be singing and dancing her way through life. And when she sings, it is more than a performance. Quite effortlessly, this charismatic young lady snatches up those around her and takes them with her, whirling them around in passionate, inspiring musical tales of joy, anguish or love. No matter the language of the song she sings (and there are many languages in her repertoire), audiences are drawn into the story and emotion of her tale.

Known offstage as Ana Maria Leistikow, her early musical life revolved around youth choir and band competitions, with a prominent win for solo voice performance at the age of 9.

Then in 2007 she moved to Germany and was introduced to jazz and swing. It was love at first sight, and Astatine was heading for a successful musical career. A chance meeting with guitarist Frank-Olaf Nagel in the summer of 2009 led to the creation of her first band, giving a voice to vintage American jazz songs from the 30s and 40s. Concurrently, Astatine continued studying and performing the colorful folk and gypsy melodies of her native Romania, joining forces with famous Brussels-based duett, Clement and Csikós in her second project: Bukarest Bohème.

In 2013 a meeting with pianist and arranger Norman Peplow began a new chapter, as Astatine began working on her own melodic compositions with original arrangements. Together they formed Ler.che, a four-piece band of original Romanian avant garde jazz.

Whether traditional or contemporary, Astatine captivates her audience with her instinctive ability to paint pictures with her voice, personality and aura. Residing in Bonn, Germany, she has travelled throughout Europe studying at international workshops, making music with modern jazz greats such as bassist Martin Gjakonovski and pianist Marcus Schinkel, and sharing her music and joie de vivre with all who care to listen.

Performances to date include private concerts for the UN Women, Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Telekom and DHL, and a successful house-concert series under her own management.