Raised in a musical family (her mother was a singer, her father a pianist and her mother’s accompanist), Ilona Knopfler traveled the world by the time she was in pre-school. Once, in Hong Kong, Ilona took the stage for the first time, at six-years-old. By the time Ilona was 15, she was singing professionally as a back-up singer for a rock band in Hong Kong. When she turned 18, Ilona moved to New York City and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. She signed with Mack Avenue in 2003, releasing her debut, “Some Kind of Wonderful” that same year. On “Live the Life,” her new release for Mack Avenue, French chanteuse Ilona Knopfler makes a strong musical statement that further defines her place in the jazz world. With her soulful, strong, energetic, belting voice, Ilona has been know to take non-traditional jazz tunes and sing them tastefully and in a classic traditional pop style with jazz inflections. Ilona is fluent and sings in both English and French. She currently splits her time between Paris, France and Atlanta, Georgia.
