Erika Smith To Release First Album CALENDAR GIRL

Erika Smith is an actress, music artist and writer, who is releasing her first studio album "Calendar Girl," in collaboration with Calvin Gaines and Mark Wilson, who are the producers. Stating, "I'm so fortunate to be working with these guys. They've produced mega star artists such as Beyonce, Gaga and Brandy. They are so talented and supportive, I couldn't have imagined a better creative team."

Smith wrote all of the songs on her upcoming album. Recently, Smith signed with Visionary Talent Agency across the board for all of her work in TV and film, theater, commercials, voice over and hosting. Smith is also known for her work as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, recently headlining The Bellagio Las Vegas's New Year's show.

Smith stated in a recent interview, "I love this work and it is a lot of fun; and I will continue to make appearances portraying Marilyn on occasion." Erika Smith has much more to accomplish in the entertainment industry in TV/film and music, which is becoming more of a focus for her. She is completing her first music video, "Frequency Of Love," and is in pre-production on a film that will begin filming in March. Smith states, "I can't say much about the film yet, except that it's going to be a very different and fun role for me."

Erika Smith obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Hunter College, where she had vocal training in opera, jazz and composition. She attended the Songwriting School of Los Angeles. When asked how recording music came about, Smith spoke of her love of music, and how her love for music encompasses all genres, for as long as she can remember. Stating, "I've always been a fan of music, from pop to jazz, opera, soul, funk, country, and rock. My music draws from all of these styles, and more." Continuing, "Much like through my work as an actress where I portray different characters, I don't limit myself to any one sound. And, I'm not the sort of person who wears my heart on my sleeve, so music is a safe place to share those thoughts and feelings, and I try to do it in a cool way. I've always loved lyrics and poetry, the art of songwriting, so I enjoy putting the puzzle pieces together and creating my own contributions to this art form that has inspired me so much." I have a few singles available on iTunes, https://music.apple.com/us/artist/erika-smith/1033362676.

Erika Smith studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse, taught by Ron Stetson. Stating, "Ron is truly a force of nature and taught a lot of great actors, my favorite being Viola Davis. It was such a transformative time in my life. Smith has also studied at the Howard Fine Studio, The Studio, The Chekhov Group, and she is an auditing member of the Actor's Studio.Having a love for comedy, Smith studied and performed at the Upright Citizen's Brigade and The Groundlings. "Live performing is the most fun for me because I get to see an audience's reactions in real time and share that moment with them. I feel lucky that my job is to entertain people, and make them laugh. I've always had that bug."

Erika Smith's recent television roles include appearing on Netflix's "Gentefied," HBO's "The Deuce," and TV Land's "The Jim Gaffigan Show." Smith has begun what is shaping up to be a busy pilot season. Stating, "I loved the Lorne Michaels show "Schmigadoon," and would love to do a musical TV project like that." Speaking of musicals, Smith has always had a love for musicals and has performed in Off-Off Broadway and in Off-Broadway shows to include, "Medea Machine," "Screen Sirens," "Spectacular Spectacular!" and "A Doll's House."

Smith spoke of remembering when she was very young and wrote and sang songs about her cat Lucy (named after the Peanuts character) when she was five. Then, reading biographies about Old Hollywood movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall when she was six or seven. She also remembers being in the doctor's office with a biography of Mary Astor on her lap when she was young and the doctor said to her, "There's a place for you in that world too." Erika stated that she recalled thinking, "How does he know that's what I want to do? She and her brother also did SNL type sketches and re-enacted episodes of the Golden Girls. Erika portrayed Blanche.

Smith co-wrote and produced a comedy web-series, "Celebrities To Go," with her friend Rob Gorden, about her experiences working as a celebrity impersonator. She took screenwriting workshops with "The West Wing" and "Modern Love" writer Julia Dahl, as well as sketch writing at UCB and the Groundlings. Smith has also written two features entitled, "Room For Rent" and "The Laundry" as well as an untitled pilot that she plans to produce. Keep up to date with Erika Smith's music and her work in TV and film on social media @TheErikaSmith on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok, and on IMDB: https://www.imdb.me/ErikaSmith.

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