China Forbes (born April 29, 1970) is an American singer and
songwriter who has been the lead singer of the band Pink Martini since
1995.The daughter of Peggy (née Woodford) and Donald Cameron Forbes,
China Forbes was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her
father was of French and Scottish descent, and her mother is
African-American. She attended Phillips Exeter Academy ('88), then
studied visual arts at Harvard University, where she met Thomas
Lauderdale, a classically trained pianist. They became friends and met
regularly to play music together. At Harvard, she won the Jonathan
Levy Prize for acting.After graduating in 1992, Forbes worked as an
actress for several years, performing Off-Broadway in New York City.
She then became a musician, forming a band and recording a solo album.
She sang the song "Ordinary Girl" for the television series Clueless
and "Que Sera Sera" over the credits for the movie In the Cut. While
living in Portland, Oregon, Lauderdale asked her to sing with Pink
Martini, a band he had assembled to play at political fundraisers.
After three years commuting from New York, she moved to Portland in
1998 to work full-time with the band. Forbes and Lauderdale co-wrote
the band's hit "Sympathique (Je ne Veux Pas Travailler)" among many
other band originals.Apart from her work with Pink Martini, she has
released solo albums, including Love Handle (November 1995) and '78
(Heinz2008) which includes her song "Hey Eugene" in its original
version. She is featured on Michael Feinstein's album The Sinatra
Project, singing a duet of "How Long Will It Last?". She recorded two
songs in French with Georges Moustaki for his album Solitaire.
songwriter who has been the lead singer of the band Pink Martini since
1995.The daughter of Peggy (née Woodford) and Donald Cameron Forbes,
China Forbes was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her
father was of French and Scottish descent, and her mother is
African-American. She attended Phillips Exeter Academy ('88), then
studied visual arts at Harvard University, where she met Thomas
Lauderdale, a classically trained pianist. They became friends and met
regularly to play music together. At Harvard, she won the Jonathan
Levy Prize for acting.After graduating in 1992, Forbes worked as an
actress for several years, performing Off-Broadway in New York City.
She then became a musician, forming a band and recording a solo album.
She sang the song "Ordinary Girl" for the television series Clueless
and "Que Sera Sera" over the credits for the movie In the Cut. While
living in Portland, Oregon, Lauderdale asked her to sing with Pink
Martini, a band he had assembled to play at political fundraisers.
After three years commuting from New York, she moved to Portland in
1998 to work full-time with the band. Forbes and Lauderdale co-wrote
the band's hit "Sympathique (Je ne Veux Pas Travailler)" among many
other band originals.Apart from her work with Pink Martini, she has
released solo albums, including Love Handle (November 1995) and '78
(Heinz2008) which includes her song "Hey Eugene" in its original
version. She is featured on Michael Feinstein's album The Sinatra
Project, singing a duet of "How Long Will It Last?". She recorded two
songs in French with Georges Moustaki for his album Solitaire.
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