Cheryl Aranda is a singer/songwriter from the Los Angeles area whose music can best be described as Sarah McLachlan meets Amy Grant. Her intimate, silky voice and amazing range will captivate you. Her songs will draw you in. Her artistry will never let you go. She is that rare artist who truly has it all.

"Looking For The Lightning," her debut album is now available. The first single off the album, "Fight To The Finish" was picked by Contemporary Christian powerhouse KFSH in Glendale, CA as the Pick of the Week. She wrote all the songs herself, played guitar and keyboards, programmed sequences and handled the engineering tasks as well. When asked how she managed it all, she laughs, "It's amazing what you can learn to accomplish when you can't afford to hire anybody else to do it!" Guest musicians include Dave Murdy (Kilauea, Second Story) on electric and nylon guitars, Eric Rigler (Titanic soundtrack) on Celtic pipe and Gary Unitt on bass.

In talking about her new album Cheryl says, "The songs on ‘Looking For The Lightning’ are centered on a common theme. They explore my take on faith and spirituality."

 Some years ago, an early demo tape reached Dan Posthuma, a well-respected producer in the Contemporary Christian Music industry. "He called and said I was very talented and wanted to hear more things. At that time, my husband and I had just found out I was pregnant with our second child so I decided to put the whole music thing on hold for a while." With the children now finally in school, Cheryl has rededicated herself to her music. She has had songs recorded by Christian artist Connie Salazar and liturgical compositions published by World Library Publications and Oregon Catholic Press. She is a two time semi-finalist in Tonos challenges and is currently studying with Jai Josefs (author of "How To Write Music For Hit Songs").  

"Songwriting, even more so than singing is my first love. It has always been very cathartic for me and probably kept me out of the psychiatrist's office. All the frustrations, hopes, disappointments and joys I've experienced have been funneled into my songs. That's not to say that everything I write is completely autobiographical. There is such a thing as creative license but to a certain degree whatever I create obviously springs forth from my own life or what I observe in the lives of the people around me. The names have been changed to protect the innocent," she adds with a smile.

All kidding aside, this is a woman with a dazzling future. "I once saw a billboard that said, "Success is perseverance through failure." That was very profound to me and I use it like a mantra. Every trip back to the drawing board is an opportunity to improve. Perseverance and hard work always pay off."