Maria Mena's White Turns Blue Debuts at #1 On Billboard's Heatseekers New Album Chart

Released to stores on July 20, 2004, White Turns Blue, the Columbia Records debut album from singer/songwriter Maria Mena, has debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers best-selling new albums chart.

"You're The Only One," the first single from White Turns Blue, was added to Top 40 radio outlets nationwide while a video for the song became a staple on MTV's "TRL." "Fragile (Free)" is the new single from Maria's album.

Critics across the country have been falling in love with Maria Mena and White Turns Blue. "At 18, Mena offers a tender contrast to the extremes of sass, silliness and sophistication put forth by other post-adolescent female artists," wrote USA Today in its three-star review of the album. "On gently buoyant tunes ... she reveals an unpretentious thoughtfulness and a delicate breathy voice that captures youthful wonder and yearning."

"She's got hooks you could hum for days," raved Entertainment Weekly. "From orchestral power pop to confessional thunder, Mena delivers galvanizing melodies."

The New York Times concurred, writing, "Ms. Mena, an 18-year old songwriter from Norway, had a hit two years ago about her parents' divorce, "My Lullaby," that is on White Turns Blue and the song fits in with an album full of an articulate introvert's self doubts ... She sings in a voice perpetually shy but determined to make her feelings known ... There is something endearingly unguarded about the way she is willing to admit to every awkwardness and faux pas."

"Mena has a voice that fits on American pop radio while also setting her apart from all the other teen girls with a stylist," observed Time magazine. "She scats her way through the verse ('You're The Only One') then hits the high notes with surprising joy and clarity."

"Maria Mena's got issues and teenage girls across the land are going to love her for it," wrote Amazon.com. "But direct your ears beyond the angst-y confessions and you'll find this 18-year old wallflower worthy of more than your world-weary sympathies. It's all in Ms. Mena's pipes. Line her up against the pop princesses of the day and her honeyed, breathy voice make the divas sound brittle. It also makes the difference here. She's a thinker, smoothing her bare-it-all lyrics with vocal understatement, and it's hard not to like her for it."

"Singer/songwriter Maria Mena launched her career in the United States earlier this summer with the potent 'You're The Only One,' wrote Billboard. "The track is one of the many high points on Mena's U.S. debut. The songs flit between buoyant, guitar laced pop and heartfelt ballads. Throughout, confessional lyrics tug at the heart and soul."

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Media - Claire Mercuri of Columbia Records, New York,
+1-212-833-5121, Claire_Mercuri@sonymusic.com

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/
http://www.mariamenaonline.com/