"Holy wow! What a voice, what a performance... She had a commanding stage presence and a control of dynamics that actually made my jaw drop, making me grin like an idiot... if you have not heard of her, get on that, because she was absolutely phenomenal!” — The AU Review, Top 15 of 150 acts to see at Big Sound. AV (Ann Vriend) is known most for her virtuosic, soaringly powerful vocals, and not far behind that for her multi award-winning abilities as a songwriter -- and she ain’t too bad at the piano, either. She has delivered her unique brand of old-school, inner-city soul to audiences around Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America throughout her under-the-radar but consistently award-winning, critically acclaimed career. In the past year AV’s song “Hurt People Hurt People” climbed to the Top 100 Pop Charts in Germany— unheard of for an independent artist, let alone a Canadian one, and was invited to play 2 prestigious festivals in that country (“Lahnstein Blues Festival” and “Women of the World Festival”), in addition to 3 tours, one of which was opening for international UK R&B star Lisa Stansfield.