Bio

Arlea Forbes-Prater is a 18-year-old professional singer-songwriter and violinist based in the Pacific Northwest. She was brought up in a musical family and was exposed to many different genres, specifically bluegrass, folk, and old-time country music, and soon began her own musical career taking classical violin lessons at an early age. She developed a curiosity for many other genres such as jazz, swing, pop, soul, choral, and rock. At age nine, she taught herself the piano and began writing some of her own songs. Over the pandemic, Arlea used the time to learn guitar and find her own voice and style, and began singing at online open mics. As things have been opening back up, she has been busy playing at local establishments such as Fletcher Bay Winery, Bushel & Barrel Cider house, and Western Red Brewing. Currently she plays solo as well as in various duos and bands, such as the mother-daughter duo May to June (Karena May Forbes & Arlea June Forbes-Prater) and the Tide Flat 4, a beach band founded in a small town in the Puget Sound over the pandemic with her mother and two of their amazing musical neighbors, Bill Corral and Dave Smith. Occasionally she also performs with Remy Sol, and her father, Joe Prater. Also, despite branching out into other genres of music, Arlea has remained loyal to her classical roots and continues to build up her classical repertoire, occasionally performing private concerts. Her joy in finding and blending interesting harmonies and playing fiddle with others led to her interest in becoming a studio musician, and her ear for picking out the different parts in songs and compositions sparked her curiosity in becoming an arranger. Arlea enjoys playing her instruments, learning songs, jamming, and spending time with her loved ones. Most importantly she bridges the divide between night owls and early birds, simultaneously enjoying pulling all-nighters, and going for walks in the morning and appreciating the outdoors.