CELEBRITY STYLES
We are proud to have these celebrities wear our frames and be a part of the Vakenelli family.
IDA NIELSEN
BASS PLAYER & COMPOSER
Ida Nielsen is a Danish bass player (and multi-instrumentalist & composer)
About Ida:
Ida Nielsen got her life turned upside down when music legend Prince discovered her in
August 2010. Shortly after she joined his band and started touring with him and "The New
Power Generation" and later on the 4 piece power house rock band "3rdeyegirl".
Ida was part of his bands from 2010 until his untimely passing in April 2016.
She describes playing with Prince as "a huge gift and as the most magical musical journey ever, and an on-going learning experience beyond all imagination."
After the years with Prince, Ida started to refocus on her solo career.
She has been releasing music on a regular basis and has increased her touring schedules
tremendously since 2016. Her music is best described as a mixture of old school funk &
hiphop with world music pop ups, ear catching melodies and lots of bass, and she and her band "the Funkbots" are delivering a high energy funk show packed with good vibes, tight grooves and subtle references to her former employer and teacher Prince.
Ida was voted amongst the top 10 bass players in the world ( together with fellow bassists
Stanley Clarke & Victor Wooten) in the annual Music Radar poll 2019.
VAKENELLI-DELF AVIATOR
VAKENELLI-TERRICOSI NERO
SHELBY J
Singer/Songwriter
Shelby J., a singer/songwriter and native of Greensboro NC.,has been described as “a lil bit of Mavis Staples with James Brown ENERGY, and a lil’ Carole King on the side.” With her decade as a part of Prince’s band The New Power Generation (NPG,) she is widely known as the “bald beauty” powerhouse vocalist with an unforgetable smile. She has appeared on The Tonight Show, Entertainment Tonight, CBS’ 60 Minutes, Access Hollywood, Good Morning America on ABC, and has been featured in People, Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines. Shelby also performed in the rain with Prince for the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show in Miami. In 2021, she was featured as a vocalist and co-writer of “Same Page, Different Book” from the “Welcome 2 Amercia” album and her debut single "North Carolina," featuring NC. native Anthony Hamilton, skyrocketed to #1 on the Neo-Soul/R&B chart. In 2022, she performed with R&B singer D’Angelo at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for Dave Chappelle and friends for Netflix. Her voice greeted visitors at the “Prince Immersive Experience” in Chicago, Il .In November, she released her first ever Holiday single, “Bout to be Smellin’ Like Thanksgiving” on the Jonre Music Group label. Most recently, she performed at “Prince Day Houston” and a was a headlining performer at Paisley Park, in Minneapolis, MN for celebration 2023.
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FOR BOOKINGS:
FERNANDO ROSA
BASS PLAYER FOR LENNY KRAVITZ
Fernando Rosa, is the huge bass guitar and social media phenomenon from Brazil, and bass player for Lenny Kravitz. Born and raised in the suburbs of São Paulo, Fernando Rosa learned to play bass from the age of 8, even starting his professional career at 14.
He is a musician who develops a true authenticity as an artist very early on, combining an impressive technique with an exciting feeling and audacity. Perfecting both his colossal musical culture and his virtuoso playing in many styles ranging from jazz, funk, rock to Brazilian music and even hip hop, Fernando becomes one of the most requested and recognized musicians in Brazil. His reputation grew so much that he was the first Brazilian artist to join the prestigious roster of the American instrument manufacturer, Ernie Ball Music Man, famous for designing and manufacturing guitars, basses and amps for legends like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Lenny Kravitz.
Since 2020, Fernando Rosa has experienced phenomenal growth thanks to social networks, accumulating nearly 400,000 followers and several million views with the multiple videos that he publishes almost daily on his pages. In each of them, we find him at home, in a delightful vintage setting and interior, alone with his bass and a vinyl turntable, replaying the greatest classics of Black music. Rejoicing!
JARRED HARPER
Actor/Filmmaker
jarredharper.com
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Jarred Harper is a New York-based actor that graduated from The William Esper Studio two year conservatory program. He is a trained actor for the stage as well as television and film. Jarred also writes and directs is own projects along with being hired to direct projects such as short films, music videos, and episodic work.
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Jarred is managed by commercial representation in New York City and is represented by MMG, STATE Management, Abbey Lynn Models, EMG, BiCoastal MGMT, and Long Island Models. He does various commercials and print shoots in New York and around the U.S.
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Jarred recently booked a lead role in a feature film, "The One", that starts shooting in November that will be in film festivals and select theaters around the U.S.
