One might expect a world-traveller like Vanessa Peters to create music tinged with exotic, foreign sounds. After all, she spent most of the last ten years living in Italy and playing hundreds of shows across Europe. But while some people leave home behind, Vanessa Peters brought it along with her. Vanessa is a thoroughly American songwriter, crafting intelligent, intimate songs in her own style of Americana-influenced pop.

Since 2002, Vanessa has released 7 albums and played over 1000 shows in 11 countries, sharing the stage with the likes of Rhett Miller and Juno Award winning songwriter Sarah Harmer. From 2005-2009, she split her time between the USA and Europe, touring with her Italian band, Ice Cream on Mondays (featuring Manuel Schicchi). Her 2009 release, “Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up,” was co-produced with Salim Nourallah (Old 97s). Like its predecessor (“Little Films” 2006) “Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up” received great reviews both in the States and abroad and was on many “Best of 2009” lists.

Vanessa has begun work on her next album of originals at Treefort Studio in Austin. The record will be co-produced by Rip Rowan (Old 97s) and features Grammy-award winning guitarist Joe Reyes, Jason Garner (The Polyphonic Spree), John Dulfilho (Apples in Stereo), engineer Jim Vollentine (Spoon, Patty Griffin) and will be funded in part through a Kickstarter campaign that completed in September. The new album is due out in early 2012 and Vanessa plans to tour its release extensively both in the USA and Europe.

October 25 will mark the release of “The Christmas We Hoped For,” Vanessa’s first holiday album. The title track is a Peters original, and the album also features a cover of The Weepies’ “All That I Want,” as well as some unexpected renditions of holiday standards new and old.