Sasha Banks

Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under the ring name Sasha Banks, where she is a former NXT Women's Champion. She previously wrestled on the independent circuit under the ring name Mercedes KV, most notably for Chaotic Wrestling, where she once held the Chaotic Wrestling Women's Championship.

Early life

Kaestner-Varnado was born in Fairfield, California, and later moved to various places, including Minnesota, to find schools and hospitals for her brother who had disabilities, before moving to Boston, Massachusetts, where she began her wrestling career. She went to school online, and grew up watching All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. She is partly of German descent from the Kaestner side of the family.

Professional wrestling career

Chaotic Wrestling (2010–2012)

Kaestner-Varnado began training at Chaotic Wrestling, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, in 2008. She made her in-ring debut, under the ring name Mercedes KV, on October 1, 2010 in an intergender tag team match, where she teamed with Nikki Roxx in a losing effort to Alexxis and Danny E. KV and Roxx quickly formed an alliance, teaming together regularly and accompanying each other to ringside. On October 22, Mercedes lost her debut singles match to Danny E., and lost a rematch to him on November 13.

Banks

Banks or The Banks may refer to:

Music

Surname

Places

Australia

Canada

New Zealand

United Kingdom

United States

Vanuatu

Other

See also

Banks (singer)

Jillian Rose Banks (born June 16, 1988), known simply as Banks (often stylized as BANKS), is an American singer and songwriter from Orange County, California. She releases music under Harvest Records, Good Years Recordings and IAMSOUND Records imprints of the major label Universal Music Group.

She has toured internationally with The Weeknd and was also nominated for the Sound of 2014 award by the BBC and an MTV Brand New Nominee in 2014. On May 3, 2014, Banks was dubbed as an "Artist to Watch" by FoxWeekly.

Early life

Jillian Rose Banks was born in Orange County, California. Banks started writing songs at the age of fifteen. She taught herself piano when she received a keyboard from a friend to help her through her parents' divorce. She says she "felt very alone and helpless. I didn't know how to express what I was feeling or who to talk to."

Career

2013–present: Breakthrough and Goddess

Banks used the audio distribution website SoundCloud to put out her music before securing a record deal. Her friend Lily Collins used her contacts to pass along her music to people in the industry; specifically Katy Perry's DJ Yung Skeeter, and she began working with the label Good Years Recordings. Her first official single, called "Before I Ever Met You" was released in February 2013. The song which had been on a private SoundCloud page ended up being played by BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe. Banks released her first EP Fall Over by IAMSOUND Records and Good Years Recordings.Billboard called her a "magnetic writer with songs to obsess over." Banks released her second EP called London by Harvest Records and Good Years Recordings in 2013 to positive reviews from music critics, receiving a 78 from Metacritic. Her song "Waiting Game" from the EP was featured in the 2013 Victoria's Secret holiday commercial.

Banks (album)

Banks is the second solo studio album by Paul Banks, the lead singer of the band Interpol. It was released on October 22, 2012. The first single is the opening track, "The Base".

Recording

Banks was recorded in New York and Connecticut with producer Peter Katis.

Reception

Banks has received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 65, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".

Track listing

The track listing was announced by NME, on August 6, 2012.

References

Sasha

Sacha, Sasha, Saschs or variant may refer to:

See also

Sascha Schmitz

Sascha Schmitz (born 5 January 1972), better known under his stage name Sasha or Sasha Alexander and his alter ego Dick Brave, is a German singer-songwriter, musician and occasional actor.

Early life

Schmitz is the elder of two children born to Fritz Schmitz, a former Bundeswehr soldier, and his wife Ramona, a nursery nurse. Raised in a Christian home alongside his younger brother Norman (born 1976), Schmitz spent his childhood in Soest, North Rhine-Westphalia, following his parents' divorce.

His early musical interest grew when he started his first school band, called Bad to the Bone, which "was exactly as bad as the name suggests", he later stated. Schmitz's first professional band was called Junk Food and modelled on bands such as Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Although the band was never offered a recording contract, they played live all over their area, resulting into occasional busking sessions with his friend Benedict, with whom he also performed as the Hin und Hair Schmitz duo. In 1992, Junk Food won a local talent contest which entitled them to record demo tapes at the Click Music Studios in Werl with producers Michael "Grant Michael B." Kersting and Stephan "Pomez Di Lorenzo" Baader. While the band broke up shortly thereafter, Grant and Di Lorenzo recognized his singing talents and hired Schmitz as a backing vocalist for several of their projects.

Sasha Gradiva

HIDDEN ERROR: Usage of "Associated acts" is not recognized

Sasha Mikhailovna Antonova (Russian: Саша Михайловна Антонова, born 5 February 1989), better known by her stage name Sasha Gradiva, is a Russian-born American singer, songwriter, producer and performing artist. Her music is a blend of pop dance with infusions of electronica. She began her professional career at the age of 16, and has gained recognition within the European music scene, on MTV and in the Russian music industry.

Making a transition to the US music scene, Sasha attracted press attention when attending at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Gradiva met American producer Tricky Stewart and soon after released her first US single "Wanted". It was co-written with Justin Tranter of Semi Precious Weapons and produced by Stewart and Norwegian producer Axident. She has gained recognition within the club dance scene and has been referred to by Hot Spot Magazine and Gay Pride as "one of the most promising artists in the mainstream US music scene."