Singer, songwriter, and entertainer, Rachel Panay hit the Dance scene in 2003 with her first underground anthem, “The Walk of Shame”. Penned by Rachel and longtime friend, Steven Billing, the strength and drama of the songs lyrics and searing vocals made it an undeniable dance floor hit! It landed on Centaur Records PartyGroove Fireball 2003, a CD compiled by superstar DJ team, Ralphi Rosario and Abel Aguilera, known as Rosabel. Rachel also made her first major label debut in English AND Spanish on BMG’s Latin remake of Foxy’s “Get Off” which was released throughout Latin America.

With all the excitement surrounding “The Walk of Shame”, Rachel caught the attention of Act 2 Records. Soon after signing with Act 2, Rachel had her first Billboard hit, “Back to Love”, which remained on the Billboard Hot Club Dance Play chart for an outstanding run of 20 weeks, with 2 weeks in the #2 Position! “Back to Love” was composed Rachel in collaboration with famed remixer/producer, Josh Harris. It was included on the Queer as Folk Babylon compilation CD by DJ Abel & Chris Cox, DJ David Knapp’s White Party CD, DJ Brett Henrichson’s Masterbeat SPF 20, Summer Party compilation CD, and several other DJ compilations, and received national television exposure through Rachel’s featured performance and interview on Q Television Network’s “Q On the Move”.

Following soon thereafter, Rachel enjoyed another success with her follow up single, “I Still Believe”, also written by Rachel and Josh Harris. “I Still Believe” was released in fall of 2005 and rose to the #7 position on the Billboard Hot Club Dance Play chart. It quickly became a favorite on XM Satellite Radio, Music Choice, Sirius Satellite Radio and on mix-shows and Dance format radio stations around the country. “I Still Believe” also had the distinction of hitting #37 on the Global Dance Traxx Chart, a chart that ranks Dance record releases throughout the entire world!

Throughout the success of Rachel’s singles, she has electrified stages across America from clubs like Nation, Five, Dream, Home and Chloe in her hometown of Washington, D.C., to Crobar, Spirit, Deep & XL in New York City, to the Delano, Twist, Score, Jade & the Cactus Club of Miami Beach, to the Coliseum, Voodoo Lounge, & Torpedo of Ft. Lauderdale, Rise in Boston, and many, many more. Rachel has also appeared at Prides in Denver, Flagstaff, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale, as well as White Parties in Rhode Island, Miami, and Palm Springs, and Washington, D.C.’s Cherry Party. Rachel’s energetic performances have consistently wowed industry crowds at the Billboard Dance Music Summit in NYC and the Winter Music Conference in Miami where new material is debuted and new stars are declared. Clearly Rachel is one such star!

Rachel has also received several awards and accolades including a recent WAMMY (Washington Area Music Awards) in March of 2006 and the nomination for Best New Artist at the International Dance Music Awards in 2005.

Also newsworthy, her original composition, “You Make Me Feel”, penned with Andy Sikorski, was used on 3 episodes of the Oprah Winfrey throughout the year of 2005. This same composition, “You Make Me Feel”, earned Rachel her first mention in Billboard during its Best New Artist Competition in the year 2001! This honor was obviously a prediction of great things to come!

But Rachel is no stranger to the stage and to the art of songwriting! At Duke Ellington High School for the Performing Arts, she trained formally in voice, dance, and musical theater and wrote her first composition, “Gun of Love", which became WPGC Washington, DC's theme song for its "Stop the Violence" campaign.

After graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Rachel's unique style emerged as she became deeply involved in the Boston live music scene, experimenting with the genres of Jazz, Acid Jazz, Pop, R&B, and even Latin Funk. Her original track "Desire" brought her to the attention of Boston based DJ’s and promoters and with their encouragement, Rachel continued to move in the Dance/House direction with follow-up, “Shine On” which garnered an even more enthusiastic response and later landed on Miami’s SFP Records.

Rachel continues to honor her jazz and musical theater roots, appearing at more intimate venues with her live band where Rachel weaves a magical web of musical versatility, incorporating Jazz, Cabaret, Broadway standards, R&B, Pop and unplugged versions of original Dance hits!

Now a New York City girl, Rachel is currently working on her next Act 2 Records single due out in Summer of 2006 and for her eagerly awaited full album due out in late 2006/early 2007! Coming up are appearances at Washington, D.C.’s Cherry Party where “I Still Believe” will be included as the bonus track on Centaur’s David Knapp Cherry compilation and also for Capital Pride where Rachel will proudly take to the main stage at the foot of the nation’s Capital.

You can also see more of Rachel Panay on her  website www.rachelpanay.com featuring MP3 clips, CDs available for purchase online.