From Tone Deaf to Billboard: Kendra Erika Brings “License to Thrill” to San Diego
On Friday, September 4, the unmistakable music of James Bond will come alive in San Diego County when five-time Billboard Top 10 recording artist Kendra Erika brings her live concert experience, License to Thrill, to The Bornemann at TERI Campus of Life in San Marcos.
Following a sold-out debut in Las Vegas, the show takes audiences through more than six decades of iconic Bond music, including Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Skyfall and many more, reimagined through cinematic arrangements and Erika’s distinctive vocals.
For the San Diego performance, she’ll be backed by a talented group of area musicians: Roger Friend on drums and serving as band leader, Brandon Cesmat on bass, Scott Forest on guitar, Weston Sitton on keyboards, and Jimmy Reid on saxophone.
It’s a natural next chapter for an artist whose career has increasingly moved toward cinematic music, sophisticated live production and theatrical storytelling. But the road that brought Erika to this stage makes the story even more remarkable.
Long before the Billboard charts, international performances or the glamorous world of Bond, Erika faced an obstacle that few would associate with the future career of a professional singer: she has spoken openly about being born tone deaf.
Rather than letting that define what she could become, Erika began classical vocal training at just eight years old with Gisbert Heuer, a former professional opera singer from Berlin. Years of training helped her develop the ear, technique, and vocal foundation that would ultimately take her from childhood performances to a professional recording career.
That early challenge gives a different perspective to what followed.
Erika eventually emerged as a dance and pop recording artist, scoring five Billboard Top 10 dance hits, including a No. 1 reimagining of Laura Branigan’s classic “Self-Control.” Along the way, she developed a sound that moves comfortably between pop and dance music, jazz-influenced vocals, and increasingly cinematic storytelling.
Her single “Body Language” added another significant chapter. The track reached No. 2 on the iTunes chart and surpassed two million YouTube views. It received international distribution through KDM Music across 19 Asian territories and was remixed by GRAMMY-nominated DJ StoneBridge, whose version received iHeartRadio exposure.
Erika’s musical résumé also demonstrates just how difficult she is to place in a single genre.
Her interpretation of Frank Sinatra’s “Witchcraft,” created with Ralph Johnson and Myron McKinley of Earth, Wind & Fire, received a Hollywood Independent Music Award for Best Producer/Production. Her single “Thriller Killer” climbed to No. 2 on the UK Music Week Pop Club Chart, while her duet “Self-Love Symphony” with Chloe Lattanzi introduced yet another side of her artistry.
She has also opened for Jason Derulo, headlined New York City’s Tea Dance for Pride and performed at venues including The Abbey in West Hollywood, Honey Delray in Florida and Rocco’s in Los Angeles.
Her career has reached well beyond the United States. The Hollywood Global Film Festival named Erika a Goodwill Ambassador to China, and her Chinese New Year greeting was broadcast across China and more than 170 Asian-speaking regions.
But License to Thrill represents something different.
Released as a full-length album in 2026, the project draws on the glamour, mystery, and enduring musical legacy of James Bond. Rather than simply recreating familiar songs, Erika approached the collection through cinematic jazz arrangements, contemporary production and her own vocal interpretation.
The transition makes sense when looking at the larger arc of her career. The dance artist who learned how to command clubs and pop audiences has gradually evolved into a performer interested in building an entire visual and musical world around a song.
That direction continued with her 2026 single “Catch Me,” a sleek cinematic pop track carrying the glamour, suspense, and intrigue that have become increasingly central to her creative identity.
Now, with License to Thrill moving from its Las Vegas debut to a live theater setting in San Diego County, Erika has an opportunity to showcase that evolution where it matters most — onstage with a live band.
For music fans, the appeal is partly nostalgia. Bond themes have become a genre unto themselves, associated with some of the most recognizable voices and compositions in film history. But Erika’s goal is to bring those songs into her own musical world rather than simply imitate what came before.
And perhaps that is what makes her story particularly fitting for a show called License to Thrill.
The young girl who once had to work to develop an ear for music eventually reached the Billboard charts. The dance artist then stretched into jazz, cinematic pop, and theatrical performance. Today, she’s taking on one of popular culture’s most recognizable songbooks — backed by a live band and bringing it to a new audience.
Kendra Erika’s “License to Thrill” takes place Friday, September 4 at 7 p.m. at The Bornemann at TERI Campus of Life, 555 Deer Springs Road, San Marcos, California.
Guests can also make an evening of it with dinner beforehand at Common Grounds Café, on the TERI campus, serving dinner from 4–8 p.m.
WATCH PROMO REEL: License to Thrill
Tickets and information:
https://events.humanitix.com/license-to-thrill
Source: Kelly Bennett / www.BennettUnlimitedPR.com