Ivana Daniela Santilli (born in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian R&B singer and multi-instrumentalist, who has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the 1990s R&B/pop combo Bass is Base.Santilli was born to an Italian father and a French-Canadian mother. Santilli's earliest performances began at age 9 playing trumpet for her father’s Italian wedding band in Toronto. During her schooling, she hooked up with her first band, Bass is Base, a band which gained national attention . The trio’s funk and soul fusion garnered them many an award, (Juno award, CMVA, MMVA, etc.), and two successful albums with A&M/Polygram & Island Records in the U.S. She left the band and set out to find her own sound. The band broke up while the three members were writing and recording demos for their third album. Ivana asked to be released from her contract with A&M records, and then wrote and recorded 10 new songs as a solo artist within a month of the breakup. She then began working as a session musician (keyboards, Back up vocals) with various bands: Soul Attorneys, Women ah Run Tings, Punjabi by Nature, Holly McNarland.