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Aug 15, 2018

Mona Tavakoli is a drummer and percussionist based in Los Angeles whose mission is to make music that unites, elevates, and connects. Mona is widely known for her work with Jason Mraz who Mona has recorded and performed with world-wide for almost a decade.

Mona started playing drums age 11 with the high school band and began her professional music career 1999 at UCLA after forming the band Raining Jane. Raining Jane wrote and recorded YES! (Atlantic Records) with Jason Mraz and went on to tour the record internationally for almost two years.

Mona toured worldwide for Mraz’s 2012 album, Love is a Four Letter Word, and they performed together as a duo on TV shows including The Today Show, The David Letterman Show, Ellen, Dancing with the Stars, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. As the Duo Decibel System, Mona (percussion) and Mraz (guitar/vocals) have performed in Antarctica in support of climate change awareness and they were proud to help honor Ellen Degeneres as she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center.

In other work, Mona has appeared on A&E’s Private Sessions, where she performed as a trio with Pat Benatar and her husband, Spyder Giraldo. She has been the featured percussionist with the Pasadena muse/ique orchestra (led by maestra Rachel Worby), and played with musicians such as Andy Grammer, Colbie Caillat, Keaton Simons, Lindsay Mac, Lucy Schwartz, Natalia Zukerman, Sara Bareilles, Tristan Prettyman and Willy Porter.

Mona recently traveled to Africa with the U.S. State Department as a cultural diplomat alongside Chaska Potter and Natalia Zukerman. As the Northern Lights trio they visited Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi for concerts and workshop facilitation focusing on women’s entrepreneurship and empowerment.

Mona has been featured in DRUM!, Tom Tom Magazine, judged and hosted the Hit Like A Girl drum contest and awards show and is the recipient of the 2016 She Rocks awards “Inspire Award” for her work with the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls.

Endorsements: DW Drums and Hardware, Latin Percussion, Remo Percussion, Roland Electronic Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Sennheiser Microphones and Vater Percussion.

Links: Website: monatavakoli.com
Instagram: instagram.com/mona_tavakoli
FaceBook: facebook.com/MONA.TAVAKOLI.DRUMMER
Twitter: twitter.com/mona_tavakoli