Cheryl Aranda is a singer/songwriter from the Los Angeles area whose music can best be described as Sarah McLachlan meets Amy Grant with a twist of Enya. She has had songs recorded by Christian artist Connie Salazar and compositions published by World Library Publications and Oregon Catholic Press. She was a two time semi-finalist in Tonos songwriting challenges and is featured in Jai Josefs' (author of "How To Write Music For Hit Songs") interactive CD ROM, "Secrets of Songwriting Success."

"Looking For The Lightning," her debut album was released in 2001. She wrote all the songs herself, played guitar and keyboards, programmed sequences and handled the engineering tasks as well. When asked how she managed it all, she laughs, "It's amazing what you can learn to accomplish when you can't afford to hire anybody else to do it!" Guest musicians include Dave Murdy (Kilauea, Second Story) on electric and nylon guitars, Eric Rigler (Titanic soundtrack) on Celtic pipe and Gary Unitt on bass. The first single off the album, "Fight To The Finish" was picked by Contemporary Christian powerhouse KFSH in Glendale, CA as the Pick of the Week. In talking about the album Cheryl says, "The songs on "Looking For The Lightning" are centered on a common theme. I wanted to explore my personal take on faith and spirituality in a pretty broad based fashion. Whatever your belief system, even if you don't follow an organized religion, I hope this album will inspire you to examine the role spirituality plays in your life."

When the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles opened in September of 2002, Cheryl was tapped to sing at the event. That same year, in a televised 9/11 anniversary memorial service Cheryl sang "One By One" from her CD and also sang "What the World Needs Now" with Burt Bacharach.

A diagnosis in late 2002 of early stage breast cancer and a recurrence in late 2006 didn't prevent her from continuing to sing and write. Her amazing stamina and spirit kept her going: performing gigs with the band, even the midst of treatment.  Her band, Ninth Life, has become a regular and highly popular fixture on the art festival and club circuit in southern Orange County. She and band mate Albert Eles have also been writing songs for outside film and stage projects, for other artists and working on Cheryl's follow up CD.

"Sometimes life throws you a curve ball or two. I've had many people wonder at how "strong" or "courageous" I've been through everything but I don't feel particularly brave. I just did what I had to do. I think it helped that I had to get up everyday to take care of my kids. I had to work and support myself. I didn't have time to curl up in a corner and throw a pity party. I've discovered much about myself that I never knew existed. I'm a stronger person because of what I've been through. I learned the value of family, of true friends and the power of faith. I also learned that, from a chemotherapy patient's perspective, there's no such thing as a bad hair day and that humor can be found in the unlikeliest of places. When the little things seem overwhelming, get over it, look at the big picture. Every day is a gift."