Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there?
I live in a town called Okotoks which is about 15 minutes south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Considering its size, Okotoks’ music scene is quite impressive; we have 3 artists local to Okotoks that regularly visit Nashville and are pursuing active careers in music; and beyond that, an abundance of live shows and performers. And of course, Calgary is just a hop away and there is a really active and vibrant music community there.
What’s been happening recently?
Well, I’ve been napping a lot. Other than that, I just signed a management deal with a new company that I have a tremendous amount of faith in. I released a single with a video in January – and I have an album coming out in February. Oh and I’m pregnant, which is also a trip.
Your new single ‘My Heart Song’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
Yes! It feels good to finally have it out in the open. It was written during a depression that was really lengthy, dark, and uncomfortable for me… there were times I doubted my ability to overcome it. “My Heart Song” was the light at the end of the tunnel. The reminder that there’s always something there supporting you if you listen deeply enough. The sound came really naturally when we went to produce it. It fell together with very little shaping. There’s a lot of me that feels that this song was very much just meant to be what it is.
How did you go about writing ‘My Heart Song’?
The lyric landed on the page: “My heart knows things that I don’t” … as if my pen had a mind of its own. And it just kept writing. It was the start of me seeing the light within the dark. I knew something was shifting. That song helped me more than anything else could at that time. I’m incredibly grateful for it.
Where and when did you record and who with?
Oh you’re testing my memory! I am so bad with dates. “My Heart Song” was in fact the final song recorded for this album. We finished it in August of 2019 if I’m not mistaken. It was recorded at Evergreen Sound which is a studio in north Calgary. My producer’s name is Mark Troyer, and I could write a page-long testimonial about how much I love him and love working with him.
What programs/instruments did you use to record?
I am the furthest thing from an engineer, so I can’t tell you anything about the programs. (Pro Tools perhaps?) But the instruments were quite fun to play with. We had the standard bass, drums, and guitars of course – but we had some fun incorporating synths, and the amount of layering that was done with the vocals is something I really liked about this song. We used voices like instruments, my own and two other background vocalists (Mariya Stokes, Annika Cheyne) sang individual notes which were blended to make chords that sit in the background. It’s quite cool if you have keen ears and can break out all the sounds.
Does the finished track sound as you imagined it would?
It’s clichéd to say it sounds better, isn’t it? I’m a cliché. It’s more than I expected from it. Truly.
You have an album on the way, what can we expect?
A little bit of everything! I’m so happy with how this project turned out. It felt like such an opportunity to stretch my creative legs. I have some modern-country sounds on there, a song that has sort of a Bruno Mars vibe, some really raw and broken down songs. It’s sort of a buffet of music. I am lovingly referring to it as my Frankenstein Project.
When will you be releasing the album?
Feb 20, 2020. Aka: 02.20.2020 (because I am a numerological nerd like that).
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I have really eclectic tastes, so it really depends on the day and where I am. If I’m at home I’ll listen to swing jazz, at the gym I like to listen to pop (T-Swizzle and Ariana Grande ftw) and break down the production, vocals, writing, and sounds; and if I’m in the car… I like audiobooks. (Russell Brand is my current listen.)
Please tell us about your blogging:
Blogging was a vice and coping mechanism that was created in a period of time when I was unable to use my voice. I had an 18-month period in which I had such severe vocal fatigue that not only was it difficult to sing, it was difficult to speak. I actually went weeks without speaking much at all. To be honest, I think I was the only one who suffered during this time… Ha! Writing was something I could do when I couldn’t talk. It became a huge outlet for this pent-up creative expression that had nowhere to go when my voice was unable to be of service.
I write about life mostly, and the things that I learn and observe in my life experiences. I’m quite candid (sometimes to the degree that might make some people uncomfortable) and I incorporate a lot of humour. My goal is to unearth some of the more ‘human’ parts of being human so that we can all feel less bad about having the experiences we do. Humans feel bad about being human all the time. It’s a bummer; so I like to make it less of one. And hopefully make people laugh while doing so.
What’s planned for 2020?
Well. I’m having a kid. So that’s a trip. My hubs and I are expecting our first in April so I’m sort of writing off the rest of the year as ’to be determined’ because I’ve never had a kid before, so I haven’t a clue what to expect. I think I’ve changed maybe 3 diapers my whole life. So this will be the most epic, high-stakes science experiment ever.
Before April rolls around I’m releasing this album – and I’ve got a handful of local shows planned to premiere all the music included on the album and a few of the songs that didn’t make it. I’m really proud of this show and I was extremely diligent about putting it together. I’m really excited to share it with everyone.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
My favourite food is usually sushi. But since they don’t really let knocked-up broads have that… lately, I would give the ring finger on my right hand for a burger. Not sure why, but I have had the most epic addiction to burgers over the past handful of months.
My favourite place to hang out is at HOME. Because I’m a hermit. Or the mountains on a really great hiking trail. Because: hermit.
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