Hey, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What have you been up to over the past year in this big old mess?
The past year has been a journey FOR SURE! I have honestly been really blessed and have been busy with opportunities for the last little while, and have mostly been really focused on bringing my latest project, the Fool Under Water album to life!
I’m very interested in how you started your adventure with music, and did you know from the beginning that this is what you wanted to do?
Not at all! I wanted to be a goat rancher, and then a race car driver, and then an entomologist (or “bugolologist” is how I actually said it as a little kid). I was always interested in learning how to play guitar, and I don’t think I even realized until recently that I was actually writing songs from a young age. I would walk around outside singing out loud to myself about whatever but that was definitely my first musical experiences! When I got a little but older, my Auntie enrolled me in a music camp in Edmonton called “Rocker Girl Camp”. In a few short days we had to form little bands, learn an instrument and write a song together and then perform it at the historic Roxy Theatre. That first time on stage was unbelievably fun, and I was hooked from that point on! I started teaching myself guitar by watching Youtube videos and learning covers of my favourite songs and then eventually started writing my own in my teens. In 2011 when I was 16, I decided to finally share some of my songs with the world outside of my bedroom and went busking in Winnipeg. I met a friendly stranger who introduced my to a person in the industry who encouraged me to enter into a local singing competition called the NCI Jam. I ended up winning first place and it really took off from there for me!
Congrats on the release of Fool Under Water, the album is amazing. What was the inspiration behind it?
This record is a collection of stories that I’m finally ready to share. I survived a really unhealthy relationship and I’m so grateful that I got out. To be a fool under water is to give too much of yourself away to someone who doesn’t deserve it and before you know it your drowning in the life you’re stuck in. I share my story of reclaiming my power, and learning to love myself again, and being vulnerable enough to let people back in.
What’s your favorite track on the album and why?
I think my favourite right now is “Girl I See You.” I wrote this one with my best friend Hera from the perspective that we were 10 or 20 years down the road and giving ourselves the advice that we needed when we were just going through it! It’s a gentle reminder that, ‘girl, I’ve been there and you will make it through this.’
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
I have been really intentional about collaborating with other artists this past while. I think we can learn so much about songwriting by being vulnerable enough to create with others! I have also been working on my production chops. I would love one day to be able to fully produce and engineer a professional record!
What should we expect from your next releases in terms of style and sound?
This record is a bit more rock n’ roll than my previous releases and a whole lot more polished, refined and mature. I’ve been through some stuff and I think it shows!
Where are you based? Can you tell us how the music scene there has inspired your sound at all?
I’m based in so called Winnipeg on Treaty 1 territory on Turtle Island. My Anishinaabe family have roots here since time immemorial so I definitely feel deeply connected to this land. I am incredibly inspired by nature and that is the place I go to recharge which always leads to more inspiration.
If you could perform at any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
I think my dream venue would be the Super Bowl! Go rock out hard maybe make a few people cry with a heart wrencher, haha! I also would just love to play some of the iconic Folk Festivals like Mariposa Folk Fest!
Finally, have you got anything to share regarding upcoming gigs, and what have you got planned for the rest of 2022?
The sky is the limit with this record coming out! I’m planning some dates in Toronto and Vancouver and hitting the road with a band next year for a good solid tour. I can’t wait to share more about those soon!
