The Talent Next Door Georginhood

In this episode I talk to the Juno nominated Canadian singer-songwriter and producer Drew Brown. Drew Brown's story is one that's interwoven with faith, love, pain, hope, rights activism and a lot more. The more I chatted with Drew, the more it became apparent where the "thing" I hear in his music comes from. Now, I say "thing" because Drew's music is more than just great lyrics sung over beautiful chords. Drew Brown is an experience and the feeling his sound evokes is quite hard to articulate. There's a sage quality to the man that can only come from the unique experience he has had.

Drew and I talked about his childhood, his relationship with his mother, his entrance into the church, his discovery of music, his first record deal, losing and finding his faith, the making of Digital Love in Analog Times, his 2015 Juno Nominated Album, Black Lives Matter and a host of other things. 

When fate brings together two gifted singer-songwriters at the Bachelor of Music program at Humber College, it's only a matter of time before they form a duo and put all of that talent into creating some pretty incredible music.

Beyond the incredible voices, refreshing harmonies, and endearing stage presence, Canadian singer-songwriter duo Jessie Bower and Taylor Adams carry with them a rare quality. There is an authenticity about their journey into music that is inspiring. There is a sincerity about their desire to create music that seems to extend beyond themselves, beyond here and now. And that sincerity is what is rare and deeply admirable about them.

My conversation with the duo traces both their musical beginnings, the fateful encounter that brought them together, the decision to become a singing duo, major career milestones, and what they hope the future brings.

Alexa Goldie's talent is so undeniable and her star, so bright that at the age of 13,  a successful audition with Cliff Fabri, Avril Lavigne's first manager takes her from Wolfe Island-all the way to- Los Angeles where she gets to meet and work with industry heavy-weights like record producer Matthew Wilder, record producer for an endless list of A list stars like Christina Aguilera, Hannah Montana, and No Doubt.

With a big ol' voice and an equally big personality, Alexa is a delight to chat with. Our conversation reaches into the past, to the start, in Kingston, Ontario where it all started for this fast-rising pop star.

With the outbreak of the pandemic, the world, and indeed all of us in it have experienced a radical change in our lives and what we once considered normal. Performing artists have turned to technology in an attempt to continue to engage with their audience, and bring healing to those in despair, and maybe most importantly, artists have turned to technology to help them do what they know to do best, simply being artists. Today on the show, I talk to Heather Christine, the award-winning Mississauga singer-songwriter about what it's like being an artist in the midst of COVID-19 and online performing. We also backtrack a bit and talk about her early musical years,  "Love in Color" her most recent project, and a host of other things. 

We first encountered Cynthia in concert, on the last stop of her tour earlier this fall, in Schomberg, Ontario. Our take away from that encounter was that beyond being a great pianist and vocalist, Cynthia has the ability, through her music, to take you by the hand and lead you to a familiar place, one of nostalgia. There's an effortlessness she brings to bear on the intricacies that is imperative in the jazz musical genre. There was a sense, at least for us that if she could make beautiful such level of complexity, that there was a way that we, none singer-songwriters and piano maestros, you know, everyday people, that there was a way could transcend the often complex and complicated plays of life and create beauty out of it as well. 

The award winning artist sits with us through what would turn out to be a spirited, intimate and personal conversation about her journey as a creative and all she hopes for the future.