Hi Sheenah, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
I’m doing awesome, gearing up to release the new album and another crazy summer full of fun tours and shows!
Can you tell us about your latest single “Waterfall”?
I chose to share Waterfall as the 2nd single from my new album, Future Is Now. I think it’s a good follow-up to the first high-energy single, Wake Up, as it’s energized but in a very dreamy and different way. Lots of cool soundscapes and gorgeous synths, and very sultry, feminine vocals. This is definitely one of my top tracks from the new record.
What inspired you to write the song?
Waterfall was actually inspired by a waterfall that I came across during a hike along the Saguenay river (Québec). Nature is so beautiful and giving and really helped me cope during the pandemic; I made it a point to spend time outside every single day during the pandemic.
Waterfall talks about being more open to everything around you, and to pay more attention to the natural environment, to everything it tries to teach and give you. Whenever I’m feeling down or low energy, I just go for a really good hike, run, ski, just get as up-close to nature as I can, and immediately, it wakes me up and makes me feel amazing. It gives me a boost of energy and renews my sense of being and joy. Nature has become my therapy, and it has made me the stronger, happier person I am today.
What was the writing and recording process like for the track?
The same day that I went for that hike, I went into my practice space, which at the same was a large rehearsal space for my band during a music residency with the Experimental Music Center in Saguenay. It was 3am, I had just had a few drinks and hangs at the local outdoor bar, and I felt like jamming. I pressed record on my iPhone to capture the improvisations, and was able to later go back and re-record that improvisation. Once I finished recording and writing the song at my home studio, I then brought it to friend/producer Steven Chouinard (Le Couleur) to help with the finishing touches, and he helped me turn my improvisation into a pop song.
Can you tell us about the music video for “Waterfall”? Any behind-the-scenes stories you can share with us?
I really wanted the visuals for Waterfall to represent my inspiration so it was important for me to film the music video in Saguenay, and directly, in the Saguenay river. The video was a very last-minute shoot because it was already mid-September and the temperatures in this region were dropping drastically. So we decided to do the shoot on a Friday, and by Sunday morning, I was meeting the director, choreographer and dancers at the beach at 4:30am. I wanted to work with all local talent and so I picked filmmaker Ken Allaire, and choreographer Sarah Vaillancourt-Tremblay. Not knowing exactly what we would be doing, it was such an incredible experience to improvise with this wonderful group of dancers during one of the most epic sunrises. I’m not going to lie, the temperature was FREEZING and we had spent HOURS in the water; If it wasn’t for Ken building a fire for us on the beach, we definitely would have frozen, and I am so grateful to the dancers for being so brave for spending the entire morning in the water with me. We also had some other shots that were filmed right in front of my house, which is where I go swimming all summer long. The music video is very dreamy and feminine, which pretty much sums up my music. I hope you can feel the love and good vibes that we felt shooting that day, and how important it is to rock your femininity, and to also appreciate the natural environment (and get outside) more!
You have a new album coming out on May 27 called Future is Now. Can you tell us more about that?
I’m stoked about this new album, because it was a collaboration with not one but several amazing producers; Steven Chouinard, Ryan Battistuzzi, Jace Lasek, Andre Papanicolaou, and video-game composer Antoine Vachon. I decided to split up the 9 tracks and work on them in different studios as a way to bring different energies to each song, and overall, the energy in my song-writing is definitely a lot more positive and upbeat since the hardships expressed in my first album. I am energized for this album because I’m feeling a tremendous amount of love and good vibes that I just want to share with people right now.
Where my last album was Nowhere in time, we have now arrived to the FUTURE IS NOW, meaning that there is no future; Whatever hopes and dreams you have for the future should be put into place NOW, because life is too short! I listen to a lot of old Alan Watts’ speeches, who really talked about replacing the concept of “future” with “now,” and living in the present.
What role does Canada play in your music?
Canada plays a tremendous role in my music, because I spend a lot of time in its incredible natural environment, which fuels my inspiration in my songs and the life lessons I sing about. We are so lucky as Canadians to have such great access to nature, clean water, clean air, huge amounts of forests and preserved lands, and it’s mega important that we continue to protect it too. I know how fortunate I am to be here, and to have this type of easy access, and I don’t take it for granted. I don’t think I could live anywhere else in the world, which is why I it’s important to me to contribute to our arts and music scenes. Canada also creates so much amazing music and art, we just have to be better at getting into it and supporting it.
What else is happening next in your world?
I’m currently gearing up for a busy year of shows. I’m currently organizing album launch shows, and also taking off with Besnard Lakes to promote and share our new album!
I have a ton of really cool videos coming out with the release of the album in May and throughout the summer, so stay tuned!!