“The CanadaSound program has created a unique gift from Canada’s artists to Canadians, a 10-track album inspired by the sounds Canadians love, available for $9.99 in support of MusiCounts.”
Arriving just in time for Valentine’s Day, everyday Canadians and musicians are showing their love for Canada with a digital compilation like no other. CanadaSound is a 10-song compilation that uses the sounds and sentiments of what people love about Canada to inspire the nation’s artists to create original tracks rich in diversity and deep in meaning.
The CanadaSound album includes original works from two JUNO Award Winners, four JUNO Award Nominees and a four-time platinum artist, with inspiration from thousands of everyday Canadians.
The CanadaSound digital compilation features 10 unique songs, chosen from submissions across Canada. The artists featured include: Karl Wolf, Blitz // Berlin, DRU, Erik West-Millette, Ammoye, Florence K, Shobha, David Francey, Sofia Blu, and Melle Rose.
“CanadaSound is a great project because it gives people the opportunity to see through the eyes of a recording artist, and be creative while appreciating our country’s unique sounds. I’m honoured to be involved,” said JUNO Award winning artist DRU.
The inspiration:
Launched in April at The 2017 JUNO Awards, CanadaSound harnessed the power of sound to trigger memory and encouraged Canadians to express their love for Canada through their favourite sounds. Those sounds formed Canada’s first nationally co-created Soundscape collection at canadasound.ca, which was curated and made available to artists on a rights-free digital platform where they could sample, mix, or simply be inspired by the sentiment behind them.
The diversity of submissions (which included things as iconic as loon calls, or as fun as snow pants swishing together and the squeaky sound fresh cheese curds make) was matched by the 82 artists across equally diverse genres such as jazz, children’s music, electroacoustic and pop that joined the project.
CanadaSound is an idea that inspires collaboration across age, geography, culture and musical genres, to bring Canadians together through a digital platform fuelled by emotion and imagination. Where else could the sound of a wolf in the North inspire a Toronto electroacoustic band to reimagine a centuries-old Maritime folk song called “Farewell to Nova Scotia”? Or attract artists to participate as unexpected as 13-year old Sofia Blue or Melle Rose, a former Miss Canada.
“Artists are forever looking for inspiration” says Neil McOstrich, Chief Storytelling Officer at cleansheet communications Inc. where the project was first imagined, “but the combinations of inspirations and the different places the artists have taken them so far is staggering.”
The launch:
The CanadaSound compilation album is available for purchase via digital retailers including iTunes and Google Play starting TODAY. For more information, visit Canadasound.ca.
“Through the CanadaSound project we have built a contemporary collection of Canadians’ sentiments as expressed through sound and we’ve raised awareness for MusiCounts, which puts instruments in the hands of kids who need them the most,” says Catherine Frank of cleansheet communications Inc., “…But above all, we have inspired a collaboration between our country and artists that has resulted in many inspiring songs and a very accessible album, in support of MusiCounts.”
CanadaSound Artist Bios
Blitz//Berlin
“Farewell to Nova Scotia”
Blitz-Berlin
JUNO nominee Blitz//Berlin is composed of three self-described “punk kids” from Toronto. For the CanadaSound Project, they collaborated with Bülow to cover a true Canadian folk song. Listen for the cry of seagulls, rain hitting the roof of a porch, boats rocking at a dock, frogs croaking and wolves howling.
Sofia Blu
“Small Town Heart”
Sofia Blu
Sofia Blu, only 13-years old, sings about a small town with a big voice. She was inspired by sounds of lapping water and an axe splitting wood, which reminded her about her home, family, and friends in Collingwood, Ontario and the special place it holds in her heart.
Shobha
“A Song to Sing”
Shobha
Shobha is an award-winning singer, songwriter and recording artist based in Canada. Her song for the CanadaSound Project truly honours Canada from coast-to-coast and the lyrics, written in collaboration with husband Rob Wells, explore the beauty she has personally experienced across the country. Surely, if Canada were a movie, this would definitely be the theme song.
DRU
“Caroline”
DRU
DRU is an R&B singer, songwriter and JUNO Award winner. When listening to CanadaSound submissions, he was inspired by the sound of rain (fitting, as he was born in April), which inspired feelings of melancholy and the memories of a girl.
Ammoye
“The Light”
Ammoye
Ammoye is a Jamaican-Canadian reggae singer and 3X JUNO Award nominee. Like many Canadians, Ammoye loves being in cottage country. For the CanadaSound Project, she wrote “The Light”, a song about how the outdoors makes her feel peaceful, free and centred. Listen for the sounds of lake water cascading over rocks, Canadian geese and ducks.
Erik West-Millette
“Terminal City Trainz”
Erik West-Millette
Erik West-Millette is a Montreal composer and producer. His CanadaSound contribution is dedicated to the railroad workers who, in 1895, built the rockiest, toughest railway on Earth – the Canadian Pacific Railway. Listen for freight train horns, metal spike hammers, and even the howls of a wolf pack.
Karl Wolf
“Unlimited”
Karl Wolf
Karl Wolf is a Canadian R&B singer and JUNO Award nominee who is accustomed to being at the top of the charts. For CanadaSound, he was inspired by the sound of a raven, and sings a song about overcoming limitations that are set for us by society. His lyrics ask us to search deep inside for the superhero within each of us in order to achieve our dreams— something that as Canadians, we are blessed with the freedom to pursue.
Florence K
“Mira Mira”
Florence K
Renowned French-language artist and JUNO nominee Florence K wrote “Mira Mira” for the CanadaSound Project. She was inspired by the passage of time and the sounds of letters changing on the flight boards at Montreal’s Mirabel airport (now inactive). Also listen for more sounds like airplane taking off, the chirp of a marmot and a Native American frame drum.
Melle Rose
“Bad Woman”
Melle Rose
Melle Rose is a Canadian pop singer, the 2013 Miss Canada, and fashion expert on The Shopping Channel. For the CanadaSound Project, she was inspired by the chimes on the TTC streetcar and sings a song about a woman living in the city of Toronto who, despite the status quo, chooses her own path, relationships and future.
David Francey
“Banks of the Seaway”
David Francey
David Francey is a carpenter-turned-songwriter and is a 3X JUNO award winner known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers.” For the CanadaSound Project he wrote a love song for his wife that honours a special place along the St. Lawrence they like to visit. Listen for Laker boats and horn salutes.
