Serena Ryder Captured Hearts At Ottawa Dragonboat Festival

Saturday June 25th, Serena Ryder headlined the Ottawa Dragonboat Festival at Mooney’s Bay. The concerts at the festival are free events, making for a great way to entertain the whole family without breaking the bank. It was a great show by one of Canada’s greatest singers!

Serena is a native of Millbrook, Ontario near Peterborough and began performing as a young girl wherever she could. Her recording career began with her first EP in 1999 and since then she has evolved into a major force in Canadian music. Her career really exploded with her album “Harmony” from which she gained her biggest hit, Stompa, which has become a bit of an anthem.

For this show, Serena introduced a stripped-down version of her band, featuring only a bass player and a drummer, but her unique voice is always the star of any show. Her talent shines through with her multi-octave vocal range and her stage presence. She has been an advocate for mental health for some time now and talks freely about it which she did quite a bit Saturday night. Her new album, “The Art Of Falling Apart” is a product of her personal journey. Another thing I noticed is that she seemed to be in a happy place now. She’s looking healthy and sounding great!

From the moment Serena walked onstage, she had the crowd’s full attention. She started off with a few of her well-known songs but was eager to play some of the new album too. My personal favourites being Candy, Waterfall and Better Now.

Listening to Serenas strong and pure voice is a beautiful thing that moves me every time I hear her perform. She has the ability to make you feel her songs, not just hear them. The audience was an eclectic mix of all ages, and it seemed that every one of them knew the words to many of the songs.

Highlights of the show for me was some of her older songs that I know well like Baby Come Back, What I Wouldn’t Do and Got Your Number which was the first single from the “Utopia” album. To end the night, the encore sterted with Serena’s acapella song, Sing Sing, before finishing the night off with her huge hit, Stompa.

Serena is always a treat to see live, and I’m happy whenever I can catch up to her. Maybe now that live music has come back that will be a bit more often? She will be embarking on a tour of western Canada beginning early July but a little bird told me there will be eastern dates added as well for the fall.

Check out more upcoming tour dates at Serena’s Website!