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Contact: Jennifer
Malazarte or Anna Bobkowska O CANADA! Fortunately for fans of edgy pop/rock in the U.S. and her native Canada alike, the Calgary bred and based singer/songwriter is no longer “Tongue Tied”—the title of the fiery opening track from Pillar of Stone, her upcoming disc on Gotcha Records, due to drop to retail and digital download outlets in early 2007. Thanks to a remarkable, two pronged radio campaign, thousands of listeners across North America are already getting hip to Joelle’s incisive lyrics and powerful musical vibe in two unique formats. The hook drenched rocker title track is on Hot AC/Top 40 stations all across the U.S., while the self-assured, blistering “All 4 Me” is quickly rising on the Active Rock charts; both are averaging over 200 spins a week in their respective formats. “It’s always a challenge trying to launch a new artist like myself, and we wanted to give me a bigger bang in advance of the album’s release,” says Joelle, who released her first EP Sugar in 2001 and a follow-up full length recording, Look At Me Now in 2003. “Compared to my previous songs, the material here is raw, edgy and confident, yet there’s also a certain amount of vulnerability there. Even though I’m finally achieving my dreams musically, I see myself as a girl still trying to figure out my life and getting in touch with my inner self. The concept of Pillar Of Stone is about self-empowerment, learning to stand up for who you are and what you want in life. It’s about me going through all sorts of trials, and through that, trying to get others out there to recognize their own inner strength, individuality and self-confidence.” While every aspect of creating her first two projects were “all Maple” (i.e. done by Canadian natives), Joelle rises to the next creative level on Pillar Of Stone thanks to her exciting new partnership with Nashville based producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Omartian. Omartian, son of legendary pop producer Michael Omartian, has produced tracks with pop stars Pink and Hilary Duff, in addition to teen pop band Jump 5 and popular gospel group 4Him. Omartian, who co-wrote many of the songs on Pillar of Stone with Joelle, produced the majority of the tracks at his VZN Productions Studio in Nashville, while “Tongue Tied” was recorded MCC Music Studios near Joelle’s home in Calgary. “We were looking for a leading edge sound for the album and Chris has certainly captured it,” says Joelle. “As soon as industry pros had a chance to hear the first tracks from the album, we had ardent fans and cheerleaders. While I wrote and produced all of my initial recordings and liked having total control over things, I learned with this latest project that sometimes you have to consider other ideas and opinions, particularly when other extremely talented people are involved. We had so many great songs to choose from, but Chris knew the songs that had the right fit for this album. “Being part of the production process on Pillar Of Stone was for me both humbling and exhilarating,” she adds. “Chris has such a good ear for tones, sounds, pitch and punchiness. He’s all about getting the best out of whomever he works with, and I could totally be myself around him. No matter the song, he makes sure it sounds believable. I couldn’t be happier with the result.” Omartian may have played a key role in translating Joelle’s vision to disc, but the life experiences and attitude driving the songs are all hers. The title track is about accepting one’s own vulnerability in a relationship, the idea that she can’t always be the strong one; i.e. one person can only do so much. “All 4 Me” take a tougher stance, and is a potential self-empowerment anthem. And “Tongue Tied” is the quintessential sassy, flirty song that reminds us that no matter how strong we think we are, we can still be taken in by an irresistible person whose looks and charm leaves us speechless. “Growing up inspired by singers like Mariah Carey and George Michael, I started writing songs and poems when I was very young,” says Joelle. “By my early 20s, I had a great collection of material, and I knew I really wanted to be an artist, so I took a chance, hired an arranger and put together the four song EP Sugar. I started getting good feedback, and was hired for a lot of club gigs and corporate events, pageants and even the Bridal Fair. Then, we just promoted Look At Me Now on a local level, but it got airplay in Calgary and British Columbia, and it was fun to be interviewed on a local radio station.” She still gets a bit shy on a personal level when songs from her albums are played at the salon where she supports her musical career as a hairdstylist, but onstage she’s something else entirely. Her knack for wowing crowds came from performing in church choirs, as a soloist and in Christmas dramas (she was raised North American Baptist), but she cites her most powerful formative experience as the few years she spent as a teenager with The Youth Singers of Calgary; while a member of this secular choir, the singer performed everywhere from Vancouver to Australia. “If I ever have kids, I plan to let them audition for this organization,” says Joelle, whose husband Drew, a production specialist with a Calgary marketing and promotions firm, develops most of her promo material and graphics. “It was one of the best things I ever did for building my confidence as a person and a singer. I had the opportunity not only to perform before thousands of people, and was also able to learn so much about different cultures. “With my songs
being played everywhere on the radio for the first time and the album
coming out soon, I’m really looking forward to getting out there
and doing a lot more performing,” she adds. “I’m excited
about sharing my music with more people than I ever had a chance to
before. My #1 dream and goal has always been to have a successful music
career, and as I reach each milestone, I’m really loving the process
more and more. I’ve met incredible people along the way, and I
enjoy everything from the studio environment to singing every day. I
have no illusions that this is an easy business, and there are many
long days and nights when I’m recording. But everything pays off
when I hear a song come together and imagine the way it’s going
to touch the listeners out there.”
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