Line Up Features Five Incredible Female Songwriters
Toronto, ON – The Songwriters Association of Canada is proud to announce the Celebration Series Songbird North Women of S.A.C. live stream concert on April 21st for an evening of songs and stories. The virtual event will feature key Canadian music creators across genres including Alysha Brilla, Barbra Lica, Helen Austin, Kayla Diamond, and Liz Rodrigues.
Hosted by JUNO Award winner Shari Ulrich, the Celebration Series Songbird North Women of S.A.C. unites women in music and invites the inspiring songwriters to share the inspiration behind their songs and the stories for an incredible night of performances, storytelling and music. S.A.C. developed the concert series program in 1993, originally named Bluebird North (BBN), bringing together Canada’s most inspiring songwriters to perform original work at an industry event in front of an educated audience.
“S.A.C. Celebration Series Songbird North concerts are a showcase of all of Canada’s talented music creators and the beautiful country we live in and the hottest bill to be on in Canada. The elements of education and entertainment for all ages, the S.A.C. Celebration Series Songbird North concerts achieve are a balance of high quality, creative and relevant content exploring themes of diversity through musicianship,” says Zoe Cunningham.
The virtual concert will be from 7-9pm EDT and general admission tickets are $20. Tickets are free for all members of S.A.C., SOCAN, and any Canadian Music Industry Associations. Tickets are available to be purchased here.
Additional information about the Celebration Series Songbird North Women of S.A.C. may be found here. This celebration was made possible in part of funding partners FACTOR and the SOCAN Foundation.
More about the Celebration Series Songbird North Songwriters:
Shari Ulrich (Host)
Shari has released 9 albums of original material, and 16 collaborations with UHF (Bill Henderson & Roy Forbes) and BTU (Barney Bentall & Tom Taylor). Her work has garnered two JUNO Awards, an induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, and a 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award (CFMA) for English Songwriter of the Year. Shari has been producing and hosting Bluebird North and then Songbird North, for the S.A.C. for 23 years.
Website: www.shariulrich.com
Alysha Brilla
3-time JUNO Award nominee Alysha Brilla is a critically acclaimed Indo-Tanzanian Canadian songwriter and producer who just released her fourth album, “Rooted”. With over forty songs of her own heavily streamed on Spotify and played on CBC Radio, Brilla has found her voice as an independent female artist in the Canadian and international music industry. In addition to producing and writing for upcoming artists, Brilla frequently conducts music and production workshops in schools across Canada, engaging youth and facilitating expression.
Website: www.alyshabrilla.com
Barbra Lica
JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Barbra Lica captivates audiences all over North America with her genuine warmth and confident stage presence. Barbra’s debut album “That’s What I Do’ released in 2012, ranked her in Canada’s Top 5 Jazz singers on CBC, as well as Top 5 up-and-coming Toronto jazz artists on blogTO. Her first album with Justin Time Records, I’m Still Learning, released in 2016 was subsequently nominated for a 2017 JUNO Award in the category of “Best Vocal Jazz Album”. Barbra’s newest project entitled, You’re Fine (Justin Time Records), marks the introduction of Folk and Americana elements to her repertoire and has amassed over 3 million streams to date on Spotify. She is currently promoting her first self-produced single, “Hello from My Basement” as a fundraising initiative for Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto.
Website: www.barbralicamusic.com
Helen Austin
After years of writing songs while making a living as a musical stand-up comedian in the UK, Helen’s move to Canada in 2002 was the catalyst for her musical career. While most of her time now is focussed on the Folk-Pop duo Big Little Lions, she also writes exclusively for Riptide Music Publishers and has had countless placements on television and film. Her music, both solo and as a duo, has won many awards including a JUNO Award, and the John Lennon Songwriting Competition Song of the Year.
Website: www.helenaustin.com
Kayla Diamond:
After over a year of reflective consideration of who she wants to be and what music she wants to make, Kayla finally released her EP “Dirty Laundry” which has become foundational to her musical past, present, and future. Since winning the It’s Your Shot Contest in 2015 for the track “Crazy,” she has gone through a winding road of sound, writing, and performing pop and electronic hits. Kayla hitting the reset button on her artistry is a thrilling adventure to follow.
Website: www.kayladiamond.com
Liz Rodrigues
Chart-topping Canadian songwriter Liz Rodrigues has written multiple songs for countless popular music artists and is also the voice on the demos. In 2010, she landed three songs on Eminem’s Grammy-winning No. 1 Billboard album, Recovery — “Won’t Back Down,” “25 To Life,” and “Almost Famous,” all co-written with Erik Alcock, Chin Injeti, and DJ Khalil, with whom she still writes today. Recently Liz worked on six songs on Celine Dion’s new album, Courage.
Website: www.lizrodrigues.com
About Songbird North
Songbird North has been developed to bring together and celebrate Canada’s most inspiring, versatile and rising-star songwriters of all genres and backgrounds. The Celebration Series works to create a safe space for creators to share the inspiration behind their songs and the stories that brought them to where they are in their songwriting journeys.
About the SOCAN Foundation
Founded in 1992, the SOCAN Foundation is dedicated to fostering musical creativity and promoting a better understanding of the role of music creators in today’s society. The SOCAN Foundation is part of the SOCAN group of organizations, and guided by its own Board of Directors, which consists of composers, songwriters and music publishers, and reflects the variety of concert music and popular music genres as well as the geographic and linguistic regions of Canada. For more information on the SOCAN Foundation, please visit www.fondationsocan.ca and www.socan.com.
About FACTOR
FACTOR (the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings) is a public/private partnership that supports the production of sound recordings by Canadian musicians and helps Canadian music companies make recordings available to a wider public. FACTOR is committed to reflecting the diversity of the Canadian population in its programs and operations. We are committed to ensuring universal access to all funds and services, including all musical expressions and talent. We will also in our work encourage these values of diversity and inclusiveness within the broader Canadian music sector.
