$45
Singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka had a hit album at 17; by the time he’d turned 21, he’d opened shows for Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, John Mayer, Jason Mraz and appeared on Letterman, Kimmel and Good Morning America. He earned his second JUNO Award nomination, which is Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys, competing against Neil Young for Adult Alternative Album of the Year honors.
Not long after, Nozuka made a radical move: he stepped off the merry-go-round to replenish his creative juices and consider his future.
It turned out to be a wise decision. The time off gave him a chance to grow personally while exploring where he wanted to go artistically. On his well-crafted new Glassnote Records release, Run To Waters, he has chosen to look inward, to lovely effect. The album unfolded in three stages starting with the EP, High Tide, released in October of last year and Low Tide with three more songs this past February. Run To Waters includes all songs from the High Tide and Low Tide EPs as well as five new ones to make a complete album that was produced by Chris Bond (Ben Howard). The creative roll out of the album, which songs reveal mature, thoughtful lyrics and beguiling melodies spanned over five months, included sold out shows in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and was included in coveted playlists like Contemporary Blend and over 4 million streams.
Artist's Website: www.justinnozuka.com
Jill Barber has become renowned for writing songs that evoke feelings of a bygone era. The songs on Fool’s Gold are delivered by that distinct, evocative voice of an artist who has drawn inspiration from a cross section of musical genres. Regardless of Jill’s influences, the one thing you are always assured of is that you know a Jill Barber song when you hear it, and chances are, you’ll never forget it…
2 time Juno Award nominee Jill Barber, is one of Canada’s brightest stars – selling out theatres coast to coast and headlining the country’s most prestigious festivals. Her albums have sold over 100,000 copies and her album Mischievous Moon spent 13 straight weeks at #1 on the Canadian Jazz Charts and debuted at #12 on the US Billboard Jazz charts. Her song “Chances” was also featured on the soundtrack for the hit series “Orange is the New Black.” She has fans in Josh Ritter, Kathleen Edwards, Kris Kristofferson (who hails Jill as a “real songwriter, a damn good songwriter”) and collaborator Ron Sexsmith.
Having earned over twenty award nominations and with two top-selling albums in English, in 2013 Jill released the french language album “Chansons,” after a celebrated performance at the prestigious Montreal Jazz Festival where she sang (for the first time ever) a French translation of one of her songs, “Tous Mes Rêves” (“All My Dreams”). Chansons has firmly established Jill as an artist to watch in both French and English, and an upcoming 2015 European tour is sure to expand her fan base even more.
Artist's website: www.jillbarber.com
