I have always loved to sing. Growing up I would spend hours and hours singing along to my favourite songs in my room. And while I didn’t get up the nerve to join any of the bands my friends started in my hometown Pembroke, I always secretly wished I was on stage with them at the local community center or performing in front of our high school.
I tried to learn to play the guitar when I was a teenager, but only lasted about a week. My fingers hurt and I felt like I would never learn to strum properly. I only got as far as Last Dance with Mary Jane by Tom Petty, and Everybody Hurts by REM before giving up. At that point I didn’t think of being a songwriter. Instead I thought maybe I would study a little photography, then maybe a little art history, and finally I got my degree in English while living in Toronto.
There were two big defining moments in my early twenties - first my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then I had my heart broken in a pretty major way. It was just around this time that a very good friend of mine (thanks, Rob!) gave me a guitar as a gift and I started to learn to play again – and this time, with more patience. Then, when I met my husband Steve who was a musician with a home studio, I recorded my first song - a birthday gift for my best friend, Cindy (the song was aptly called C-I-N-D-Y). I was so nervous to sing into a microphone that I cried.
Still just learning, I started writing songs with my guitar – and I would immediately use every new chord I learned to write a new one (I still do). I wrote and wrote and found that writing was the best possible outlet for all the heartache I’d felt. Steve and I moved to Ottawa when I finished school and we made an album of my songs with some of our friends. I also started performing a little on stage and while I'm still nervous to sing into a microphone, it's getting better all the time.
I've hit a few bumps on the road, but I am happy to say that in the end my mom recovered, I found and married my true love, and somewhere in the process of growing up I realized that I was a songwriter. Now, no matter what else is going on, I’m always writing songs. It's what makes me happy, and it's what helps me figure things out.
Thanks so much for visiting my page, and for listening to my songs.
Sing Me a Song is now available on ITunes, through local retail music shops, and can be ordered in to your local HMV store.
What the press says:
“Fans of the pleasantly languid side of Sarah Harmer and the new soul trend ignited by Mark Ronson’s work will appreciate Shannon Rose, an Ottawa singer-songwriter who appears at home in both worlds. Rose has a seductive, smoky voice and an ear for textured songs...” (National Post)
“Whether it’s listening to her soothing voice sing line after catchy line on her debut CD Sing Me a Song, watching her quiet, confident way on stage, or having an effortless weekend chat with her over coffee, most everything about her seems natural and likeable…” (Metro News)
"It's an elusive, occaisionally ambiguous quality - dangerous and impulsive one second, timid and innocent the next - that comes to define the warm, sonic purr of her resplendent debut Sing Me a Song." (Ottawa XPress)
We are finally ready to start promoting my 'I Surrender' single with my album, 'Ella Trip' coming right after -yey!! What d'ya think to the video teaser?
Feed the Homelesss 5. The event was a huge success, thanks in large part to our Myspace friends helping to get the word out!
A near record crowd enjoyed amazing sets by Jill Zmud, Huntley Slim, and Arms of the Girl .
There was a well attended fun after party with Legendary Zaphod's DJ's Kerri and Arun... Cody Doby Much of Music VJ Contest fame, did a brillant job as MC.
Hola!! Acabo de subir un temita nuevo al reproductor!! te invito a escucharlo y si te apetece me dejas un comentario... Muchas gracias y que tengais una buena y productiva semana :D!! el tema se llama "SOMOS ASI".
Nice to meet you! NxEW.ca (North by East West) is a group blog covering Canadian music. At this point we have 116 writers covering 34 Canadian cities in 10 provinces and 1 territory and even a few people outside of Canada (still covering Canadian music). We hope to add many, many more contributors in our ongoing effort to bring together Canada's varied music scenes in one place to share ideas and information, to talk about what's going on locally and what's going on nationally. For details on who should join us visit nxew.ca/join.html. If you think you might want to contribute read this. Even if you are involved in the 'music business' (musicians, managers, promters etc.,) you are more than welcome. (details here.)
We also have a weekly Mixtape Podcast - if you have music that you'd like to submit for that, get in touch.
Ciao Shannon ,on board of a transatlantic load of music;-) Jazz, Blues etc.. you are very good, I like your stupendous music a lot,and stupendous voice. you are fantastic ..really. talk to you soon and all of my regards for you.. from the italy all the best neal
Thank tou very much 4 the add!! I like your music!! i love "Say something", "Somewhere" and "Where have you been" !! Great songs!! Thanks for all and have a nioce week!! :D
Hey Shannon - caught you guys on CBC's "All In A Day" last week. Holiday is such a great tune. I told the guys at Rabble.ca (Canadian Ruckus podcast) and a few other people about your stuff...hopefully someone comes knockin'
Hiya....I came across Say Something on Bova's page but they didnt list who it was. So I painstakingly went thru their client list until I figured who it was. Such a catchy song, it has radio play written all over it.
Hi Shannon. I meant to write earlier, but I wanted to say it was nice meeting you and seeing you perform. I liked the line you sang, "Are we sacred? You bet we are." It was also really charming to see the musical chemistry between you and your husband. It made me smile.
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