Five Questions With Brielle Ansems

Born in Hamilton, ON, raised in Montague, PEI, Brielle Ansems is no stranger to music, as a recent graduate of Holland College School of Performing Arts Theatre Performance program. Her lyric-focused music has been called an emotionally charged, poetic experience.

She has recently released her new single, “Ironside”, which features her emotionally charged vocals, on top of a building, hypnotic folk-pop track.

Check out “Ironside” below and find out more about Brielle via our Five Questions With segment.

Care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hello readers! My name is Brielle Ansems. I was born in Hamilton, Ontario in ’94. At the age of ten, I moved with my parents and three older brothers to Prince Edward Island, which I’ve called home ever since. I’m a singer-songwriter, actor, and klutz (I tripped on my way to except the award for “Most Clumsy” when I graduated high school— no joke). As I write this, I have a cat on my lap, a bourbon in hand, and a messy room I am trying to find motivation to tidy.

Tell us a bit about your music and writing style

Broadly speaking, I’d call my music indie folk-pop, with influences of soul and r&b. In terms of subject matter, I strive to tell the truth, even when it’s painful; I think there’s a powerful hope that comes with acknowledging our pain and making something beautiful from it.

Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?

On February 21st, I am playing at The Pourhouse, followed by Baba’s Lounge, in Charlottetown, PEI. My album, This New Hurricane, drops on March 6th, so I’ll also be hosting a full band release show later that month. I’m planning to tour nationally and/or internationally within the next year or so.

My live shows tend to be a bit looser than my studio sound. I’m more flexible with the power in my voice, and I really feed off the energy of the crowd. I perform in order to connect with people on an unembellished, honest, emotional level, and I like to think that comes across in my shows, whether you see me playing a solo acoustic set or with a full band.

If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?

That’s a tough one. I would say ‘Fade,’ the opening track from This New Hurricane (and the origin of the title), is a pretty good representation of my aesthetic. There’s a melancholy to it, but it’s combined with a kind of catharsis that comes with letting go and just letting yourself feel without judgement. It also showcases the production that went into the album as a whole. I was lucky enough to have a phenomenal team with me at every step of the process, and you can hear how much care everyone put into the project on that track.

Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?

I grew up listening to Joni Mitchell and Blue Rodeo quite a bit, so I’ve always found them influential. Lately, though, I’ve been listening to a lot of Bahamas, Daniel Caesar, Mo Kenny, Dan Mangan, Hey Rosetta!, and The Wailin’ Jennys.

Connect with Brielle Ansems:
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