Monica Lee unveils new single, “Coucou (Mr. Moon)”
Vancouver’s Monica Lee has released her brand new single “Coucou (Mr. Moon)” from her upcoming album You, Me And The Moon.
An incredible BC-based singer-songwriter – Monica has crafted a remarkable career over the years through her powerful voice, her sense of whimsy, musicality, and poetic lyricism. All of those traits (and more) are indisputable on her new (and first) Children’s album – “You, Me and The Moon.”
Produced, mixed, and mastered by Marc Atkinson (at The Barn Studio on Hornby Island, BC), this new album is a testament to parents’ love for their kids. The collection of songs showcases a tale of an unbreakable connection. And – accompanied with her live show – Monica dances the audience through playful storytelling, energetic sing-alongs, and soothing balms to end the day. The positive and empowering messages in the music, encouraging children to be kind, curious, and creative – are designed to inspire the little ones to explore the world around them, connect with nature, and embrace their unique qualities.
A Vancouver multidisciplinary artist for over 20 years, Lee is well known for her powerful songwriting, performing in the Roots, Jazz, and Country traditions, and being a charismatic children’s educator in her popular program, Jump into Music. A chanteuse in both French and English, her voice is flexible and sweet on this new LP – singing her loveable original songs and more familiar timeless classics like “Coucou (Mr. Moon)” and the Gershwin jazz standard lullaby, “Summertime.” “The record touches on several genres – swing, blues, roots, folk, and jazz, sophisticated enough for adults to enjoy while keeping the kids bopping along,” she says.
Watch the video for “Coucou (Mr. Moon)” below and learn more about Monica Lee via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Monica. Some people call me Monica Lee. Some people call me Teacher Monica, and a couple of very special people call me Mom. I’m a singer, a dreamer of songs; they come to me, I catch them and try and give them life. I started teaching, subbing for a friend when I was surprised to find out how much I absolutely loved it. Connecting with people one on one or in groups, and sharing the joys of music is my vocation as an artist, and I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to share my knowledge with so many people. I have two kids, ages 14 and 12, and ever since they arrived, they have shifted my every cell and transformed my core being into who I was meant to be for them, a mother. They awakened in me a passion for early childhood education, leading me to my current Teacher Monica role at Jump Into Music where l lead families on a musical exploration around the world, learning a little bit more about each other as we go along.
Before I was Teacher Monica, I held a house gig at the Libra Room on Commercial Drive for 15 years. I made an album, LIVE at the Libra Room there, and the songs on my last record, Farewell, were seasoned on that stage. My songs are rooted in the Roots, Country, and Jazz traditions. I have scored a documentary and had my songs featured in an award-winning web series – Inconceivable. I have been a semifinalist in the ISC (International Songwriters Competition) twice and performed my music across Western Canada.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
‘You, Me and the Moon’ is a collection of songs I wrote over the first ten years of mothering my children. Some came early, some came late. They all explore the deep connection between parents and their kids. The songs are gentle, inviting, and tender. Some are more playful, digging into the sillies of potty training and camping antics and then all the way back to those trusted moments of quiet when we help our little ones let go of the day and rest.
The album was produced, engineered, and mastered by Marc Atkinson @ The Barn Studio on Hornby Island, BC—a stunningly beautiful spot to make music with an extremely talented producer, musician, and person. I love working with Marc.
I hope the songs on You, Me and The Moon help families wind down the day honouring the child inside each of us, and the deep love parents and caregivers feel for the children in their lives.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
I am very impressionable. Anything around me can trigger a song, but mostly feelings related to someone or something I have experienced or seen happening around me. I hear a rhyme or a rhythm, a turn of phrase that catches my ear, and I am on a roll. I tend to write quickly, so the voice memos on my phone are a treasure trove of ideas that I can go back to later when I have a moment of quiet. As a busy mom, I have often woken in the night with my subconscious busy working on a song, sung it into my phone, and then gone back to sleep to wake up in the morning to an almost fully formed song. I love those ones.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I do! It’s so nice to say that after several years with very few shows.
April 19th – I am sharing a songwriter’s bill with James Houlahan and Beau Wheeler at Lana Lous.
May 13th – I’m hosting The Point Grey Village Spring Fair. I love to host community events, really looking forward to this and will be playing a few sets of music with my kids music trio Monica Lee and the String Bees.
May 28th – ‘You, Me and the Moon’ premiers at the Shadbolt Theater for the Arts as part of their Spring Program. This is possibly the most important show to date in my career.
The play is an interactive theatrical presentation of my album of the same name, exploring those deep connections I mentioned the album is inspired by. Using projected visuals and puppets, I weave the story of my childhood being sung to sleep by my Trinidadian Father with the songs I wrote for my own children.
This show is a family-friendly show appropriate for anyone who has had a parent really. Babies to Grandparents are most welcome. There are two seatings, a relaxed performance at 2 pm and another at 8 pm.
You, Me and the Moon is my second showcase play. I will be accompanied by the very talented Paul Pigat on guitar and harmonies for the live show.
You, Me and the Moon, the album will be available for purchase at the show only a few days after the official release date of May 24th! Considering our modern climate for CDs I have especially designed a companion book with lyrics and chords, illustrations, liner notes, and short stories about each song I think kids will enjoy holding and looking at. A modern alternative to the classic CD, this book will include a download code for the music. All in-person sales will include a beautiful poster of the Album Art by Jenny Ritter – picturing a mother and child rocking to sleep with the moon glowing in the window. The digital album is available on Bandcamp, and anywhere you get your music.
Midsummer Kootenay Tour 2023 – I am excited to be performing as part of the Starbelly Jam Music Festival in Crawford Bay under the children’s tent and at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Music in the Park in Nakusp, BC.
What’s your goal for 2023?
My primary goal for 2023 is to share this album (and showcase play) with as many people as possible. I hope the songs are helpful companions to parents of young children and adults who relate to their inner child. Sometimes we all need help falling asleep, right? I plan to create and release videos for each song over the year and to book the play through the winter and into next year in Theatre for Young Audiences venues across BC.
A constant goal in my life is to keep creating art, writing, and recording songs. I will be journeying back to Hornby throughout 2023 in my big yellow bus Dirty Bird (a converted camper hospital transport bus), to work with Producer Marc Atkinson. We have many more songs in the works looking ahead to 2024.
*I think I better include a goal of keeping my bus running and happy travelling me and my kids all about!