Denielle Bassels Shares On Recent JUNO Award Nomination
Canadian jazz artist Denielle Bassels, was recently nominated for a 2024 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year for her incredible album, Little Bit a’ Love.
Co-produced by Denielle with the help of platinum-awarded producer Thomas McKay (Joydrop, SATE), Little Bit a’ Love is a 10-track collection of deeply personal and introspective songs. The album explores themes of loss, depression, and the pursuit of purpose, all infused with the unwavering spirit of love. Although a departure from Denielle’s previous projects, the album retains a classic and original essence that has garnered rave reviews around the world since its release in 2023.
“I am so over the moon with excitement to be honoured with this JUNO nomination for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year,” said Denielle Bassels. “I am also thrilled for everybody that had a part in making this album with me!”
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Denielle Bassels I’m a jazz/pop and blues singer-songwriter and bandleader, from Toronto, ON, Canada, I started performing Jazz in Europe when I was living there as and Au Pair (nanny) and have just been nominated for a JUNO award for my 2nd full-length original album Little Bit a’ Love.
Congratulations on your JUNO nomination for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year! How does it feel to receive this recognition for your album, “Little Bit a’ Love,” especially considering its deeply personal themes
Just surreal and thrilling! Despite facing major setbacks, the album emerged with a whole lot of love and perseverance. Isolation allowed me to dig deeper into my experiences and stretch out my songwriting and production skills. Without the ability to sit down with musicians piece by piece, I found myself arranging to completion and deciding the feel, vibe, and instrumentation of the music. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, giving me the time to explore, learn, and stretch creatively. I strayed from the original album in both sound and genre, creating from a place that explored a more holistic approach to what brought me up as an artist. I feel like I’ve confirmed to myself that pushing yourself to those hidden corners and taking leaps of faith is always the right way to go, and then to be recognized for it like this is immensely gratifying! It felt like showing up to a ball in your birthday suit and being embraced even more for showing your scars—truly extraordinary and deeply appreciated.
Co-producing the album with Thomas McKay must have been an enriching experience. How did his collaboration contribute to the overall sound and vision of “Little Bit a’ Love”?
Thom was a wonderful and unexpected surprise. I came to Thom with a sort of finished
album that was kind of dumped in my lap with so many unusable parts due to technical failures. I was out of money, devastated and just starting to pick up the pieces. When Thom heard the songs and my story he vowed to help me finish it and was willing to take the time I needed. Apparently, my story was not an isolated incident in his experience and he was really peeved about that. We recorded all my vocals, many instruments from beds, and most of the overdubs. It was like I dropped off a shed of tangled Christmas lights for him to put up! He took care of the mountain of editing, comping, and recording that needed to be done many times jumping in the booth to add a guitar, percussion, or in the case of Big Bad Wolf, vibraphone. He helped me with personnel when I needed certain sounds, that’s how I discovered Chendy Leon and Rob Christian who were guests on the album. I learned a ton about production and discovered that I could complete a vision from start to finish. Between me and Thom, I couldn’t have come up with a better album. I also have to give credit to Drew Jurecka too. The song “Gone” wasn’t where I needed it to be. The vocal needed support so I asked Drew to take the song into his own talented hands and he wrote these amazing violin arrangements, played them all too, and produced some of the other instrumentation. It took the song way past my expectations. I’ll be working with both of them again on my next album.
With a background in storytelling and a versatile voice, your live performances are known to be unforgettable. How do you translate the intimacy of your recordings into engaging live shows?
I love performing, I think it’s my way of really telling the story and connecting with people. My goal is to take the audience on a ride. Everything that has made me what I am today, my triumphs and failures, and all my lessons go into every song. I know people will feel their own stories and emotions welling up when I mean it and so I never sing a song that I don’t 100% believe in. It helps the music get to that fantastic place. Musicians will feel your intent and go with your flow and when I hear them taking it on I’ll go with their flow and the whole story can take on a new persona and edge. That’s what makes the live shows so thrilling. Every show is different because the emotions going in, mixed with the interplay between players and the audience are always fresh and exciting.
Your forthcoming third full-length album, co-produced with GRAMMY-nominated Drew Jurecka, sounds incredibly exciting. Can you give us a sneak peek into what listeners can expect from this upcoming release?
Oh, I’m so excited for this one! I’m going right to the roots and resurrecting that strong woman inside who got a bit hidden and muddy from trying to fit in all the time. I’m rising up to my full height of Six feet one and going for it. The songs are bolder, darker, and sometimes cinematic. Inspired by an iconic pic of Marlene Dietrich in the shadows with her arms crossed, It’s badass. And for the first time, I’m going with the piano as the main harmonic instrument. Think of Dinah Washington meeting Lewis Carroll. I’ve also teamed up with other songwriters such as Lily Frost, poet Robert Priest for a tune, and Mike Freedman. I’ll be co-producing with Drew Jurecka and Thom Mckay again.
Finally, with upcoming shows scheduled and new music on the horizon, what are your goals and aspirations for the future of your music career?
In no particular order: Win a Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Album, An Oscar for Best Song in a Feature Film, a Tony for writing a musical, and to travel to every country in the world to play my music with my favourite musicians.
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