Winnipeg’s Indie Folk/Popper Sheena Legrand Gives Herself The “Green Light” To Change
What’s in a name? To indie-folk/pop songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sheena Legrand, the answer is “Just enough to make you change it when the time has come to hit the gas.” For her return to recording activity after a 10-year hiatus, the former Sheena Grobb has taken on a whole new moniker to better reflect the direction of her life—and the updated musical approach previewed on her new single, the hauntingly beautiful “Green Light.”
In her husky, sultry semi-whisper, Legrand gives voice to the prayers of anyone who’s ever wished that life would stop throwing up roadblocks—only to realize they were the one in the driver’s seat after all.
“Give me one green light
Come on let’s go
Turn turn for me
Train left long ago
What if it’s only sight we’ve been looking for
Green brings out your eyes when you realize
It’s time to let go“
“When I wrote “Green Light” with Winnipeg producer Jonny Kirouac, I was pleading for some force outside myself to change my situation,” Legrand says. “However, as happens with most of my music, when I look back on what I wrote and what I was dealing with, I understand how the first green light had to come from within me.”
“‘Green Light’ gives us permission to let go of old stories so we can be open to a fresh start.”
In Legrand’s case, that meant carving out a new identity to better reflect her standing in an industry that almost requires women to stay eternally youthful. After releasing three albums under the “Sheena Grobb” banner, the Manitoba-born, Winnipeg-based artist had put a pin in her career to raise a family. After a while, she found herself wondering if she still had a place in music at all. But she reached into herself and realized she was under no obligation to conform to anyone else’s stereotypes.
Instead, she set out to reaffirm the talents she had been honing since beginning to sing consistently at age 4, which had made her a past nominee in the Western Canadian Music Awards. Some professional coaching helped her take the quality of her vocals to a new level, and with the help of producer/co-instrumentalist Kirouac, she upgraded the tenor of her music in toto.
Her forthcoming album, the appropriately named Back to Life, will show how she’s managed to retain the strengths of her earlier work—sweet melodic hooks, intricate keys, and delicately layered vocals—while superimposing an electrifying live loop experience that will be sure to get bodies moving when she starts to play shows again.
At the same time, she’s continuing her side work as a public speaker who uses music, storytelling, and mindfulness tools to help schoolchildren deal with mental health struggles, bullying, and issues of low self-esteem. She’s also a part-time health coach who specializes in helping patients survive autoimmune diseases (which she herself has faced). The treatment regimen she advocates includes diet and lifestyle changes, plus emotional work and spiritual practices that stimulate healing from within.
The “from within” angle is big to Legrand right now: It’s the focus of “Green Light,” certainly, but also of a general attitudinal shift that sprang from bringing something quite special out of herself and into the world.
“I gave birth naturally in our living room, and I’ve never felt more powerful in my life,” she says. “That moment was a portal within my own personal growth. I will never be the same.”
No wonder she’s chosen to re-emerge under the surname of her chosen family:
“Joining my partner and son as a ‘Legrand’ felt right personally, but it also worked for where I was at professionally. I’m feeling the change, and it’s good!”
Now she’s looking forward to taking that attitude back to the stage whenever and wherever possible.
“When it comes to dreaming big, I’d say the sky is the limit. There’s been a shift in my availability, but travelling as a family is something we’re very much open to, so all of a sudden, the possibilities seem endless again. I love the spot I’m in!”
Care to introduce yourself?
My name is Sheena, and I am a Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter originally from Treherne, MB.
The whispers of songwriting first tapped on my shoulder when I was 10 years old, and I knew it was a calling I needed to honour. I’ve been swimming these creative waters for decades now with 3 albums under my belt as Sheena Grobb. These songs have always felt like children to me, and I loved watching them find resonance with others too. Music has such a special way of speaking to us, and I’ve never taken that lightly. I’m now working on new music under my married name Sheena Legrand, and I intend to continue sharing my musical passions with my son and the rest of the world.
Tell us about the process of recording “Green Light”?
A number of years ago now, I was hungry for a new challenge with my songwriting. Historically, it seemed my natural set point was to write ballads or songs of sorrow. I love a powerful heart-wrenching tune, but I was pulled to explore new and more uplifting subject matter in my songwriter journey.
My partner Dan Legrand – an accomplished singer in his own right, found a sync licensing course online and gave me a big push to sign up. The objective was to learn how to sell my music for use in TV and film. I decided to go for it, and I really loved the structure of the assignments. We were tasked with writing about all kinds of topics geared towards major film themes, and it allowed me to open up my artistic capabilities in ways I wasn’t readily willing to on my own.
The course also encouraged us to work with as many different producers and musicians as possible, which was a wonderful invitation to reach out to different collaborators from all over the continent. Dan’s suggestions were working for me so far, so I felt compelled to follow another. He introduced me to local Winnipeg musician and producer, Jonny Kirouac. A super talented, multi-instrumentalist who was generous with his knowledge and time. Jonny and I set to work on a track that became “Green Light,” a song about letting go of what is not meant for us, so we can make space for everything that is.
For me, this has been a tremendously relevant theme in my life and career. Jonny created much of the instrumentation you hear – he masterfully took what I played on keys and brought it all to life. I have to say, the element that made me want to release this song as my first single was the strength I summoned in my voice when re-recording my main vocal after some coaching. Digging into new depths of my vocal range was scary initially – as a classically trained vocalist, I was concerned that pushing myself to sing from a deeper part of myself might wreck my vocal cords.
Dan insisted that I had this strength hiding within me and I just finally broke through something that day. I was able to access power I hadn’t heard in myself before. I hear it in this song, and I really love it. I’m excited for more explorations ahead.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
The first Canadian artist to blow me away was the incomparable Sarah McLachlan. I can still remember reading all the lyrics to my sister’s copy of “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” and feeling like she was speaking directly to my soul. I would sit down at the piano and somehow emulate her, as I began to find my own way.
The first really impactful concert I attended was Alanis Morissette. I think she opened my mind in terms of how a singer could use their voice. She really had something to say that everyone could resonate with.
The most recent Canadian artist to blow my mind has been Tenille Townes. Admittedly I was a small-town girl who struggled to get behind country music. I’m not sure what I was afraid of – after all, it was a part of where I came from. Tenille has been like a “songwriting bridge” for me. She writes country music I can feel, and I cry like a baby when certain songs of hers come on. I had the chance to hang out with Tenille when I was writing in Nashville with the acclaimed David Kalmusky. She’s as kind and down-to-earth as she comes across.
What’s an album that you have in your collection that would surprise people?
…And Justice for All – Metallica
You’ve been making music for a bit of time now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
Write every day, and play as often as you can. Keep your songs alive, and play them like they matter. Prepare for the reality that you have to talk about yourself a lot in this industry, especially if your creative process is an intrinsic one. Find ways to balance that out. Lend your voice to issues that matter to you. Write generously with others and start fresh each day like you have everything to learn.
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