The Heels share their newest “Work of Heart”
Vancouver, BC-based, The Heels is an all-female band composed of members Bobbi Smith, Brittni Dominelli, and Kyla Rawlins. The country trio has recently unveiled their single, “Work of Heart.”
“Work of Heart” highlights The Heels’ signature sound and speaks to their belief that any negative can have a positive spin and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Heels continue to expand on their sound and enhance their message of hope and healing as they prepare to release more new music later this year, produced by BCCMA Award Winner Anthony Fiddler. The trio is also getting ready to perform at the 2023 JUNOfest in Edmonton this March.
Listen to “Work of Heart” below and learn more about The Heels via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello, thanks for featuring our band. My name is Bobbi, and I am one-third of The Heels. We are a west coast female harmony trio of myself, Bobbi Smith, Brittni Fiddler & Kyla Rawlins. We met in a cafe called Buddha-Full co-owned by Kyla. Brittni was working at the cafe, and I was a regular customer. We were all involved in different solo music careers in a mix of genres. Eventually, the cafe owner, barista, and customer made a band! Sounds like a sitcom, but it’s our real-life story, and that’s the short of it. We have since released two albums, toured Canada and many states, won several music awards, and turned our music dreams into our full-time careers.
You have unveiled your single, “Work of Heart.” What can you tell us about the writing process behind the song?
We wrote “Work of Heart” with our producer Anthony Fiddler and friend Megan Barker. Megan is a country artist based in Nashville. We had plans to write with Megan in person in TN, but the pandemic shut that trip down, so we rerouted our journey to a cabin overlooking Kootenay Lake in Southeastern BC. We wrote with Megan on zoom, and after catching up and sharing all the emotions, we were feeling from the pandemic, lockdowns, and current state of the world, she presented us with the title “Work of Heart.” We loved the idea and felt like it resonated with the huge mix of emotions we were feeling at that time. We had day-to-day anxieties surrounding the pandemic with a struggle to find the motivation to keep working in an industry that kept being shut down while also holding so much gratitude for having the creative outlet of music during a time when many people felt completely lost in a world filled with fear. It was a colourful mix of emotions. We wanted to write about embracing the contrast while staying hopeful yet vulnerable enough to connect with others who might be feeling the same wave of ups and downs. The song turned out beautifully honest, and we are so happy with how it came together.
You previously had your song, “Hush Money,” rack up over 1 million views on TikTok, and have quite a nice following. What’s your favourite thing about TikTok in regard to the music industry?
TikTok is such an active platform, and it’s allowed us to connect with so many people from all over the world. TikTok was also the first platform to encourage users to create their own videos of their favourite songs using lip-syncs, dance and exciting transitions. This has been really fun for us to watch others using our music to inspire their own content.
You mentioned “Hush Money,” which is such a sassy, sexy, feel-good tune, and the volume of videos created to the audio of that song is absolutely incredible! We are completely blown away by the impact that song is making. TikTokers took that song and shared it and loved it, and pushed it to the top of the charts all over the world for us. We are so grateful for our followers and the way they have blown up our singles.
Another one of our songs, “High Heels On” is very saturated with videos on the platform, and we connected with a large group of inspiring individuals uniting together and celebrating their escape from abuse and domestic violence. That is exactly what “High Heels O ” is about. It’s our anthem of survival and reclamation of unshakable strength, and to see people recognizing our message and finding the empowerment we intended to impart with the song is truly remarkable. As songwriters, there’s nothing more rewarding.
Another popular TikTok trend is our song “Fixer-Upper” a love song we wrote about rebuilding a broken soul, but TikToker’s will show you all of their amazing home renovations and makeovers.
So to say TikTok has been life-changing for us would be an understatement given the opportunities and doors that have opened for us from our success on the platform, but our favourite part about it would be seeing our music as the soundtrack to other people’s lives.
What’s your favourite thing about being part of the Canadian country music scene?
The Canadian country music scene is like a big family. We have so many talented Canadian country artists we look up to, and we feel so lucky to call many of them our friends and collaborators. We always enjoy the Canadian Country Music Association Week -it’s like a big family reunion, and it’s great to be a part of such a supportive group of talented creators to keep us feeling inspired and supported.
What’s next for you in 2023?
2023 will be filled with many more music releases. Our third album is coming, and we have multiple single releases planned up until that point. We also have some tour dates planned throughout Canada, Tennessee, and Texas. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Be sure to follow the journey on our social media pages @theheelsmusic where we keep the world up to date with all of our music releases and give lots of “behind the scenes” insight into our daily lives and all the exciting places we visit.
Connect with The Heels:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok