Toronto Musician Sandra Bouza Releases New Single & Video
Toronto musician Sandra Bouza leans into her blues-rock roots with her new single and video, “The Bottle.”
The third single from her new album, A Sound In The Dark, set for release on September 29th, “The Bottle” is about Sandra’s struggle with addiction and how alcohol and drugs were such a big part of her identity that she had a hard time separating those parts from the healthy parts that she wanted to keep in her sobriety.
“‘The Bottle’ is a song I wrote from the perspective of the person I used to be when I was using, and all the different personalities that came out of my ‘partying’ persona and the conflict between all of those characters,” says Sandra. “The many different angles and reflections in the video represent all of those different personalities, and never really knowing which one is the real Sandra, just like you would see in a person struggling with addiction.”
Watch the video for “The Bottle” below and learn more about Sandra via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Sandra Bouza, I am an independent soul/roots artist from Toronto, Ontario, and I am getting to release my second full-length studio album; A Sound in the Dark. An album I am very excited about!
You have unveiled your new single, “The Bottle.” Tell us a bit about the story behind the release.
“The Bottle” is a song about all the personas you take on when you’re living in addiction, you become sort of a chameleon, not just out of survival for all those parts of you, but also because you largely don’t know who you are, or which one of those personas is real. It was about spending time from an outside perspective with all of those different personas, the party girl, the artist, the emotional basketcase, the love-starved addict looking for validation, and using the bottle to jump from one to another.
Along with the single release, you shared a music video which is a MIRA Studio production. What was the highlight of the video shoot?
This video was SO much fun to make! Aside from the privilege of working with incredibly talented and creative people, the idea behind the video was just very inventive. Jay Ferguson, who is the owner of MIRA studios, had the idea of shooting through different types of glass, coloured glass pieces, bottles, shooting off of mirrors, and different reflective surfaces, off of opposing monitors. When I told Jay the song was about all those personas that come through addiction and never really knowing which of those personas you are, he had the idea of the video being composed of many different “Sandra’s” and never knowing which was the real one. I love how the lighting is different in every section too, it really changes the vibe, in some of them it’s stark and bare, and in others it’s almost sinister. Everyone working on this was so invested and just excited about experimenting and playing around with the idea, it was such a great experience. I guess that’s a bunch of highlights!
“The Bottle” comes from your upcoming album, A Sound In The Dark, along with previous singles, “Good Vibrations” and “The City.” What made you choose these three songs as the teasers for the album?
It was hard to choose! I am so immensely proud of this album, and so far it seems to hit people differently, which I also really love. I think all three songs really communicate a different feel, but are still very much ‘me’, which I think this album accomplishes perfectly, a conglomeration of all the genres I love, but amalgamated into what I think is a consistent sound throughout the record.
‘The City’ was first because this album really represents a stripped-down organic me, the whole album was recorded live off the floor, with nothing to hide behind, and so I thought the best example of that was a piano ballad, played by the incredibly talented Miles Evans-Branagh (check out his own project, Miles From Nowhere). I thought it was also the most vulnerable way to start releasing the album, so I wanted to embrace that because vulnerability has always been a fear of mine. ‘Good Vibrations’ is just a really scorching post-break-up tune, definitely hits the bluesier vibe, but if you listen to the chorus especially, it also has that classic rock Rolling Stones guitar vibe. This album is a bit of a return to that for me as well, that’s music I grew up with, and it’s also something the producer; Ross Hayes Citrullo and I bonded over, our love for the Laurel Canyon era. And ‘The Bottle’ is sort of more of a tribute to old soul. Wait till you hear the next single. 
If you could give someone who has struggled with addiction some advice. What would it be?
Find people who have been there, there are many, and they can show you how to get out of it because there is a way out of it. You don’t have to keep living that life if you don’t want to, and it is so worth the effort. Figuring out which of those personas is the real you is an amazing journey, and you will love that person. I promise.
Last but not least, what’s your favourite thing about being a musician in Toronto?
The diversity! There are so many people doing so many different things, and collaborating, incorporating cultures and music and tradition. Toronto is such a beautiful melting pot of people, and the music scene really exemplifies that.