News Article

Local artist steps into solo album


5/10/2011 10:53:33 AM


Stephenville – It’s been a long road back for Tanya Alexander, but with the release of her new solo album Into Your Kiss she’s poised, once again, to make her mark on the Newfoundland and Labrador music scene.

Aside from some of her favourite country classics the album mostly contains originals, including the title track. She’ll kick off its release at the Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre on May 14, backed by an impressive list of entertainers from across the province.

Alexander’s musical journey began when she was a young child, listening to her parents’ eight-tracks of country legends like Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins and Charlie Pride.

As a teenager, she visited Nashville and witnessed Canadian country icon Hank Snow performing live.

“I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a country singer,” she says. “But I didn’t think it was a very practical career choice, so I focused on education and became a journalist.”

That decision lead Alexander to College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Journalism program and a career as a reporter and editor, before she answered an ad that landed her a gig as lead singer of a folk group called Shy Mary. She further explored her musical talents in the jazz and blues genres, and even did some musical theatre.

Then a devastating car accident all but put an end to her singing career. However, Alexander kept at it, performing through the pain, determined to one day get her singing technique back enough to do an album. She also looked at it as an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the business by enrolling in the college’s Music Industry and Performance program (MIP).

“The MIP program is invaluable for anyone thinking seriously about a career in the music industry. You learn about music itself – including theory, history and world cultures; the technology of the industry and sound reinforcement; and the business side,” explains Alexander. “I always had music in my head but found it difficult to express to fellow musicians when collaborating. Thanks to the program, I understand song structure and music theory, which gave me the tools to write my own music for my album.”

Then last year Alexander decided to return to her country roots; her new album Into Your Kiss marks that return. Covering songs like Pride’s Just Between You and Me and Haggard’s Today I Started Loving You Again she delivers the performance her fans have been asking for over the past few years.

“After my shows people would come up to me and say ‘That’s some great jazz,’ or ‘I really like the way you sing blues’ – and they’d always follow it up by asking when I was going to do a country album,” says Alexander, “so this one’s for them.”

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Media Contact:

Gina MacArthur
Public Information Officer
College of the North Atlantic
Ph: 709-643-7928
gina.macarthur@cna.nl.ca