Amelia Curran (musician)
Encyclopedia
Amelia Curran is a Canadian
singer-songwriter. She was born in St. John's
, Newfoundland and Labrador
and currently lives in Halifax
, Nova Scotia
. The National Post
describes her music as “a bit like Leonard Cohen
being channeled in a dusty saloon by Patsy Cline
.”
Curran started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager and eventually dropped out of university in order to busk on the streets of St. John’s. That led to her first album release in 2000, and since then she has released four more.
Her 2006 release, War Brides, was initially released independently and was later given a European and national Canadian release by Six Shooter Records
. She describes her signing to Six Shooter Records as a “promotion” and goes on to say “I have a lot more work to do, more often, as a result of which I will make some more money and sell some more records. But it is the same job that I have been doing for ten years.”
War Brides was nominated for two East Coast Music Awards: Folk Recording of the Year and Female Solo Recording of the Year.
In 2009, Curran released Hunter, Hunter. She describes this album as “a little tougher than War Brides but it’s still minimal”. She explains that the title is “Hunter Hunter as opposed to hunter-gatherer.” This is the first album that she recorded in her home-town of St. John’s.
Curran’s lyrics have been described as "evocative" by Spinner Canada who, referring to Curran’s song “The Mistress”, wrote that “Like the best poets, Curran packs so much meaning into each line that the listener barely has time to register each clever lyric before the next zinger comes along.”
Hunter Hunter earned Curran four nominations at the 2010 East Coast Music Awards; Female Solo Recording of the Year, FACTOR Recording of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year and Folk Recording of the Year.
In addition to being a musician, Curran is also a playwright and actor, and has had her plays performed in fringe festivals.
On April 17, 2010, Curran won a Juno Award
in the category of Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo. Curran also won first prize (Folk category) of the prestigious 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter. She was born in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
and currently lives in Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. The National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
describes her music as “a bit like Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
being channeled in a dusty saloon by Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
.”
Curran started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager and eventually dropped out of university in order to busk on the streets of St. John’s. That led to her first album release in 2000, and since then she has released four more.
Her 2006 release, War Brides, was initially released independently and was later given a European and national Canadian release by Six Shooter Records
Six Shooter Records
Six Shooter Records is an independent record label, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The music label was founded by Shauna de Cartier in 2000. Artists who have released material on the label include Jenn Grant, Amelia Curran, Elliott Brood, Luke Doucet, Christine Fellows, Ford Pier, Captain...
. She describes her signing to Six Shooter Records as a “promotion” and goes on to say “I have a lot more work to do, more often, as a result of which I will make some more money and sell some more records. But it is the same job that I have been doing for ten years.”
War Brides was nominated for two East Coast Music Awards: Folk Recording of the Year and Female Solo Recording of the Year.
In 2009, Curran released Hunter, Hunter. She describes this album as “a little tougher than War Brides but it’s still minimal”. She explains that the title is “Hunter Hunter as opposed to hunter-gatherer.” This is the first album that she recorded in her home-town of St. John’s.
Curran’s lyrics have been described as "evocative" by Spinner Canada who, referring to Curran’s song “The Mistress”, wrote that “Like the best poets, Curran packs so much meaning into each line that the listener barely has time to register each clever lyric before the next zinger comes along.”
Hunter Hunter earned Curran four nominations at the 2010 East Coast Music Awards; Female Solo Recording of the Year, FACTOR Recording of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year and Folk Recording of the Year.
In addition to being a musician, Curran is also a playwright and actor, and has had her plays performed in fringe festivals.
On April 17, 2010, Curran won a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
in the category of Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo. Curran also won first prize (Folk category) of the prestigious 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition.
Discography
- Barricade (2000)
- Trip Down Little Road (2001)
- Lullabies for Barflies (2002)
- War Brides (2006)
- Hunter, Hunter (2009)