Jenn Grant
Encyclopedia
Jenn Grant is a Canadian
pop
singer-songwriter
based in Halifax, Nova Scotia
.
to Ken (a vascular surgeon) and Heather Grant, she moved to Halifax with her mother and brother at age ten when their marriage broke up. She attended Saint Mary's University for a time and later graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University
, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
in painting.
, and did not return to performing until her early 20s when she played some shows with The Heavy Blinkers. She then released an independent EP, Jenn Grant and Goodbye Twentieth Century, in 2005.
She collaborated on her debut album, Orchestra for the Moon, with such artists as Ron Sexsmith
, the Heavy Blinkers, Matt Mays
and Jill Barber
, and later toured Germany and Canada in support of the album, including as an opening act for The Weakerthans
.
She later began recording her second album, Echoes, on a farm in rural Ontario
in 2008. That album was released in 2009.
Grant has said in interviews that her music is inspired by her everyday life:
She also continues to paint, including designing her own album covers.
In 2010, she collaborated with Buck 65
on several tracks, including "Paper Airplane", "Cold Steel Drum" and a cover of Leonard Cohen
's "Who By Fire", on his 20 Odd Years
series of EP
s. Late in the year, she also released a four-song EP
, Songs for Siigoun, which featured a cover of John Denver
's "Annie's Song
".
She released her third full-length album, Honeymoon Punch, in early 2011.
Grant's song "Dreamer", from Orchestra for the Moon, is featured as the theme song on CBC
's Heartland
. Her song "Make it Home Tonight" was played at the end of episode 11 of Flashpoint
.
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...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
based in Halifax, 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...
.
Background
Born on Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
to Ken (a vascular surgeon) and Heather Grant, she moved to Halifax with her mother and brother at age ten when their marriage broke up. She attended Saint Mary's University for a time and later graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University
NSCAD University also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, is a post-secondary art school located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada....
, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in painting.
Career
She performed as a musician for a time in her early teens, but stopped due to a bout of stage frightStage fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, whether actually or potentially . In the context of public speaking, this fear is termed glossophobia, one of the most common...
, and did not return to performing until her early 20s when she played some shows with The Heavy Blinkers. She then released an independent EP, Jenn Grant and Goodbye Twentieth Century, in 2005.
She collaborated on her debut album, Orchestra for the Moon, with such artists as Ron Sexsmith
Ron Sexsmith
Ronald Eldon "Ron" Sexsmith is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario, currently based in Toronto. He started his own band when he was fourteen years old, and released the first recordings of his own material seven years later, in 1985...
, the Heavy Blinkers, Matt Mays
Matt Mays
Matt Mays is a Canadian singer-songwriter and was the lead singer of Matt Mays & El Torpedo, a rock music group based in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia and New York City. Previously, Mays was a member of a Canadian indie band The Guthries...
and Jill Barber
Jill Barber
Jill Barber is a Canadian singer-songwriter formerly based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, now based in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:Born and raised in Toronto, she is sister to singer-songwriter Matthew Barber...
, and later toured Germany and Canada in support of the album, including as an opening act for The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
.
She later began recording her second album, Echoes, on a farm in rural Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in 2008. That album was released in 2009.
Grant has said in interviews that her music is inspired by her everyday life:
She also continues to paint, including designing her own album covers.
In 2010, she collaborated with Buck 65
Buck 65
Richard Terfry , who uses the stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian experimental artist, MC and turntablist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant garde influences.Terfry is also a radio host,...
on several tracks, including "Paper Airplane", "Cold Steel Drum" and a cover of 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...
's "Who By Fire", on his 20 Odd Years
20 Odd Years
20 Odd Years is an album by Canadian hip-hop artist Buck 65. It , and is named in honour of Buck 65's 20 years in the music industry.- 20 Odd Years EPs :...
series of EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s. Late in the year, she also released a four-song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Songs for Siigoun, which featured a cover of John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's "Annie's Song
Annie's Song
"Annie's Song" is a rock/country song recorded and written by singer-songwriter John Denver. It was his second number-one song in the United States, occupying that spot for two weeks in July 1974. "Annie's Song" also went to number one on the Easy Listening chart...
".
She released her third full-length album, Honeymoon Punch, in early 2011.
Awards
In 2006, she won Best New Artist and Best Female Artist at the Nova Scotia Music Awards.Grant's song "Dreamer", from Orchestra for the Moon, is featured as the theme song on CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
's Heartland
Heartland (Canadian TV series)
Heartland is a Canadian television drama series which debuted on CBC Television on October 14, 2007. The series is loosely based on the Heartland books by Lauren Brooke....
. Her song "Make it Home Tonight" was played at the end of episode 11 of Flashpoint
Flashpoint (TV series)
Flashpoint is a Canadian police drama television series that debuted on July 11, 2008, on CTV in Canada and ran on CBS in the United States for its first three and a half seasons. In 2011, Ion Television began airing new episodes of the series in the United States...
.
Discography
- 2005: Jenn Grant and Goodbye Twentieth Century (EP)
- 2007: Orchestra for the Moon
- 2009: Echoes
- 2010: Songs for Siigoun (EP)
- 2011: Honeymoon Punch
External links
- Jenn Grant
- Jenn Grant at CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
- The Ruckus - Audio Interview with Jenn Grant from May 2009