chantal kreviazuk feels like a plain jane next to gaga

New album out in September

Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk is releasing her first album in 3 years on September 22nd, and she’s chosen a rather self-deprecating title for it – Plain Jane. Explaining her choice in a lengthy blog post, the two-time Juno Award winner says: ”I lead a very unique life I think, not because I am a singer-songwriter, but because I am a singer-songwriter whose material is most celebrated in my native country – Canada, but I live part time in another country. In California, where Raine [Maida, her husband] and I have a home/home studio, I am simply a mom – a working mom, yes, but I am mostly a typical mom. In Canada, I am a singer, who does interviews and has videos, a commercial and lots of very public advocacy work for many organisations I believe in –which puts me far more ‘out front’.

“In the song ‘Plain Jane’, I explore the beauty of anonymity and privacy, and the realisation that quite frankly hard work and obscurity makes a much more grateful person of you. I abhor entitlement, the belief that one actually deserves the privileges they find themselves basking in, and I have come to appreciate the truth that comes from being immersed in a life of typicality and unpretentiousness. I realise that I am living out my life as it is supposed to be lived, having the ability to appreciate the little things, because I am not entitled to anything, really…The album title Plain Jane reflects more my feeling that I am an incredibly plain person. Everyone I tell that to laughs, but I always truly feel so plain and ’safe’. I see people like Lady GaGa and Katy Perry, and I am, like, wow, I am such a prude, plain Jane. Oh well, I am who I am.”

The recording of Plain Jane was a lengthy process due to Chantal’s pregnancy and writing projects for other artists, and she admits to being nervous that it might sound too diverse. Perhaps the most unusual inclusion is an African language song co-written and performed with her children’s nanny Bibi called ‘Na Miso’. “She is from Congo [where] so many are separated from those they love due to escaping persecution, and it has been my honour to write a song with her on the subject of connecting with loved ones…truly a privilege and so transforming,” says Chantal. Other songs she singles out as favourites include first single ‘Invincible’ (”such a joy to perform”), ‘5000 Days’ and ‘Half Of Me’. Hear ‘Invincible’ over at her Myspace.

 

Plain Jane
[tracklist not currently available] 

Alan Pedder

Written by: Wears The Trousers magazine

Tags: alan pedder, chantal kreviazuk

This entry was posted on Friday, July 10th, 2009 at 8:30 am and is filed under news, the inside leg. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.