BREA LAWRENSON

Ottawa country singer celebrates a summer of new music.

Brea Lawrenson is an Ottawaborn Country artist who has been creating and sharing music since she was 13. In her teen years, Brea was a pop artist who dominated regional singing competitions in classical and broadway styles. At 21, she switched her genre to Country, and never looked back. Today, she is an award-winning country singer and songwriter who records all of her music in Nashville. When she’s in Ottawa, the self-titled homebody enjoys connecting with her fan base on social media, and hosts her own Podcast called ‘The Distillery’, where she shares stories from her time performing, writing and recording all over the world. Her audience reaches The Netherlands and Brazil, Canada and America. This summer, Brea will celebrate a career milestone and one of her wildest dreams–she’s scheduled to share the stage as an opener for Shania Twain at Ottawa Bluesfest. We caught up with Lawrenson to discuss her new Nashville-inspired music, life as a new mom, and how she is preparing for a ‘full-circle’ moment as a Bluesfest artist this summer.

Shania has inspired me to be a brave woman in the music industry. To be relentless and hard working. I am so excited to bring my show to her crowd in my home city.

When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in country music? Who in your family supported you and inspired you to do so?

I grew up on 90’s country because my dad loved country music. And he always wanted me to sing Country. My mom loved Classic Rock and so did I but I wanted to be more of a ‘POP’ Artist than anything. I recorded my first album at 15 and it was POP and I did go on to record a few more Pop demos and albums during my teens. But it was when I was about 21 that I decided country music was the focus and then I rebranded and recorded an album with Keith Glass

(Guitarist of ‘Prairie Oyster’) called ‘Somewhere To Go’ and it’s on my Spotify, Youtube Channel and is available for streaming everywhere. Through out my whole life, my mom has been my support system and has acted as my manager for all these years. We work so well together and she’s the back bone of my career, a voice of reason when I feel like quitting. I owe how far I’ve come and all I’ve learned to her. You recently released Neon Nashville, what’s the inspiration behind this song?

‘Neon Nashville’ is a dreamer’s song. It’s about the nature of being a struggling artist in Nashville. It’s about chasing a dream and getting all the way up the hill and realizing that maybe it’s not what it seems or it’s not as glorious as you thought it would be. Going to Nashville so regularly, I have had a front row seat to how hard artists have to work in Nashville for just tips in a Pickle Jar. Being in that kind of atmosphere has inspired me but also taught me a lot.

This summer, you’re scheduled to play at Ottawa Bluesfest, on the same stage as Shania Twain. You’ve described this as a fullcircle moment, and a dream come true. What does this achievement mean to you?

Being given the opportunity to perform on Shania Twain’s stage means everything to me. It is a full circle moment for me, meaning, I dreamt about this moment a thousand times and saw it in my head play out, singing my songs for a crowd of fans that have supported a woman like Shania throughout the years of her global stardom. Shania has inspired me to be a brave woman in the music industry. To be relentless and hard working. I am so excited to bring my show to her crowd in my home city. You are very active on social media, candid, engaging and funny… why is it important to you to be so authentic on social media, and to connect with people in

I have always had fun with my social media and I try hard to be engaging and authentic because it’s the fastest way to connect with my audience. I have fans who have become my close friends on TIKTOK and my community is so supportive and real. It’s really amazing how social media has connected me with people from all over the world. All the way to Australia and The UK and North America. What amazing exposure for an Indie Artist like me. You can follow me everywhere through my website brealawrenson.com and be sure to join me on Patreon for exclusive content including the stripped down versions of my new music that I am recording in Nashville in the next coming weeks!

What’s your favourite thing about Ottawa?

My absolute favourite thing about Ottawa is.. The Market downtown in the summer time. I love the patios and the vibe on Preston Street in and Roberto’s. I love the Live Music Venues like The Royal Oak’s which is where I started playing bars. And the beautiful parks and walking trails like Andrew Hayden Park which is where I played on my first Ampa Theatre that faces the water. Incredible.

What’s your favourite restaurant to go to in Ottawa?

I have so many favorite places I love to eat in Ottawa but I’d have to say my all time favorite restaurant is, Giovanni’s on Preston. Best Cream Chicken and King Crab and Gnocchi! I love the Vibe, I love the food, I love the Wine. I love Italian food. What’s your best advice for aspiring country artists?

I’d like to tell any aspiring Country Artists that there are a lot of sharks out there in the industry and if anyone asks you for money to be on a record label or to have a development deal, don’t give them your money. That’s a shark. If you have to do it all on your own, so be

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@thepaperboysottawa

Sticks ‘n Stones

The Sticks ‘n Stones Band have been performing to sold out audiences around Eastern Ontario, Canada region for over 25 years, as well as other regions of Canada and international venues. The band consists of 5 males and 2 females, and offer a range of tunes (70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s) catering to any crowd. They’ve opened twice for Canadian hall of famer Tom Cochrane, Nazareth, Trooper, Stampeders, Chilliwack and last year Kim Mitchell, country sensations Tim and the Glory Boys and Tebey. They also had the honour of performing for the Governor of Canada and the JTF2 Military branch at the Canadian War Museum. On July 15th, they will be hosting a large fundraising event on the Rideau River in Kars.

@sticksnstonesottawa

New Vintage

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@newvintageottawa

Otis Strange

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The Chesterfields

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@biglovecanada

The Retrogrades

Formed in 2014 as an excuse to get out of jury duty, The Retrogrades (Mary Gellner, Jon Coote, Dave Milliken, Brady Mofatt) began playing clubs and private events in the Ottawa area, covering your favourite bands of the 80’s and 90’s such as Duran Duran, The Cars, Cyndi Lauper, Blondie, Green Day and Weezer.

The Vanduras

The Vandura’s (Jayla Kirkey, Alex Mastronardi, Alex MacFarlane, Scott Reeves, Mitch Mainville) is a 5 piece cover band from Ottawa that performs regularly at Heart & Crown locations as well corporate events and weddings. The band covers a wide range of genres, from classic rock to pop to country to funk to contemporary, and are known for their energetic stage presence and entertaining live show. All the members are full time musicians and play in several musical outfits in the city, and truly love what they do.

Disco Inferno

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@discoinfernocanada

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@sussexband

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@uno_official_

The Keystrings

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