Canadian alt-pop artist Andrea Rankin is wading amongst the ebbs and flow of life with the release of her sparkling and ever-swathing debut, Tides — available now.
“This is a collection of songs that explores how our lives come to us in cycles… Or in seasons…,” Rankin muses of the offering. “We think feelings will stick around forever, but they crash like waves on the shores of our lives and move back out to the sea.”
1. What made you want to pursue a life in music?
I love storytelling. When I’m not making music, I’m also a professional actor. I’m curious about people and I love connecting and sharing. I grew up playing piano and singing in choirs and developed a love for many different styles of music from an early age. I write songs as a way to carve out space for my musical and poetic curiosity. I love having an unstructured space to play in. The feeling of finding the right chord and the right lyric is a beautiful and satisfying experience for me
2. Can you tell us what you’re working on right now that most excites you?
Writing! I’m writing a lot right now and hoping to record a full length album in the next year. There will be some livestream concerts in my future and also some new music videos. I’m finding ways to safely continue to create. I think we need spaces for ease, moments to relax and escape right now and I hope to be a part of that. I know that music brings comfort to a lot of people, so I’m going to keep creating in my little corner of the world.
3. Who are your biggest influences?
So many. I’m inspired by artists in many areas. When I started writing my own stuff, I drew a lot of inspiration from artists like Carole King, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. More recently, artists like Adrianne Lenker, Mitski, Angel Olsen, Feist, Frank Ocean, Mitski, Jessie Ware, Maggie Rogers, James Blake inspire me. I grew up listening to a lot of jazz and classical music, so artists like Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson were in the cd player a lot when I was young. As a teenager I was enthralled with performers like Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald and Sutton Foster. I love listening to how artists shape their songs; what musical architecture they choose to frame their ideas within.
4. What was your favourite live concert and why?
Mmm, that’s tough. As an experience I saw Broken Social Scene play at an outdoor festival with my best friend a few years ago. It was a warm summer night and there were fireworks at the end; that was a special one. More recently, I saw James Blake play in Toronto and I loved his performance. He took his time, cracked jokes, revealed his artistry and made a large hall feel so intimate. It was a good night.
Of the shows I’ve played: I think my favourite was a concert that I played when I first moved to Toronto, at The Burdock at Dufferin and Bloor. It was an intimate evening, with good wine. Friends new and old showed up. The room was cosy and full of warm light. I told stories and played songs to a really loving reception. It felt like a celebration of change – a new city, new songs, new friends. I’ll always remember it.
5. What would you like to say to your old / new fans
I’d like to say – I hope you’re safe and healthy. I hope you’re doing alright, despite everything. I hope you’re taking care of your mental health. I hope you’re finding time for ease, rest and joy, and for listening to new music. I’ll be sharing new music this year, so, please stay tuned. Until then, please take care.