Alysha Brillinger
Encyclopedia
Alysha Sarah Brillinger (b. November 3, 1988) is a Canadian musician. Born in Mississauga, Ontario
and raised in Kitchener, Ontario
, Brillinger started singing in her early teens in local bands and at various festivals, including the Coalflats and Kitchener Blues Festival, where she was the 2008 winner of the Grande River Youth Legacy contest. Brillinger briefly attended Humber College
's Jazz program in Toronto
while playing local gigs and building a fanbase. In 2010, she was signed to Lava Records
/Universal Republic and has begun recording her first full length album. Brillinger is a featured performer at the 2010 Kitchener Blues Festival and Gala.
and began frequenting open mics.
Always having a love for roots music, she started up a band composed of musicians aged 13–17 called "Alysha and the Alleycats" and played gigs, parties and festivals around Ontario
. Brillinger cites Bonnie Raitt
and Joni Mitchell
as her two biggest influences.
with producer Marcus Kane in Toronto
. Brillinger's mother would drive Alysha to Toronto after school several nights a week, sometimes coming home after 2 a.m.
On her 14th birthday, Brillinger was lent her father's acoustic guitar and she began teaching herself to play. While still playing blues and roots covers with her band in Kitchener, Brillinger began testing her own material at solo-acoustic shows met with a very positive response.
After graduating highschool, a brief stint at Humber College
introduced her to jazz music. During this time, Brillinger was recording/producing
her own songs and released an eleven song EP
called "Got Soul". Friend Brad Marshall introduced Alysha to Jacksoul
keyboardist and producer Ron Lopata and the two began demo-ing some of Brillinger's original songs with a full band.
Publishing and she writes all her own music and lyrics, as well as writing and co-writing with/for other artists. Brillinger's music has been featured on major television productions including Degrassi: The Next Generation
and CMT's 'Unstable'.
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
and raised in Kitchener, Ontario
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, Brillinger started singing in her early teens in local bands and at various festivals, including the Coalflats and Kitchener Blues Festival, where she was the 2008 winner of the Grande River Youth Legacy contest. Brillinger briefly attended Humber College
Humber College
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
's Jazz program in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
while playing local gigs and building a fanbase. In 2010, she was signed to Lava Records
Lava Records
Lava Records is an American based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
/Universal Republic and has begun recording her first full length album. Brillinger is a featured performer at the 2010 Kitchener Blues Festival and Gala.
Influences
Brillinger was influenced by her mother's American Pop music and also her father's world/reggae music. With a strong pop influence until she was 14, Brillinger immersed herself in Blues music when she moved to Southwestern OntarioOntario
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....
and began frequenting open mics.
Always having a love for roots music, she started up a band composed of musicians aged 13–17 called "Alysha and the Alleycats" and played gigs, parties and festivals around 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....
. Brillinger cites Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
as her two biggest influences.
Early years
Brillinger's first instrument was piano and she grew up with an organ and keyboard in the house. She wrote her first song when she was seven, titled Long Ago. Using a tape machine, Brillinger would 'produce' her songs by overdubbing beats and harmonies over and over. One of four sisters, she would organize three part harmonies, music videos, and living room cabarets.Teenage years
In 2005, Brillinger won the " Rhythm of The Future" contest hosted by a local radio station. This sponsored her $20,000 to record a demoDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
with producer Marcus Kane in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Brillinger's mother would drive Alysha to Toronto after school several nights a week, sometimes coming home after 2 a.m.
On her 14th birthday, Brillinger was lent her father's acoustic guitar and she began teaching herself to play. While still playing blues and roots covers with her band in Kitchener, Brillinger began testing her own material at solo-acoustic shows met with a very positive response.
After graduating highschool, a brief stint at Humber College
Humber College
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
introduced her to jazz music. During this time, Brillinger was recording/producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
her own songs and released an eleven 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...
called "Got Soul". Friend Brad Marshall introduced Alysha to Jacksoul
Jacksoul
jacksoul, sometimes stylized as jackSOUL, was a Canadian soul and R&B band. Based in Toronto, the band was fronted by singer Haydain Neale, and was best known for their hits "Can't Stop" and "Still Believe in Love"....
keyboardist and producer Ron Lopata and the two began demo-ing some of Brillinger's original songs with a full band.
Songwriting
Brillinger is signed to Cherry Lane MusicCherry Lane Music
Cherry Lane Music was founded in 1960 by Milton Okun in the apartment above the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village of New York City. Cherry Lane Music creates a wide range of high quality sheet music, DVDs and educational tools for practicing musicians....
Publishing and she writes all her own music and lyrics, as well as writing and co-writing with/for other artists. Brillinger's music has been featured on major television productions including Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
and CMT's 'Unstable'.
Notable
- 2005 Canwest Media's "Rhythm Of The Future" winner.
- 2008 OktoberfestOktoberfestOktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
Woman of The Year nomination. - FACTORFACTORFACTOR is a "private non-profit organization, ... dedicated to providing assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent recording industry" ....
(foundation to assist Canadian Talent on Record) grant recipient. - Grande River Society's " Blues Youth Legacy " winner 2008.
- Toronto Blues Society's Annual Contest top 3, 2008.
- Was the host of "The Buzz", a weekly Indie artist showcase at Toronto's Historical C'est What Venue.
- Record Deal with Lava/Universal Republic Records.
- Publishing Deal with Cherry Lane MusicCherry Lane MusicCherry Lane Music was founded in 1960 by Milton Okun in the apartment above the Cherry Lane Theater in Greenwich Village of New York City. Cherry Lane Music creates a wide range of high quality sheet music, DVDs and educational tools for practicing musicians....
. Brillinger briefly attended Humber College's Jazz program in Toronto while playing local gigs and building a fanbase. In 2010, she was signed to Lava RecordsLava RecordsLava Records is an American based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
/Universal Republic - Has opened for April WineApril WineApril Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words sounded good together...
, K-OSK-osKevin Brereton , better known by his stage name k-os , is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer...
, Lights, SnowSnow (musician)Darrin O'Brien , better known by his stage name Snow, is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rap and reggae musician. He is best known for his 1992 single "Informer", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.-Life and work:...
and Adam Bailie.
External links
- http://www.alyshabrillinger.com
- http://www.myspace.com/alyshabrillinger
- http://www.youtube.com/xoxalyshaxox
- http://www.universalrepublic.com/home/
- http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/alysha-brillinger/id415552058?ign-mpt=uo%3D4