The lyric 'a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll' could have been written about emerging singer-songwriter Dahlia Wakefield. Like many artists from humble beginnings, Dahlia was raised in a small rural town; she left when rock 'n' roll and bright lights of the big city beckoned.
Armed with fierce determination, a love of music, a whole lot of talent
and a look as exotic as the flower she was named after, Dahlia headed
westward from Maidstone to Lloydminster where she fronted several music
projects - live and in the studio. A few years later, she moved Edmonton;
the start of a great future lay in front of her. Formal training at
college sharpened Dahlia's songwriting skills, while belting it out
in a pop/rock cover band by night honed her live chops. Graduating with
Distinction from the highly-regarded Grant MacEwan College Music Program
as a Vocal Performance Major, she received the EZ Rock 104.9 Vocal Entrance
Scholarship, along with the Barbershop Harmony Society Award, and was
featured on the school's CD called "Music From Within".
In
possession of a voice capable of interesting complexity, Dahlia spans
from angelic and sensitive to seductive and sensual to raunchy and gutsy.
As well as this wonderful set of pipes, she also has an uncanny ability
to capture an emotion, a mood, an essence, a sentiment, and put it to
music without losing the clout of the meaning.
They say that the AC acronym for Adult
Contemporary really stands for Almost Country, and Dahlia's genre blending
and bending style between pop, rock and country is a testimony to that
theory. It's a sound as diverse as her multi-cultural background, which
is a blend of Spanish, Filipino, English and Irish. Dahlia's writing
is strong, and the melodies are fabulous. She keeps her adult lyrics
simple and appropriate to her music; they are well written and often
rise to the level of poetry.
Dahlia was a finalist in two songwriting contests with three different
songs off her Close to Home CD: the 2003 International Songwriting Competition
with her song "Die For You" which resulted in an Honorable Mention,
and also in the 2003 Windrift Songwriting Competition for her song "I".
Also, her song "I Believe" placed in the top 10% of the 2000 Unisong
Songwriting Contest, received an honorable mention in the 7th Annual
National Songwriting Contest co-sponsored by The Bear in 2001 and also
garnered her a 2nd place prize in the international 2001 Windrift Music
Songwriting Contest, resulting in a spot on a compilation CD called
"Faces in the Crowd".
Dahlia has performed on stage since
the age of five, and for many years has given her time and talent to
perform at telethons, showcases, and festivals. She has also performed
with many established musicians and is currently gigging with local
cover band 'The X-Factor' in Edmonton and surrounding areas.
With her
first full-length solo CD, "Close to Home" released on her own independent
record label, Squirrelly Girl Music and another one in the works (to
be released November 2005), Dahlia Wakefield is a rising star set to
shine bright and long.
Music:
The Little Show 03.01.06
Views From The Cave #18
The Big Break #10
Knitting Gail #7
The Big Break #17
Doublewide Country #5
Lost Socks Insanity #108
All music on this page © 2005 or earlier by Dahlia Wakefield. Dahlia
Wakefield appears courtesy of Squirrelly Girl Music.
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