Believe it or not, Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron had a fear of recording her music until now. That’s eight full-lengths she recorded while combating that fear. But after recording her ninth, she’s finally really starting to enjoy it.
Doiron’s fears weren’t conjured up the way most people’s are. She didn’t imagine her albums growing fangs and biting people and going all attack-of-the-killer-albums on her; she was fearful of the fact that the songs she plays live are being immortalized when they’re recorded.
“The version of my songs released or recorded is projected out to the public,” explains Doiron. “This means that the recorded version of my song will be what my fans think of when they think of my music, and I have a tendency to evolve the way I play my music constantly.”
The fact that Doiron is looking forward to heading home after her tour to experiment with different ideas and get back in the recording studio confirms that she’s actually gotten over that fear.
“I love writing about things I’m going through, whether it’s heartbreak, falling in love, being happy, or feeling down,” she says. “I love writing about things that other people can identify with, whether they’ve felt the same way or gone through similar things.”
One of the songs that really influenced Doiron was “Red Earth” by Crash Vegas. Doiron practiced that song over and over trying to perfect it, and she feels that it helped drive her towards her career as a musician.
“I’ve been blessed to collaborate and work with many great musicians during my career,” says Doiron. “Wooden Stars really helped me define my sound, while every other musician I’ve worked with has helped me grow in one way or another.”
Doiron loves evolving her songs and feels the same way about her shows. She always tries to top her last show every time she goes out on stage and sees engaging the audience and perfecting her performance as a challenge that’s exciting to take on.
“I usually feel nervous before my shows and love the fact that I’m forced to go out there and give it my best,” says Doiron. “Seeing how the different versions of my songs turn out and finishing the concert feeling elated are what really gets me going.”
She used to rely on something else to help get her going: Doiron recently tried playing some shows without alcohol and says it’s an eye-opening yet sometimes nerve-wracking experience for her.
“It’s been a cool experience being completely sober and has almost brought me to tears at times,” she says. “Half a glass of wine is what really takes the edge off for me, but now I’ll do sun salutations or find other ways to relax me.”
Julie Doiron
November 15
Lucky Bar
luckybar.ca