Alberta born singer raising money for front-line workers

Alberta musician showing support for front line workers A Juno award winning singer from Alberta is showing support for frontline workers through her music. Graham Neil reports.

Edmonton — Kiesza’s latest single is called Storm, and it’s a fitting title for the platinum selling singer. Her career started off as a result of a storm. The Calgary artist was a teenager, serving in the Canadian Navy reserves when the ship she was on ran into rough waters. It was then that a fellow crew member brought out a guitar and started playing to calm everyone down.

“We started singing and people just started falling asleep,” remembers Kiesza. “I realized how powerful music was in that moment and I thought , ’I want to do that’. I want to have that power to give to people and so I started singing lullabies on the ship.))

Kiesza ended up pursuing music and ended up with an international hit single “Hideway”. The video showing off her impressive dance skills has over 150-million views online. But three years ago she had to hide herself away after a taxi in Toronto broadsided the car she was in. Kiesza was left with extensive injuries including to her brain. She says she was so sensitive to light that she spent months alone in a dark room.

“I couldn’t listen to music because it would make my brain swell up,” says Kiesza. “All the lights in my house were as dim as they could possibly be because I just couldn’t look at a normal light.”

She worked hard to rehabilitate herself so she could get back to what she loves the most – performing. But just when she was going to hit the stage again, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, putting her live shows on hold. However, Kiesza says her journey over the last few years prepared for her today.

“I’m going into my third year of quarantine just so everyone knows,” she laughs.

Kiezsa set her sights in writing, coming up with her new single Storm.

“I wrote ‘Storm’ late one night while in lockdown and posted it on my Instagram account the next day. From there everything snowballed.”

The song inspired a video featuring aerial footage of cities around the world. Over 100 filmmakers donated footage from 27 countries, including drone footage of Kiesza on the empty shores of Toronto.

“You see the world that way and realize the world is really going through this together, as a whole right now,” she says. “It’s not just the city we’re in, it’s actually the whole planet.”

Kiesza’s video has a call to action for people to donate to help front line workers. She says her motivation now is to help others.

“That’s really what I’m focusing on now. ‘How can I help? How can I be of service?’ If there’s ever a time for artists and musicians to be of service, the time is now.”

And she’s hoping her music can help others weather the storm, just like she has throughout her career.