Calgary artist Chelsea Heaslip has been singing and playing the guitar since she was 13 or 14, and up until recently, her genre of choice was country. She made the decision to switch to pop rock after working with Tone Freak Audio in Vancouver.
“For a while I fought the decision on my own, but it wasn’t until I sent my songs to my team at Tone Freak Audio that it became apparent. We had a Skype meeting and it was probably the biggest relief because they brought to me the suggestion: ‘hey maybe you should not do country.’ For them to have noticed my change of writing style without me even discussing it with them was huge; that’s when I knew that this was the right thing to do for myself.
“Creatively my head had been elsewhere. I guess when you do something for so long and you’re comfortable, you don’t consider what else is out there.”
Before working with Tone Freak Audio, Heaslip was part of a country duo called From NowHere.
“Going solo after being in a duo for a while my thoughts were okay I HAVE to do this, but slowly it became a realization that I don’t HAVE to.”
Cezar White, Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop Producer and CEO of Tone Freak Audio, has been working with Heaslip for three months producing her EP and believes Heaslip’s musical direction has taken a turn for the best. White says he sees “great things” in Heaslip’s future.
“If she continues pursuing music, I see her being able to compete with some of the big names in the industry. She definitely gives me that vibe!”
“I can’t stress enough how important it is for a musician or anyone involved in the arts to be more easy going and relaxed about their craft. Be open to ideas and magic will happen. That’s why working with Chelsea is always a pleasure, because of the easy flow and great environment.”
In five years, Heaslip hopes to have released full album(s) and have a steady fan base.
“The ultimate goal is to do it for a living, so we will see where it goes and what happens along the way.
Heaslip reminisces about her proudest moment to date: when an audience member was touched by her music.
“When I was in a [country] duo, we were opening for Gord Bamford and had the opportunity to sing a song we had wrote called “Whisky River”.
“It’s a song about a relationship ending and your partner moving on but you’re still not over it.
“When we got off stage, a woman came up to us and thanked us.
“She explained the trying times she was going through in her life and that it was so relieving to her that she wasn’t the only one to feel this.
“That moment changed my life; I knew my music had become so much more and that I wanted to keep making people feel.”
Heaslip’s pop rock EP will be released sometime in 2015, though she has no set date because she wants to “make sure it is perfect”.
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