By Jason Schneider.
Edmonton, Alberta artist VISSIA releases her new album With Pleasure on Hurry Hard Records/Symphonic Distribution. After building anticipation over the past several months with the singles "Walk Me Home," "About Moving On,""On My Mind" and "The Cliffs" -- which have amassed a combined 50,000 Spotify streams -- audiences can now finally hear all of With Pleasure and absorb the full range of VISSIA's dynamically transformed musical approach.
With Pleasure is the sound of an artist finding her true voice through fearless exploration. Drawing on dance, R&B, rock and soul, VISSIA’s intuitive creative choices as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist probe our emotional heart-spaces with unquenchable curiosity and playful awareness.
As she says, "Don’t be mistaken, With Pleasure is certainly not all about what one might at first consider to be pleasurable. With Pleasure means that there is joy in experiencing all of our dimensions: the light and the dark, the helpless and the triumphant, the ashes and the rebirth. That’s what authenticity is. That’s how it feels to be alive.”
Growing up in Stony Plain, Alberta, VISSIA began playing piano at age five, studying classical repertoire into her high school years. By middle school, she was teaching herself enough guitar to write her own songs and began arranging them with her two younger sisters. After an eight-year run as a touring folk-pop trio, the sisters went on indefinite hiatus to pursue their own interests.
Upon graduating from MacEwan University’s Music Program in 2011, VISSIA self-released her first album as a solo artist, A Lot Less Gold. Continuously evolving, VISSIA’s sound has come a long way since her folky beginnings and the whiskey-drenched swagger of 2017’s Place Holder. She has made high-profile appearances including the UK’s Great Escape Festival, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and the Canmore Folk Music Festival, sharing stages with the likes of Hawksley Workman, Jim Bryson, Matt Andersen, Lindi Ortega and others across Canada.
Now on With Pleasure, VISSIA makes clear to whom she owes her roots. But she also resolutely looks forward with clear focus on creating her own distinctive aesthetic and purpose as a musician. The power of VISSIA is unmistakably feminine, coming from a place of empathy that shines through on every track.
Website: www.vissiamusic.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vissiamusic
Twitter: twitter.com/vissia_3
Instagram: www.instagram.com/vissia_3