Photo Credit: Colton Curtis.
Canadian artist Alicia Toner has had an explosive year since the release of her sophomore album "Joan". The 2018 SOCAN Songwriter of the Year brought home a 2022 Canadian Folk Music Award, became the most nominated artist at the Music PEI Awards this year for the project, and received multiple nominations at the East Coast Music Awards as well.
The album spent eight weeks on the Canadian Campus Radio Charts, and received a two page feature in PEI Living Magazine. The celebrated vocalist and songwriter worked with well known Canadian producers Stuart Cameron (Crash Test Dummies, Matthew Good, Amanda Marshall) and Peter Fusco to bring the deeply personal project to life. Alicia is celebrating the one year anniversary of "Joan" with the release of her brand new single "Tonight" featuring Joey Landreth. A gripping Folk-Americana song about allowing oneself to let go of reservation and leap into love.
Having performed on Alicia's debut album, long time collaborator and JUNO Award winner Joey Landreth plays guitar on numerous tracks on "Joan" and lends his stunning and versatile vocals to "Tonight". Written from Alicia's home in PEI, Alicia, her producers, and Joey Landreth collaborated digitally between Winnipeg, Toronto, and PEI.
"Tonight" is Alicia's third single from her deeply personal sophomore album "Joan", a project she describes as a cathartic experience that details her journey of love, loss, change, and growth. Written while in the midst of a divorce and at the same time falling in love, "Tonight" is one of the few songs on the project drawn from Alicia's feelings in the moment, as opposed to drawn from her past. Describing the experience right before allowing herself to fall in love, Alicia Toner's "Tonight" is a gripping Americana/Rock track that combines her Folk influences with a driving guitar beat and modern synth elements. A song about teetering on the edge of love before letting go, Alicia aims to have listeners recall their own similar experiences, citing the comfort and relate-ability the prolific singer-songwriter has found in some of the artists who inspire her most. Noting a departure in the way she most often writes songs, both the lyrics and guitar of Alicia Toner's "Tonight" came to the artist almost completely and quickly, and she later re-worked part of the bridge at a SOCAN writing camp. For the first time on any of Alicia's songs, the track features a portion of computerized vocals, a musical component that at the time was brand new to the artist.
Placing the driving guitar rhythm alongside Alicia's powerful yet tender vocals and Joey Landreth's soulful harmonies, "Tonight" showcases the endless and masterful creativity of one of the East Coast's most prolific artists. With a melody that in its own way tells the story of the song, Alicia Toner's "Tonight" leaves listeners fully enveloped in the moment she decides to dive in.
”Tonight” is the moment before you let yourself fall in love completely. It’s the fear of opening yourself up to heartbreak vs the fear of losing what could be. It’s the internal struggle of playing it safe or diving in head first.” - Alicia Toner
Alicia Toner is an Americana singer, songwriter from the East Coast of Canada. A unique sound that brings her folk roots into a pop/rock fusion sets her apart, but it is her earnest and heartfelt songwriting that captures audiences, elevated by her incredibly moving, emotive voice. Growing up in New Brunswick, Toner was surrounded by music and grew up under the influence of her grandmother’s and uncle’s musical tastes (John Prine, Jim Croce, Gordan Lightfoot, Dolly Parton). She was classically trained on the violin and spent many years with the prestigious New Brunswick Youth Orchestra with whom she played Carnegie Hall. She continued on to study theatre in Toronto and spent 10 years in a successful acting career including shows produced by Mirvish Productions and Soulpepper Theatre. Three Toronto productions Toner was part of have won Dora awards.
For 7 seasons she was an integral part of the repertory cast at the Charlottetown Festival before returning to her first love: songwriting. Alicia’s first release, “I Learned The Hard Way” (2017) earned her much critical acclaim and a SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award for her song “Back To Fine.” She was featured on CBC’s Q as a part of Measha Brueggergosman’s Block Party and had extensive radio play for her first single, “Waves”. It is her upcoming album, however, that really shows us who Alicia Toner is and what she is capable of. “Joan” is set to be released in June 2021 and it marks the arrival of an artist you must pay attention to. Says Toner, “‘Joan’ was my way of self-titling an album. It is my middle name but one used by many members of my family and inner circle since I was born. Calling this album ‘Joan’ felt appropriate as the songs on it are pieces of myself that not everyone gets to see. Until now.” Full of hooks, masterful vocals, compelling lyrics and top notch production, “Joan” is a collection of songs that demands your attention.
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