Are you ready for the next big thing in Country music?  Take a listen to Jillian Reece who has been coming into the spotlight and rising fast as she was nominated for the 2013 Vancouver Island Music Awards.

Reece is from Chilliwack, B.C.  where she grew up in a small farming community and found  early inspiration from country music artists and followed in the footsteps of her idols Martina McBride and Celine Dion.  Other musical influences include Alanis Morissette, Grace Potter, Joni Mitchell and Sarah Mclachlan.  Her music mixes soulful pop country and folk and by the age of 16 began writing and recording music.  She actually began singing at age six.

“Well I grew up on a farm in the country so that definitely sparked a love for Country music in me, Reece said. I also grew up singing Classical Opera and that has also influenced some of the music I write. I did a lot of traveling right out of high school which also gave me a lot of the material I used to write my first EP.  I was raised on a farm so naturally I adopted a love for country music; it was just in my bones I guess. Martina McBride has always been a favorite country artist of mine and a lot of the songs I have written have been inspired by her music. My first true idol was Celine Dion; the originality of her voice is unparalleled and has always been something I've aspired to.”
I started singing along to Celine Dion tracks from the moments I formed my first memories but my first real musical venture was when I was around the age of 6 and I sold my family tickets to my living room "concerts"  for 10 cents.  I remember when I was about 12 years old performing at one of my first Opera recitals, I was on the Church stage in front of about 30 people and I forgot the lyrics half way through the song and burst into nervous laughter. That was probably one of my most embarrassing moments, I actually started to cry on stage after the laughter and then I just ran off the stage.

I like to write about my own life experiences, I find music comes most naturally when I have experienced something or there's something that has moved me in some way. I like to write about love, loss, family, anything that comes to me at a certain moment I will write down, even if it never sees the light of day.
 

My goal has always been to sing and entertain, if I can take people outside of their lives even just for 45 minutes than I feel like I'm accomplishing what I'm meant to do. If I can relate to people in any way or they can take comfort in knowing there is someone else in the world that has felt or is feeling the same way as them than I can feel successful as a songwriter.

Reece looks forward to 2014 when she heads to Nashville in February with her manager.  “I'm pretty excited about it. I'm looking forward to performing and really putting all my cards out on the table, it's something I have wanted to do for a long time.”

Reece is a down to earth musician who brings a direct line to her audience with her natural talent and candor.  “I believe the world needs to know that I am just an average person with a big dream, a dream that constantly drives me outside of my comfort zone but I thrive being there. It's not easy baring words from the soul on a stage in front of an audience but it's not a dream that I chose, it's really all I've ever known I could be.”
 
 
You can find Reece online through her Facebook and Reverbnation pages under Julian Reece while her web site is completed. 

 

Record Label             Mighty Speck Records