Out today Montréal-based bilingual musician Maryze releases her debut single “B.O.Y.” produced by L.A.’s BrotherNature.
Maryse Bernard (a.k.a. Maryze) says: “I grew up in Deep Cove in a bilingual household and went to the francophone elementary school École André-Piolat in North Vancouver. My dad, Christian Bernard, had a world music show on Radio-Canada and was always bringing home new records in different languages. I was inspired from a young age to write songs in both French and English, and to pull influences from various genres, especially jazz, R&B, and world music. Edith Piaf, Etta James, and Destiny’s Child were voices that definitely impacted me. I believe spending so much time around nature, by the ocean or on mountains, was also a source of inspiration. As long as I can remember I was running around forests writing little songs.
“My mom, Susan McNamee, put me in singing and piano lessons around six or seven. One of my early mentors was North Vancouver artist Angela Kelman. She was my vocal coach in elementary and high school and taught me so much about performance, the industry, and music history. I joined jazz choir at Argyle Secondary School and we performed at festivals around B.C. and toured the UK singing in cathedrals. As a teen I started playing open mics around the North Shore, which solidified what I already knew: I wanted to be a professional musician, and nothing else would ever give me that same rush or feeling of fulfillment.
“I moved to Victoria to attend UVic where I studied Creative Writing and kept performing and entering contests (made it to the Top 20 of Vancouver Island’s Got Talent). I joined my first real band, an indie rock group called Woodsmen and we played around the Island and Vancouver. Eventually I moved back to the Lower Mainland to seriously pursue music and played in electro-pop projects (like Spectregates).
“Being half-French, it’s always been important for me to keep the connection to the language. I’ve performed at francophone B.C. festivals like Festival du Bois and Festival de la Francophonie in Victoria. In 2016, I was featured as an artist by Canadian Parents for French in their Where are Now? series. In 2017, I was selected in a cross-Canada search for francophone artists as the B.C. winner, and went on to making it into the National top 6 on TFO (Télévision Française de l’Ontario).
“Last year I formed the electronic duo Seaborne, with my partner Solomon Krause-Imlach, and we released our debut EP, Lustre. We moved to Montreal last fall to keep pursuing music, explore a new arts scene, and tour in Quebec/Ontario. That project is continuing and we perform often, but I realized that I’ve played from band to band for eight years, and neglected a pile of really personal songs that I’m only willing to release as a solo artist. I love collaborating with other artists, and I’m currently working with amazing producers, but I have a vision that I’m not willing to compromise. I need to honour the emotion behind these songs in the most honest way possible.
“B.O.Y” is the debut single I’m releasing as Maryze on Friday, April 27. It was produced by L.A.’s BrotherNature (Jared Heath), whose background vocals are also featured."
