- Alexandria Maillot, part of the Cates Park Concert Series, presented by Musart, Saturday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Cates Park in North Vancouver. Free. Info: www.musart.ca.
ON her debut album, singer-songwriter Alexandria Maillot set out to do two things.
She wanted to compile an autobiographical account of her coming-of-age experiences, and create something that would resonate with teenage girls currently navigating the process and its inherent ups and downs.
"Everything I wrote came from somewhere where I had struggled or I had been through something," she says of the seven songs on her pop-rock EP Just Another Girl. "It's a bunch of songs that came from a very organic place when I was growing up and trying to find out who I was as a person."
While this is 19-year-old Maillot's first album, her musical journey began at age seven when she started singing and performing. Having developed a strong work ethic early on, she has had one incredible opportunity after another, including performing in Egypt and Romania, winning countless songwriting contests, having her songs picked up by MTV and Oxygen networks, as well as being on the radars of superstars David Foster, Jann Arden and Oprah Winfrey. She also pursues acting and was recently cast alongside Amanda Seyfried in Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke's 2011 feature film Red Riding Hood.
Closer to home, for the second time, Maillot has been chosen as a 2012 PEAK Performance Project artist. The annual professional development program provides an incredible opportunity to B.C. emerging artists looking to propel their careers forward.
"I'm just the kind of person who loves to do everything and be very adventurous and do different things. If you invest the time and energy into it, it's kind of cool the opportunities that are possible," she says.
Maillot is a featured performer at Musart's Cates Park Concert Series, and is set to perform tomorrow at the North Vancouver park for the series' final 2012 event. Maillot is part of Singer/Songwriter night and will be performing on an outdoor stage in Deep Cove along with Norrine Braun, Robert Hubele, Pamela Tessman, Jody Quine, Snowdon, Foxxy Faith, Jessica Beach and Magic Pixie Dream Girls.
As part of the series, a double-disc compilation has been produced and will be available for sale, with proceeds to the 2012 participating artists. Maillot's song "Take Me Home" is among those featured on the album.
Musart, a North Shore based cultural society, is also presenting this weekend's Deep Cove Daze, a local community arts festival being held the following day, Sunday, Aug. 26, in Panorama Park.
Maillot, from Vancouver Island originally, currently calls Port Coquitlam home. She released Just Another Girl on June 22.
"It's finally out and I think I'm ready for it to be out," she says. "Before, I was really young and now I'm 19 and able to sign my own legal documents and stuff, so it's kind of nice to have full control over it."
For the record, Maillot drew on her high school experience, which she says was pretty unique. Her family moved around a lot and she ended up attending four high schools. Through home schooling, she doubled her course load and was able to graduate early, at age 16, and moved out on her own. All original, Just Another Girl's songs were written by Maillot for the most part, with the support of the different producers she worked with. For example, she did some of the recording with Joby Baker (Cowboy Junkies, Alex Cuba) in Victoria and Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powter) and Winston Hauschild (Hannah Georgas) in Vancouver.
In addition to being sold on iTunes, Maillot is selling the album via Bandcamp, with full proceeds from the sales from that website going to Variety The Children's Charity. She's worked with the non-profit organization in the past, having been part of their Variety's Got Talent competition earlier this year.
"When I was younger, I used to have to go to the hospital a lot because I had really bad asthma and allergies so I was always at the B.C. Children's Hospital. . . ." she says.
"The amount of passion that's in the organization is just incredible. I started a banter with the people at Variety and decided that I really wanted to help with my music in some way and also in the background a bit too because it's an amazing cause."
Maillot was first named a PEAK Performance Project artist in 2009 in its inaugural edition and has continued to work hard to develop her sound and to become a stronger musician ever since.
"I was very young when I went into the PEAK the first year," she says. "I'm still very young, but the difference between then and now is just huge with the amount of time I've had to hone in on my craft and really work hard. It's been an endless work journey since then. I feel like I'm going in this year with a better understanding of what to expect and can soak in a lot more information."
Maillot continues to be amazed by the level of support offered by the project.
"They've decided to help a bunch of artists who really need help and what they've created is an amazing community," she says.
In addition, Maillot's involvement has yielded many connections, helping her push her career forward. She encourages other new artists to apply for next year.
"You might not get in. I never thought I would get in this year, it's really crazy that I did. But at least you get a banter going with the people who do the PEAK Performance Project. And if you're dedicated then I'm sure you'll be able to meet people, even if you're not in it," she says.
Maillot's PEAK Performance Project Showcase is set for Oct. 4 at The Red Room, along with Dear Rouge, Facts and Maurice.
While the music industry can be challenging at times, Maillot remains committed to pursuing her passion.
"It's just something that I've always loved and it's the thing that I've felt would always feed me at the end of the day.
It's just something I love. I couldn't imagine not doing it," she says.
She's continuing to eye new opportunities. For example, she just got back from Los Angeles where she auditioned for the singing talent show The Voice. She hopes to hear soon whether she made the cut. Also, she's keeping on the lookout for new acting roles, feeling she got "really lucky" with her first role ever, cast as a supporting actor in Red Riding Hood.
"It's something I'm always working at," she says, of her thespian leanings.
In her spare time, Maillot is also working on a novel project, which she hopes to have completed by the end of the year.
"I just love writing in general. Writing is a huge thing for me. Songwriting and singing, acting, they all tie together," she says.
