Drea Lake
One of the things that have always made Canadian music unique are many artists’ close relationships with the environment. The inherent intertwining of the beauty of the natural world with the creation of unforgettable lyrics and melodies will always shape our culture, and singer/songwriter Drea Lake is directly connected to that tradition.
Drea Lake is ..?
I am a singer songwriter hailing from Elora, Ontario ( a small Canadian town, the only place in the world where two large river gorges intersect), and I also live part time in Montreal. I love the poetic side of lyrics and my music falls into the category of folk pop. Pop informed folk music with gentle vocals and sometimes complex guitar patterns.
I did a degree in philosophy and this informs my music, I have a deep love of nature and the environment. I grew up on rehabilitated land outside of my hometown where the sound of crickets and running water were never too far away. I feel that music can only imitate the beauty of nature.
How did you get into music?
I have been playing music since I was four years old. My parents both came from musical families themselves and were committed to sharing music with myself and my brothers. I started writing poetry and lyrics as a teenager and was a passionate music fan. I decided to study songwriting and fingerstyle guitar more seriously later on to learn how to really complete and refine songwriting.
"Dreaming peacefully" is definitely a great piece of folk/acoustic music, what's the story behind the song?
Dreaming peacefully comes from a memory I have of a really great day at an amusement park with a friend from highschool. We had a really innocent and happy connection, and then we lost touch.
Later I heard news about them and it turned out that their life had been quite difficult. I wanted to take them back to that place. It also comes a little from the inspiration that I take from the philosopher Henri Bergson and some of his writing on memory. I am no expert on him but I find his ideas on memory fascinating.
On a separate note (different from Bergson) I personally love this idea that our memories can be here for us to save and heal us, and to remind us of who we are...
One Song a year is not that much, I'd say, could we expect more songs in the future?
You are right... one song a year is not that much! But it has felt like everything... I am partly new to production as well as creating music videos... and its about learning that balance between perfectionism and realism (getting music out) but on a more serious note my sweet father was very sick and passed away over the past two years. Being with my family was really a priority. That as well as chaos caused by the pandemic have meant that I have been moving more slowly but my next project will be a more significant release with more songs. So you will be hearing more from me in the not too distant future!
What's in your opinion the most difficult part concerning songwriting?
For me the most difficult part of songwriting is knowing when a song is ready to be shared... I do a lot of tinkering and doubting at the final stages! Also good songwriting involves facing our own experiences and emotions in a world that prefers that we shut down, so there is a courage factor to good songwriting that is always perennial, we must face ourselves each time.
Do we have the chance to see you somewhere live on stage?
I will definitely be playing more shows very soon! I will have shows coming up mostly this year in Montreal, Ottawa and Fredericton, having just finished shows in Toronto and Kitchener Waterloo.
But I will travel further afield as well soon! Please join my mailing list if you want updates as well as a free download.
What's next for you?
My next project is to choose from the songs that I have written to create either an album or an EP and album. This will be my first time creating a larger body of work to be released and I am excited!
