Luba (born Lubomyra Kowalchyk ( uk, Любомира Ковальчук), April 24, 1958) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and recording artist from Quebec. She was professionally active from 1980 to 1990, 2000 to 2001 and is active again from 2007 to present. /ref>
Career
Luba performed with the band Zorya, which released a self-titled album in 1973. In the 1980s she
was the vocalist for a band named ''Luba'', and in 1980 that band released the album ''Chain Reaction''.
Luba later signed as a solo artist under that name. She released three more albums and two EPs. Two of her albums are certified platinum by the Canadian music industry (sales in excess of 100,000 units). She has nine top-40 hits on the Canadian pop charts. Her signature song is "Every time I See Your Picture" (1983). Her most successful song is a cover of
Percy Sledge
Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...
's " When a Man Loves a Woman" which reached No. 6 on the Canadian pop chart and No. 3 on the Canadian
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart (1987).
Luba is a three-time winner of the Canadian music industry Juno Award for Female Vocalist of the Year (1985–1987). Her success is limited to her native Canada as she has never charted in the US or elsewhere. In addition to her Juno Awards, Luba has also received CASBY and
Félix Award
The Félix Award (french: Trophée Félix or Prix Félix) is an award, given by the ''Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois'' ( ADISQ) on an annual basis to artists working in the music and humor industry in the Canadian ...
s, and a Black Music Association Award for "Female Entertainer of the Year". Most recently, her music has been featured on '' Canadian Idol''. She continues to record music under her own independent label.
Biography
Early life
Luba Kowalchyk was born in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, Quebec, Canada in 1958 to Ukrainian immigrant parents. Growing up she studied piano, guitar, flute and voice. During her teens she traveled across Canada to perform traditional Ukrainian folk songs at weddings and festivals.
Early career
In the 70s, then known as Lubomyra Kowalchyk, Luba released her debut LP with a musical ensemble "Via Zorya". The LP (Виа Зоря – "...Любомира") was released by the label Yeshvan and featured traditional Ukrainian folk songs in new arrangements. It Two years later, Luba released her first full-length solo LP, called "Lubomyra" via SAGE Promotions. It featured again Ukrainian folk songs, but this time mixed with elements of jazz, blues and rock. Both Ukrainian LPs featured her future drummer Peter Marunzak. With significantly higher production values than the typical standard Ukrainian music albums of the time, Luba's landmark Ukrainian recordings raised the bar for this music genre in the diaspora, setting the gold standard that was subsequently met by
Kvitka Cisyk
Kvitka "Kasey" Cisyk ( uk, Квітка Цісик; Квітослава-Орися Цісик, ''Kvitka Tsisyk''; April 4, 1953Darka & Slavko. Luba released a single in French in 1979 called "Le Doux Rendez-vous" with the Label Bobinason. A year before the release of "Le Doux Rendez-vous, she formed a band under her first name ''Luba''. Their debut album ''Chain Reaction'' was released on an independent label in 1980 and received only minimal interest outside of their native Montreal.
Breakthrough in Canada
Luba enjoyed her greatest success in Canada between 1983 and 1987. Capitol-EMI of Canada signed Luba Kowalchyk as a solo artist under the one name moniker ''Luba'' in 1982. A self-titled EP followed in late 1982 and the top 40 hit "Every time I See Your Picture" in early 1983. In 1984 Luba released her first full-length album called '' Secrets and Sins''. It issued the singles "Let It Go" and "Storm Before The Calm" both reaching the Canadian top-40 charts. Luba earned her first Canadian music industry Juno Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1985. Later the same year, she recorded several songs written by Stephen Lunt, Jon Stroll and
Kevin Gillis
Kevin Gillis (born 2 February 1950) is a Canadian TV TV writer and producer, a singer-songwriter and a former TV host, mainly known for his work in animation. He is famous for creating the '' Raccoons'' franchise as well as other cartoons such a ...
for the first season of the Canadian cartoon series
The Raccoons
''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...
. Several of these songs were later re-recorded by
Lisa Lougheed
Lisa Dawn Lougheed (; ; born September 9, 1968) is a Canadian former singer, dancer, voice actress, and songwriter. She is likely best known for her role in the animated television series ''The Raccoons'', where she performed for the soundtrack ...
for use in later seasons. Two of Luba's songs are featured on the 1986 movie soundtrack 9 Weeks starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke: "Let It Go" from her Secrets and Sins album and one not previously released by Luba, "The Best is Yet to Come." In 1986, Luba released ''
Between the Earth & Sky Between the Earth and Sky may refer to:
* ''Between the Earth and Sky'' (Lankum album), 2017
* ''Between the Earth & Sky'' (Luba album), 1986
{{music disambiguation ...
'', which included the single "How Many (Rivers To Cross)". This top 20 Canadian hit had represented Canada at the 1985
World Popular Song Festival
The , also known as Yamaha Music Festival and unofficially as the "Oriental Eurovision", was an international song contest held from 1970 until 1989. It was organised by the Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo, Japan from 1970 until 1989. The first ed ...
in Tokyo, Japan and made the finals. Also in 1986, Luba won her second straight Juno as Canada's best female vocalist. Shortly after the album release, Luba's band was involved in a serious bus accident, although Luba herself was not on board the bus at the time. Luba and her band took some time off, returning in 1987 with '' Over 60 Minutes With Luba'', a compilation of her hits with one new track, a live recording of "When A Man Loves A Woman". This track would become her biggest Canadian hit, peaking at No. 6 on the RPM top 100. She would cap the year with her third straight "Best Female Vocalist" Juno.
''All or Nothing''; breaking into the US
By 1988 Luba's music was being played mainly in Canada, Her label brought in new management to promote her work in the United States. Her next album, '' All Or Nothing'', was recorded over a year and half across 7 studios using various session musicians. Released in the fall of 1989, the album included the singles "Giving Away A Miracle," "No More Words", and "Little Salvation". The band recorded an acoustic, live-in-the-studio show in Toronto and released as ''Live on Tour'' in 1990. ''All Or Nothing'' appeared on the RPM Top 100 chart that year and reached platinum status in Canada. With few sales in the US, her label then dropped her before the end of the year.
Withdrawal from music
During the 1990s, Luba experienced both professional and personal problems that resulted in her withdrawing from the music industry. In 1990, her marriage to band drummer and manager Peter Marunzak ended in divorce. Following her release from Capitol Records, she struggled to land a contract with another major record label. Her grandmother and then her mother both died while her sister, and lone relative left in Canada, developed multiple sclerosis that required intensive care. Finally, Luba felt she was missing out on a "regular" life from years of long hours in the music industry. Altogether, Luba decided to put her career on hold and focus on other priorities. Luba's most notable performance during the 1990s was as the featured halftime performer at the 1991 Grey Cup game in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Return to music
The latest album by Luba, ''
From the Bitter to the Sweet
''From the Bitter to the Sweet'' is the latest release by Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many ( ...
'', was released in 2000 on her own label Azure Music. While the album won some critical acclaim, and produced the Top 30 single "Is She A Lot Like Me?", it did not match the sales or radio airplay as her earlier albums. At year's end she was featured in a concert performance on a Canadian program entitled ''An Evening with the Stars'' which included both new and old material.
Two new songs by Luba appeared on a member music page of the popular social networking site MySpace. One was a ballad called "Heaven," and the other more upbeat was called "Time." These were potential singles for an album release mentioned on both Luba's MySpace page and her official website. An 18 April 2007 update on Luba's official website states that Luba chose to use MySpace to connect with her fans as well as for posting her music. Additional information is included on there as well as a link to her MySpace page. Both new singles are available for adding to other MySpace members' music profiles.
Luba moved from Canada in mid-2007 and currently lives in
Anguilla
Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The terr ...
. She is still very focused on her passion, writing and singing, and is working on a new album which will highlight her roots in soul/R&B music. As well, she is pursuing another passion in photography where her work has already garnered tremendous critical acclaim due to her distinct compositional style and innovative approach. She is also closely involved with animal causes, working with various animal shelters in providing service dogs to people suffering from physical and psychological trauma.
On 18 February 2014, a new compilation album called ''ICON'' was released by Universal Music Canada.
Richard Burnett
Richard Burnett, also known as Bugs Burnett, is a Canadian writer, editor, journalist, and columnist. He is known as an often controversial fixture of the Montreal media, with his writing sometimes attracting attention internationally. His colu ...
, "Luba back on stage after 14-year absence; Montreal pop icon's life far from charmed". '' Calgary Herald'', 14 August 2014. The album contains remastered versions of hits from her albums ''Secrets and Sins'', ''Between the Earth & Sky'', ''All or Nothing'' and ''From the Bitter to the Sweet'', as well as a new track, "Heaven", which was previously previewed on Luba's MySpace page in 2007. In August she performed her first live concert in 14 years, at the Fierté Montréal festival.
Awards
Luba remains one of the more successful female artists in Canadian music history despite never charting in the US. Her three consecutive Juno awards for Female Vocalist of the Year puts her in select company: only
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career.
Murray was the fir ...
(9) and
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
(6) have more.
Discography
As a singer, Luba has released seven full-length studio albums (two of which in Ukrainian, one studio EP, one live EP, two compilation albums and multiple singles. Music of hers has been featured on the cartoon series ''
The Raccoons
''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...
'' as well as on movies, most notably ''
9½ Weeks
''9½ Weeks'' is a 1986 American erotic romantic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne, and starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. Basinger portrays a New York City art gallery employee who has a brief yet intense affair with a mysterious Wal ...
Chain Reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.
Chain reactions are one way that sys ...
'' (1980) – with band, named "Luba"
*'' Secrets and Sins'' (1984)
*''
Between the Earth & Sky Between the Earth and Sky may refer to:
* ''Between the Earth and Sky'' (Lankum album), 2017
* ''Between the Earth & Sky'' (Luba album), 1986
{{music disambiguation ...
From the Bitter to the Sweet
''From the Bitter to the Sweet'' is the latest release by Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many ( ...
'' (2000)
EPs
*''
Luba
Luba may refer to:
Geography
*Kingdom of Luba, a pre-colonial Central African empire
* Ľubá, a village and municipality in the Nitra region of south-west Slovakia
*Luba, Abra, a municipality in the Philippines
*Luba, Equatorial Guinea, a town ...
ICON
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
'' (2014)
Singles
Other songs
* "Ain't No Planes" (1985) – from the cartoon series "
The Raccoons
''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...
"
* "Hang On, Hold On" (1985) – from the cartoon series "
The Raccoons
''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...
"
* "All Life Long" (1985) – duet with Curtis King Jr., from the cartoon series "
The Raccoons
''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...
"
* "Here I Go Again" (1985) – duet with Curtis King Jr., from the cartoon series "
The Raccoons
''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...
"
* "Keeping Track" (1987) – duet with Dorian Sherwood, appears on the 1987 movie with the same name.
* "Time" (2007) – appears on Luba's MySpace page
* "Another Lonely Day" (2007) – appears on Luba's MySpace page