Lisa Brokop
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Lisa Ann Brokop (born June 6, 1973) is a Canadian
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
singer/songwriter. Active since 1990 in the country music field, she has released a total of seven studio albums and has charted more than twenty singles on the country music charts in her native Canada. Several of these singles have also crossed over to the American country music charts, although she has not entered the Top 40 in the U.S.; her highest-charting songs, " Give Me a Ring Sometime" and "Take That", both peaked at No. 52 in 1994. Her highest chart single is "Better Off Broken"; released in 1999, it reached No. 8 in Canada. She was inducted into the
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian country music artists, builders or broadcasters, living or deceased. The artifact collection includes extensive biographical information on the inductees. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame can ...
in 2025.


Career


Early life

Lisa Brokop was born in
Surrey, British Columbia Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border. It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surr ...
in 1973. By age seven, she was performing on stage with her accordion-playing mother, performing polkas and numerous country music songs. When Brokop was twelve years old, she began sitting in with bands throughout
Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
and joined a touring band in when she was 15. In 1990, when Brokop was only 17 years old, she issued her debut single, "Daddy, Sing to Me". The song managed to reach the top 10 of the Canadian ''
RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
'' Country Tracks chart. Her debut album, '' My Love'', was issued the following year on the independent Libre Records label. In June 1991, Brokop graduated from the Princess Margaret Secondary School in her hometown of
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
; she then proceeded to move south to
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
to further her country music career.


1994–1999: Breakthrough success

In 1992, Brokop began performing in local clubs and caught the attention of
The Nashville Network The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, game shows, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows. On September ...
. The network began to play Brokop's video for her single "Time to Come Back Home" and had her as a guest on ''The Ralph Emery Show''. The appearance on ''The Ralph Emery Show'' and a 30-minute showcase at a local club got Brokop a record deal with Patriot Records, a label owned by
Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Alvin Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous rev ...
. Before Brokop began recording her second album, she starred alongside
Hoyt Axton Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...
in the 1994 film '' Harmony Cats'', where she played a country singer who leaves home in search of a big break in Nashville. Brokop contributed to the movie's soundtrack and her cover of
Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Lynn, Wynette helped bring a ...
's 1968 number one hit " Stand by Your Man" was issued as a single, peaking at No. 88 on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart. The first single of Brokop's second album, " Give Me a Ring Sometime", was issued in June 1994. The single cracked the top 20 in Canada, but only reached No. 52 on the U.S. ''Billboard''
Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart. Nevertheless, her first major label album, '' Every Little Girl's Dream'', was released in September 1994. While "Give Me a Ring Sometime" was charting, many Canadian radio stations refused to play Brokop's music after the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...
ruled that "Give Me a Ring Sometime" did not have a sufficient amount of Canadian content in the song. Nevertheless, Brokop's album went on to produce two more top 40 singles in Canada with "Take That" and "One of Those Nights". By 1995, the album had been certified Gold by the CRIA, for sales of 50,000 copies. Also in 1995, Brokop, along with fellow singers Victoria Shaw and
Chely Wright Chely Wright (born Richell Rene Wright; October 25, 1970) is an American Activism, activist, author, and country music artist. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the numb ...
, received a nomination for Top New Female Vocalist at the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...
awards, but lost to Chely Wright. In 1995, Patriot Records had been shut down and Brokop was transferred to Capitol Nashville and issued her third album, '' Lisa Brokop'', the following year. None of the album's first two singles reached the top 40 in Canada or the United States and the album's third, "West of Crazy", did not chart at all. The failure of the album left Brokop burned out and she then ended her relationship with Capitol to take time off to focus on songwriting. In 1998, Brokop signed with the Nashville division of
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, where she released the single "How Do I Let Go". The song reached the top 20 of the ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart and received a nomination for SOCAN Song of the Year at the
Canadian Country Music Association The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The groundwork for the association began on June 3, 1973, when a gr ...
awards that year. Her album, '' When You Get to Be You'', was released in July 1998 in Canada and produced five more singles including the No. 21-peaking "What's Not to Love" and "Better Off Broken", the latter becoming Brokop's highest-charting single, peaking at No. 8 on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart in 1999. The album was scheduled for release in the United States in 1998, but was not released due to the poor performance of the album's four American singles and Brokop departed Columbia by the end of 1999.


2000 – present: Continued success

In 2000, Brokop ventured on her own and launched the Cosmo Records label where she released her fifth album, ''Undeniable''. The album's first single, "Something Undeniable", had reached No. 18 on the country charts in Canada when ''RPM'' had been shut down. In 2001, Brokop received two Canadian Country Music Association awards for Independent Song of the Year for "Something Undeniable" and Independent Female Artist of the Year. The album's third single, "I'd Like to See You Try", won Brokop Independent Song of the Year again in 2002. She also was awarded Independent Female Artist of the Year again in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, in an attempt to have success in the United States, Brokop signed with Asylum-
Curb A curb (American English) or kerb (British English) is the edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement or road median/central reservation meets a street/other roadway. History Although curbs have been used throughout modern history, and indeed ...
and issued her first single for the label, "Wildflower". The song failed to chart in the United States. An album, ''Hey, Do You Know Me'', followed in January 2005 in Canada. The album was never released in the United States due to the failure of the first single. Shortly before departing Asylum-Curb in 2005, Brokop released the single "Big Picture" in Canada and the United States; it was never included on any album. After a three-year hiatus, Brokop went back in the studio to record her seventh album, ''Beautiful Tragedy''. The album was released in August 2008 on the independent Ellbea Records label and featured the hit "Break It". Eleven of the album's twelve tracks were co-written by Brokop and all tracks were produced by Brokop and her husband, country singer Paul Jefferson. Brokop and husband Paul Jefferson have begun performing as The Jeffersons and released their debut album as a duo in 2011. The album has since released three singles in Canada: "Find the Sun," "Crazy On Me" and a country cover of
The Wallflowers The Wallflowers are an American rock music, rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan. The Wallflowers were originally a roots rock band formed in Los Angeles by Dylan and guitarist Tobi Miller. It ha ...
' 1996 song, "
One Headlight "One Headlight" is a song by American rock band the Wallflowers. The song was written by lead singer Jakob Dylan, and produced by T Bone Burnett. It was released to radio in January 1997 as the second single and opening track from the band's secon ...
". In July 2013, Brokop signed a new deal with RareSpark media group to begin working on a new solo album. A new single, "Let It Burn" was released to Canadian Country radio on September 23. Brokop has continued to release further projects, including "The Patsy Cline Project" in 2015 and "Who's Gonna Fill Their Heels" in 2023.


Personal life

Lisa Brokop married her boyfriend of four years, Paul Jefferson, a fellow country singer and music producer on May 25, 2008. The history of their relationship was documented on the CMT Canada/
GAC Gac or GAC may refer to: *Gấc, pronounced ək̚˧˦ a Southeast Asian fruit of the species ''Momordica cochinchinensis'' *Gać (disambiguation), a common Polish place-name Acronyms Companies and organisations * GAC Group, a Chinese automo ...
TV series, ''Our Song'', the episode aired in March 2009 in on CMT Canada. Jefferson helped Brokop "shape the stripped-down songs of he album''Beautiful Tragedy'' in the couple's Nashville home studio." Brokop stated in 2008 that she and a small band were planning "to tour Canada's western provinces next January and February 009 with a possible stop in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
." In February 2009, Brokop announced on stage that she was pregnant and, on August 7, 2009, Brokop and Jefferson welcomed the birth of their first child, Ivy Jefferson. On January 28, 2022, on her Facebook page, Brokop voiced support for the trucker-led
Canada convoy protest The Canada convoy protest, known as the Freedom Convoy (French: ''Convoi de la liberté'') was a series of protests and blockades across Canada in early 2022, initially organized to oppose COVID-19 vaccination in Canada, COVID-19 vaccine man ...
-- the so-called Freedom Convoy -- a series of protests and blockades against
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
vaccine mandates and restrictions. She posted a video of her reading a verse from the bible and singing
CeCe Winans Priscilla Marie Love, known professionally by her stage name as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer who has garnered 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 33 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, ...
' " Believe For It". She says in the video, "We’ve got to send out our worship songs, we need to worship and lift this up ahead of time, as they go into battle." Some protesters were photographed waving Nazi flags at the rallies. In a later post, Brokop said that the protest includes “some ugly and hateful images floating around that I definitely don’t support, but most everything I’ve seen has been about love and kindness and standing in support of each other. I’ve seen so many happy tears from people who finally feel like their voices are being heard, and have something to be hopeful for. That’s the Canada I know and love.” She subsequently continued to post in support of the protests.


Discography

*'' My Love'' (1991) *'' Every Little Girl's Dream'' (1994) *'' Lisa Brokop'' (1996) *'' When You Get to Be You'' (1998) *''Undeniable'' (2000) *''Hey, Do You Know Me'' (2005) *''Beautiful Tragedy'' (2008) *''The Patsy Cline Project'' (2015) *''Who's Gonna Fill Their Heels'' (2023)


References


External links

*
Lisa Brokop at IMDB.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brokop, Lisa 1973 births Canadian women country singers Capitol Records artists Columbia Records artists Curb Records artists Liberty Records artists Living people Actors from Surrey, British Columbia Musicians from British Columbia 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers