Terra Lightfoot (born August, 1986) is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter from

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of ...

who has released four albums with the

independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

label

Sonic Unyon Sonic Unyon Recording Company is an independent record label based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Their former retail store was located on Wilson Street near James Street North. The label has put out releases by bands including Tristan Psion ...

Recording Company"Sonic Unyon Records: Terra Lightfoot – Artist biography"
Sonicunyon.com, Retrieved 28 June 2017 and is distributed by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

in Canada and The Orchard outside of Canada. She performs in a

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern roc ...

style known for bold

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

and electric guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompanim ...

Early life

Lightfoot was raised in

Waterdown, Ontario Waterdown is a village in Canada which since 2001 has been a community of Hamilton, Ontario. Waterdown is approximately 60 km west of downtown Toronto. On January 1, 2001 the new city of Hamilton was formed from the amalgamation of six mun ...

, a rural community in the northern part of Hamilton, and attended

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical ...

Early career

In the early 2010s Lightfoot was a member of the Dinner Belles, a group of

country-folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...

performers from Hamilton. She performed as a guitarist and vocalist for the group's 2014 studio album The River and the Willow, having previously appeared on their self-released 2011 debut West Simcoe County. Through indie music label,

, Lightfoot released her first solo album, self-titled and released in 2011, was described as "subdued", with compositions characteristic of a modern folk singer-songwriter. Terra Lightfoot 2015 Hillside

Her second solo album, 2014's ''Every Time My Mind Runs Wild'', saw her collaborate with indie rockers Gus van Go, Werner F, and Liam O'Neil (known for his performances with the group

The Stills The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2011. History The band's original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Tim Fletcher, guitarist Gregory Paquet, bassist Olivier Corbeil and dru ...

). The album's producers, van Go and F, were credited with bringing a more catchy, hook-heavy,

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ...

style."Terra Lightfoot – Every Time My Mind Runs Wild (Album Review)"
''Red Guitar Music'', 18 August 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2017 In 2017, Terra Lightfoot released two new albums. In February she released orchestral collaboration Live in Concert. In late summer, Lightfoot released "Paradise," the lead single from her third studio album, New Mistakes. The record earned praise from critics at No Depression, Pop Matters, Guitar Player, Twangville, and The Boot. New Mistakes earned Lightfoot a nomination for a 2018 JUNO Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year. The album's single "Paradise" also earned producer van Go a 2018 JUNO nomination for Recording Engineer of the Year, as well as a long-list nomination for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. In August 2020, Lightfoot released a new single, "Paper Thin Walls," from her fourth studio album, Consider the Speed. That album was released on October 16, 2020.

Musical style

Lightfoot has a multi-octave mezzo-soprano singing voice that has been compared to that of

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

Mullin, Kyle
"Review: Terra Lightfoot Every Time My Mind Runs Wild"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', Toronto, 10 April 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2017 and

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dra ...

. Her electric guitar style has been described as similar to

John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was the lead si ...

and

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in ...

. The songs for which Lightfoot is best known are described as bluesy-rock power ballads. March 2018 Lightfoot was featured in Guitar Player Magazine along with her SG 'Veronica'.

Touring

Lightfoot has toured extensively in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, performing at folk music festivals and intimate venues. In 2017 she was honoured by the Canadian Independent Music Association for being a touring musician selling at least 25,000 concert seats in a 12-month period. While touring her 2017 album New Mistakes, Lightfoot also created, curated, and co-headlined The Longest Road Show, an all-female touring revue. On tour, Lightfoot has collaborated with a famous Canadian singer forty years her senior,

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 19 ...

, though the two are not related.Rayner, Be
"Your New Favorite Thing Terra Lightfoot"
''Toronto Star'' 8 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2017 She has also toured with

The Posies The Posies were an American power pop group. The band was formed in 1986 in Bellingham, Washington, United States, by primary songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are ...

Toad the Wet Sprocket Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1986. The band at the time consisted of vocalist/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Gus ...

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, p ...

and

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, a ...

. She supported

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

on the lone Canadian date of the 2018 Outlaw Music Festival.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Terra Lightfoot'' (2011) * ''Every Time My Mind Runs Wild'' (2015) * ''New Mistakes'' (2017) * ''Consider the Speed'' (October 16, 2020)

Live albums

* ''Live in Concert'' (2017)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lightfoot, Terra Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian women singer-songwriters Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Living people Canadian women rock singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Sonic Unyon artists 1986 births