Toronto-based singer/songwriter Larra Skye has the looks, the talent and the tenacity to make a play for stardom but what she really needs is some money. To that end, Skye has embarked on a fundraising campaign to finance the recording of her next CD, a collection of original material she hopes to record this spring and release in the fall.
Skye, who performs this Saturday at the Brenda Carol Renaissance Jazz Fair on the Danforth, has a long way to go to reach her target of $15,000. According to her online pre-sale and donation-meter, she’s raised just one-tenth of her goal amount. FACTOR funding would certainly help and she’s expecting to hear yay or nay from the funding body any day now.
“Everyone is competing for FACTOR’s limited resources,” she acknowledges, “but I’m hopeful. The $15,000 target is a best case scenario; if I don’t get that far, I’ll just scale back my ambitions, but I’m still confident I can make a great record.”
Skye called me late last fall to pitch me on doing a story about her fundraising campaign and she has tirelessly followed-up without being pushy. I admire her gumption; she’s going to need it to make it big in what is becoming an increasingly small business. Record labels and music publishing companies are shrinking in the face of declining music sales and very few artists get signed to label deals anymore. Going the indie route is generally the only option until an artist has built a track record and created some buzz.
Skye made progress with her debut disc, 2006’s The World Disappears. The jazz-tinged record found support at HMV where the singer did in-store appearances, ultimately driving the disc to the top of the indie jazz chart. It’s an achievement, sure, but not something she could take to the bank.
Since then, Skye has been writing and performing, honing her craft and sharpening her stylistic focus. She has moved away from jazz and steered back to where she started as a singer/songwriter.
“The industry has changed so much since I made that first record,” she confirms. “I never felt completely comfortable with the jazz tag because I’m a songwriter first and foremost; it just so happened that I used some great jazz musicians on those sessions. It was kind of pop jazz, sort of like Norah Jones. I’ll be trying out some new material on Saturday.”
Skye has chosen a particularly appropriate working title for her next record, she’s calling it Wishing Tree.
WHERE/WHEN: The 2011 Brenda Carol Renaissance Jazz Fair is Saturday, February 5 at Remarks Bar & Grill (1026 Coxwell Avenue); tickets are $20 at the door (this is an all-ages family event). Pre-0rder Larra Skye’s CD or donate to her development costs here.
Photos: Top image by David Leyes, second image by Keidi Photo
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