For the past four months, it has been hard to say if Canadian singer/songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk is coming or going.
Hell, sometimes, she might even meet herself in the middle.
On top of her own music, Kreviazuk writes songs for others. She also does ample charity work, not to mention raising a family of three young boys – ages five, four and one - with her muscian husband Raine Maida of the rock band Our Lady Peace.
On top of all that, Kreviazuk has recently released her fifth studio album Plain Jane on Canadian label Maple Music and has been touring in support of her most diverse record to date.
“I’ve been on the road promoting the new record in Canada, and it seems to be very well received so far,” Kreviazuk told me over a quick lunch break.
“Now I am working on getting the new record heard in America, but that is a challenge because I was thinking of doing radio press. The radio changes so much that I don’t think I would really fit in,” she said. “I am more of a singer-songwriter trying to be true to what I do. So, I was thinking about aligning with some companies to help work the new album in the United States.”
The multi-Juno award winner (Juno is the equivalent to the Grammys) is having a tough time here in the States because she said goodbye to her former label home, Sony Records. She left the major label in favor of the indie label simply because she didn’t know anyone at Sony anymore.
The move to indie label Maple Music puts her more squarely in her homeland, and since Maple has established Plain Jane for Kreviazuk’s Canadian fans, it was now time to work on spreading the word outside upper North America.
“I am grateful for what Sony did for me when I first signed on with them. They did help get the push out there for my music, but over the years, so much has changed; everyone who was there supporting me is now gone.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what was going to happen when I started working on this record, but I found Maple, and I like working with them. It is more one-on-one like in the beginning,” she said.
In retrospect, Plain Jane is a like a new beginning for Kreviazuk – a rebirth if you will.
“Well, I did chop off all my hair the other day,” Kreviazuk joked when asked if she considered herself a “plain jane.” “Honestly, I don’t consider myself as a radical person. I am more comfortable in my own skin now. Like I said before, I am just a singer-songwriter who doesn’t feel she fits in anywhere right now. I am more about my songs and what I have to say in them. I think this album is a celebration of accepting myself as a musician and person.”
With the acceptance comes the ability for Kreviazuk to branch out with her music and go where she wants to take her music. Plain Jane is the most diverse record the artist has ever put out in her 15-year career. Scattered through the 11 tracks you can find inflences of pop, rock, soul, jazz and blues.
“I think that has a little bit to do with being at Sony; I am sure they had some influence on where they wanted my records to go. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working with the other producers back then, but I never felt comfortable enough to tell them ‘Hey, I want this song to sound like that’ and point to another artist.
“Now since I work with Raine, he pushed me to listen to other artists, artists I was influenced by because he said I wouldn’t know what I wanted my songs to sound like, if I didn’t listen to my influences,” she said.
Not that Kreviazuk is copying other artists. Plain Jane is all Kreviazuk with her signature piano-based sound and real-life emotional lyrics about self-doubt, finding herself and the love of her life.
“I never have trouble writing lyrics that are too personal. Raine and I work really well together. Like for this record, we started off slow, working on the songs, and when it didn’t feel right, we took a break and did something else. That is the advantage of having a studio at home. Also having a studio at home allows that balance to spend more time with the kids."
Part of that balance also comes from having a house in the States where the two can just be themselves. “When we are at our house in the States, I get to get away from myself. I think if I had to be around those I knew, who had pre-conceived notions of who I am, it would be hard. It is great to get away.”
That space allows Kreviazuk to find an equilibrium she originally worked so hard to achieve. Not only does it benefit her music but others as well. The Canadian is a well-known songwriter who has penned songs for Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne and Faith Hill, just to name a few.
But, how does she decide what songs stay and what songs go to others?
“It depends on the day,” Kreviazuk said. “If I am really moved and attached to a song, somedays I won’t give it away. Sometimes, it’s more emotions that make the decision. There are no rules really.”
For Plain Jane, Kreviazuk has picked 11 of her best and most diverse to date, and it seems it will only get better from here on out.
“I am really trying to follow a path of progress. I am trying to contstantly push myself. I never want to record the same album over and over. And, I see inside me that there is so much more music. … There is a huge education of my evolution and emotion that will always be there in my music.”