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Counting Down the ECMAs with Jessica Rhaye

The Saint John nominee discusses her music and art.
here magazine
January 31st Issue, 2008
By Nelson Hanson

As the East Coast music community begins to pack its collective bags in preparation for the annual trek to the East Coast Music Awards in Fredericton from February 7-10, Saint John based singer/songwriter Jessica Rhaye is looking back at a successful 2007 and ahead to a promising 2008.

Since her self-titled debut in 2000, the soft-spoken musician has proven to be more than just another pretty face but as a dependable voice in our region's musical community and beyond. Approaching ten years in the music business, Rhaye's resume is nothing short of impressive. She's been nominated for several East Coast Music Awards, toured the country and played her songs to audiences as far away as England and Africa. This year Rhaye entered a new phase in her career with the release of her second full-length disc Short Stories as well as a business venture into her second career as a graphic artist. That career is starting to show the same early promise as her musical journey.

Rhaye met with [here] over hot tea and warm soup at Saint John's Infusion Tearoom on a bone snapping cold January afternoon. Over the course of lunch she revealed that hers has always been a course of self-expression. A course that seems to have even more promises of experience and success on the not-so distant horizon. She recalls recording her debut disc splitting time between working on the record and working as a hairstylist to pay the bills.

Always searching for a creative outlet, she lets a quiet smile creep from the corners of her mouth when she discusses having the envious luxury of being able to forge a career based on her own creative expressions.

"I guess I've always had the need to do that, to be creative," she explains between sips of soup. "Even hairdressing was creative. I just knew that I'm happiest when I'm able to do things like that. I'm very fortunate in that my husband is my manager and he's been very, very good at guiding my career and finding opportunities so I have the ability to focus on what I do." This year's disc Short Stories was welcomed with critical acclaim as a disc with more substance in both songwriting and production departments. Short Stories also serves as a musical scrapbook for an important period in Rhaye's life as both a person and as an artist.

"Short Stories all came from my three years at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. I was there socializing and working with creative people. I think when I was there I learned a lot and grew up a lot from that experience. For me it was a whole new life experience being with so many people like that. I wrote all of those songs while I was surrounded by these wonderful people. I don't think I've ever been that creative and I crave that environment." While attending NBCCD Rhaye not only absorbed her surroundings and turned them into song, she also focused on her major in graphic arts. Her combined profession as musician/graphic artist is starting to show real signs of success. Ironically it took the urging of others to get her to consider attending craft college.

"When I started I think I was pretty naÔve. I really thought I was just going to do the music. The graphic design sort of came later. My father suggested I go back to school and he and my husband suggested I enroll in some art courses. When I went up I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to do but things seem to be working out." Indeed they are and the results are in. Written during her time at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Short Stories has earned Jessica Rhaye a nomination in the category of Female Solo Recording of the Year, the fourth ECMA nomination of her career.

While most would be happy with a nomination, Rhaye was surprised and thrilled to learn recently she has also been welcomed into the ECMA galaxy on the industry side of things. Just recently she received news she had been nominated for Graphic Artist of the Year in the ECMA Industry Awards for the graphic work she did for Short Stories. It's perhaps safe to say her time in college was indeed time well spent.

"I really work hard on both aspects of my career so it's really rewarding to be recognized. It's very exciting. A lot of people are surprised I'm a graphic artist too. There are a couple of us out here, I know Jud Haynes from Wintersleep does his own graphics too." Now Jessica Rhaye is branching out into doing graphic arts work for her fellow musicians.

Along with a steady stream of corporate work, she's presently working on the visuals for an upcoming Hot Toddy release. She also credits [here] for giving her an early break when she was on work term with NBCCD saying that getting her practical experience in such a creative environment was a dream work term. While Rhaye's profile as a musician is starting to open more doors for her graphics work in the East Coast musical community she maintains her main focus is on her music.

2007 saw Rhaye not only release her second full-length disc, she also had the opportunity to introduce it to new audiences in the United Kingdom as part of the Blast of Canadian Frost tour with fellow New Brunswicker Matt Andersen and Nova Scotia folkie Dave Gunning. Greeted with welcome arms, the trio won over notoriously fickle British audiences on every stop.

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