“The song builds steadily into a powerful and defiant statement that has the cinematic feel of a Bond soundtrack.” – Americana UK (“Blink”)
“it is Tania’s pure, heartfelt vocals that remain with you, delivering raw, unrelenting emotions that are not only delivered against an amazing musical backdrop, but consume you fully as you ride shotgun on this four-minute journey with her” – Great Dark Wonder (“The Drought”)
“Resilience is a wonderful character trait to possess and we think you’ll have more of it after listening to this inspiring track.”– Eat North (“Who I Am”)
Canadian folk-roots musician Tania Joy has been using the last few years hone her songwriting, finally following up her 2013 EP, I’ll Be Around, with four singles released in 2021 leading up to her new EP I Will Stand, produced by Hill Kourkoutis (Digging Roots, Leela Gilday, Madison Violet), a multi-talented artist who played with Serena Ryder and was in The Weeknd’s original backing band.
Her stories, so far, have been about relationships, in all their complicated forms. However, in 2020, Tania found herself taking on a more complex narrative as the world around her shifted, bringing increased and global attention to Black Lives Matter. With mentorship from Hillside’s Girl with Guitars program, Tania wrote her first protest song, “Planks and Marietta,” which was released exclusively on Bandcamp during Black History month with all proceeds from downloads being directed to Black Lives Matter.
“I needed to write a song about the difficult relationship between me and racism,” says Tania. “I’ve always needed to talk about it, but I rarely have. George Floyd brought it all back, and now after a very dark period I am able to start the conversation, even if it’s only with myself, in ‘Planks and Marietta,’” she says, the title taken from a racist incident that occurred at the cross streets in Uxbridge.
Both “Planks and Marietta” and “The Drought,” won Tania Joy the Songwriter of The Year Award at the 2021 OMA (Oshawa Music Awards), while “Planks and Marietta” was also nominated for Durham Song of the Year. In the meantime, her single “Who I Am” about all of those honest unspoken fears that make us who we are, and “Blink,” a melancholy but intense song about tough choices and revisionist memories have received generous support across industry media. The video for “Blink” premiered on Americana UK, was featured on American Songwriter’s Daily Discovery and included in Alan Cross’ 5 Songs You Must To Hear This Week. With singles garnering buzz and airplay from SiriusXM, CBC Radio One, CBC Music “The Block”, The Bluegrass Situation, Eat North, Exclaim, Folkal Point, Folk Roots Radio, FYI Music News, Great Dark Wonder, Hunter’s Bay Radio, Just Us Folk, SlowCity, Tinnitist and The Star.
Tania, who has hosted an open mic in Uxbridge for almost a decade, also co-founded a non-profit music festival in 2018 called Springtide, which draws over a thousand people to see 70 acts in various venues from breweries and bistros to bookstores and clothing shops. “There’s something about this place. It’s got such a tight knit and supportive arts community from sculptors to musicians to theatre, as well as the No. 1 bookstore in Canada. I think we’re all pretty proud to live here,” she says.
For bookings and more info contact: tania@taniajoy.com
Photo credit: Tracy Walker Photography