From Europe to South America, music has taken world and reggae musician Auresia all over the globe.
“It’s amazing how lovely people are all over the world,” she said. “Sometimes you get all these stipulations about a country ... but 99.9 per cent of the time it has been wonderful and the people have been really amazing.”
On Friday (Aug. 22) the world traveller will be performing with her alongside the House of the Risin’ Sun band and Cameroon artist FLO at the Vault Café.
“I am really excited to be on the Island because I haven’t been there in a really long time,” said Auresia, who has performed in multiple South American countries. “I am playing with the House of the Risin’ Sun band, which is an amazing band that I have been playing on and off with for years now and we are really excited to showcase our new sound.”
Auresia’s pathway to becoming a world/reggae artist began when she took a road trip to the United States during her teenage years.
“I was always into reggae, but I never really wrote specifically reggae or world music,” Auresia said. “I had been singing and songwriting before but I hit the road and started to explore North America a bit. I came across that festival [Reggae on the River] and I think my songwriting really grew more and found itself through reggae after.”
Since that road trip, the Montreal-based musician has released four records, a self-titled full-length album in 2008, Fueled Up (On Love) EP in 2011, So In Love With You EP in 2012 and a full-length album, Risin’! in 2013.
“I think the production quality is a lot better,” Auresia said about her latest record, which was with David Beatty, who has previously worked with Nelly Furtado.“There is more diversity and sound. The first album [Auresia’s self-titled record] was roots and reggae based, but this album has more worldly flavours.”
Since Auresia released her self-titled full-length album in 2008, she has seen the music industry change significantly.
She explained that one of the challenges she’s faced has been balancing all the different tasks that a musician has to do.
“As an independent artist you have to manage so many aspects of your career,” Auresia said. “It is so much work in an ever-changing model of marketing. Ways of making money is forever always shifting.
Throughout her career Auresia has been fortunate enough to perform to crowds in a handful of countries, including Brazil, Colombia and Jamaica and is looking forward to touring Europe after her Canadian tour.
“We definitely want to do France, Spain, Italy,” Auresia explained. “I am thinking of going to Germany, Poland and the Ukraine because that is where my roots are, but we’ll see how the situation in the Ukraine is first.”
Auresia performs at the Vault Café on Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. For more information visit www.auresia.com or follow her on Twitter at @auresiamusic.
arts@nanaimobulletin.comTwitter: @npescod