B l u e P a r a d e - A S a r a h S l e a n F a n s i t e
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By: Lori Mastronardi
Despite her small stature, Sarah Slean makes the grandest appearance.
She approaches with sparkling blue eyes and a contagious smile. Sipping red wine and excitedly speaking about her work, Slean exudes an enviable confidence � upon meeting her it is clear that this she is quite satisfied with her place in the world.
�I really want to make great art. I�m obsessed with it,� she says. �I was so rearranged and moved by art since I was young... it was like a light bulb going on � Oh! The world is a miracle, it�s fantastic and there�s so much magical chemistry going on at all times and it�s just a phenomenal thing and it needs to be celebrated and music and art is so good at that.� I just want to devote my whole life to art.�
Slean has remained true to her love for art. She recently released her third full-length album, Day One, a mix of melancholy ballads, poppy beats and cabaret numbers.
Attesting to Day One�s diverse sound, she muses, �I think being a human, if your eyes are open and your ears are open then there is so much that you can feel that it�s kind of overwhelming... I don�t want the whole album to be a certain feeling, you know. Humans aren�t like that.�
As a piano-playing female singer/songwriter, Slean is often slotted into the mix of women in the music industry. While she admits that Tori Amos has served as an inspiration, she also points to Joni Mitchell, The Beatles and Sunny Day Real Estate as major influences.
�I get frustrated by the sort of ignorant comparisons to any woman who plays the piano... the instrument and my gender does not a musical genre make. So that�s frustrating, but if you were going to be frustrated with ignorance, you would be frustrated your whole life.�
Speaking of definitions, Slean comments on the act of defining oneself through taste in music. �I think it�s a beautiful thing, I really do. I think a lot of people get caught up in sort of the costume of their music and the accessories of their music, which I think is a little strange. And that sort of breeds cliques and it sort of makes borders.
�But music should be all about destroying borders. So, you know, I like meeting people that say �Yeah, I listen to classical and jazz and rock and metal� and, you know, people that don�t draw lines. It�s better than defining yourself on your political leanings.�
In terms of our nation�s musical and political identity, Slean says she thinks, �Canada does a fantastic job of simply being. It�s this sort of Buddhist puzzle like, �How do I find myself? How am I myself?� And the answer to it is so simple � �shut up and just be.�
�Canada is � to me and internationally � regarded as this very gentle, peaceful land and I think it�s important for us to repel the tastes and whims of the South. I know it infects us through the media but it�s important for us to sort of keep that at bay because it is powerful.�
Slean has dabbled in ventures outside of music � including publishing a short book featuring her poetry and paintings � and will soon be seen in Black Widow, a film that documents the story of Hamilton murderess Evelyn Dick. Slean will star alongside two other musicians whose names she could not yet disclose.
Stay tuned for more great accomplishments from this dazzling Canadian songstress.
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