Canadian country artist Amberlea Bruch isn’t afraid to put it all on the table with her songs– providing fans with raw stories and heartfelt lyrics they can easily resonate with.
Hailing from South Western Ontario, Amberlea Bruch always wanted to be a musician. Taking piano lessons in high school and in later years, her passion for singing led her to take vocal lessons. She then started experimenting with several genres, including pop and pop-rock– directly influenced by Sting, Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Adele. It wasn’t until later on that she pursued country music, after discovering that the genre resonated with her the most. As she explains, “A lot of pop songs didn’t resonate with me. They didn’t provide that depth I was looking for. No genre illustrates a story as beautifully as country does. As I fell in love with it, the more songs I found that I could sing.” (Bruch). Now, the artist offers a unique blend of pop-rock and traditional country storytelling through her own music– spending this past year building up her musical catalogue, including recording her first three singles at Union Studios in Toronto, Ontario. In February, she released one of these songs, titled “Something New”.
Something New is about the blossoming stages of a new romantic relationship when it’s too early for labels– so it’s just “something new”. The song is based on Bruch’s personal experiences at the 2019 Boots and Hearts Festival. This is where some of the country concert elements in the song come from. As for its stylistic direction, she explains:
“For my first release, I wanted it to be an upbeat song. I once had a chat with a friend in the music industry. He said, ‘Don’t do ‘sad girl’ songs. There’s enough of those. Don’t conform to that and do your thing. You’ve got a lot there.’ So while I too love a good sad song I recognized that I’ve always been more of an uplifter, sunshine, and butterflies type of person. I try to be honest, and sometimes there is sadness in there but I tend to prefer to focus on helping folks to shift their minds into better places, through focusing on gratitude and appreciation. For the most part, I hope to create music that allows folks to escape life for a little and find ‘the bright side of things.” (Bruch).
In regards to the songwriting process, she wrote her song “Usually” and Something New at the same time– With the former taking only 15min to write and the latter 1h ½. The guitar licks in the song were written and performed by Stu Weinberg. As she mentions, “I wanted to work with Stu and have him lay down guitars on the track after hearing a lick he played in another track.” (Bruch). Moreover, Bruch isn’t concerned about having her songs fit into a box. As she states, “For me, it’s never been about the genre. If a song is good it’s good. So while I’m creating country-based songs and love the genre I do hope that my music will transcend to listeners beyond the genre. My goal has always been to create music so good it wouldn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, how old you are or what your favourite genre is, if it’s a good song it’s a good song and you’d give it a listen.” (Bruch).
Also “passionate about storytelling through songwriting and building up communities that inspire others to pursue and live their dreams, Amberlea also co-founded The Songbirds Series along with fellow country artist and songwriter Emily Clair.” (Bruch). The goal of the group is to provide a safe, supportive space for women in country music, to provide them with an opportunity to connect with one another. In addition, the group also helps them promote and market their brand, which is made possible thanks to Bruch’s marketing background and Emily’s years of music industry experience. According to the artist, the two were inspired to create The Songbirds Series to help facilitate a more positive environment for women in the industry. As she mentions, “It about filling that gap in for artists who have amazing music and content but aren’t sure where or how to share it. It is our hope through writers’ rounds and networking we’re able to all help each other grow.” (Bruch). Bruch also hopes that their organization can also help push for more women to be played on country radio.
Looking back, 2020 presented its challenges. As Bruch explains, “When the pandemic hit, it was like the snow in a snow globe settling (A metaphor for the pandemic that is based on a quote from Glennan Doyle’s book, Untamed!) — When the distractions pause and all things settle, it gives you time to reflect and do or notice things you might not have otherwise. For me I turned to learning, recognizing the importance it would have on my success as an artist.” (Bruch). Moving forward in 2021, Bruch has several goals she’s hoping to achieve with her music. As she explains, “I’ve always got a lot of goals on the go, the biggest thing for right now is, fingers crossed, recording my first EP project entitled Compass. We’re currently trying to get the songs finished up, but with closures, it’s been a bit of an adventure. The next single to be released will be one of the 4 we recorded for the Compass EP project and is set to release mid-August 2021.” (Bruch).
Listen to “Something New” now:
Stay up to date with Amberlea Bruch:
Instagram: @amberleabruch
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AmberleaBruch/
TikTok: @amberleabruch
Website: https://amberleabruch.com/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/akbruch
Works Cited
Bruch, Amberlea. Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Feb. 2 2021.
Martin, Sarah. “Featured: Canadian country artist Amberlea Bruch”. Photo courtesy of Amberlea Bruch. Accessed Feb. 2 2021.
Martin, Sarah. “Official cover art for Amberlea Bruch’s single, “Something New””. Photo courtesy of Amberlea Bruch. Accessed Feb. 2 2021.
