Rachelle

Rachelle - A Girl Who's Got It!

Without a doubt, Canadian born singer/songwriter and pianist, Rachelle Gislason is one of the most talented and gifted upcoming young musicians in today's music scene... Rachelle, 19, was born November 24, 1985 in Victoria, BC, into an intensely musical family which provided her the support and encouragement she needed to develop her musical talents and help bring her to where she is today.

At the very young age of 6, Rachelle was already starting to make her mark when she composed her first instrumental piece and received a special award for youth composition. A few years later, she wrote her first song with lyrics that was so sensitive and mature in its content, that those who heard it had a hard time believing that a child of only nine could express such deep emotions, feeling and compassion. Since then, Rachelle's musical talents have continued to blossom and her dedication and inner passion to create and perform music are a part of her everyday focus. While Rachelle's primary instrument is piano and keyboards, she can easily pick up a tin whistle, guitar, trumpet and even a violin and play you a tune. Let's just say she's got it.

Many gifted musicians, like Rachelle, grow up in homes where music abounds. Rachelle has been blessed indeed with such a home life. Her father, Grant Gislason, is an accomplished lead guitarist who formerly played for well-known Canadian bands, including Holy Smoke and Sweeny Todd (the Bryan Adams version). Rachelle's mom, April Gislason, is a singer/musician/songwriter and vocal coach that has also performed throughout Canada and whose voice can be heard on many radio and television jingles. Rachelle's younger brother Bryan is an outstanding percussionist.

Rachelle's professional career has been on the move ever since her opening debut for Nelly Furtado in April 2001 at Victoria's McPherson Theater. Furtado personally hand picked Rachelle out of a group of 50 contestants. A CD titled "Live at the Mac" was released of Rachelle's performance and although it featured only four songs, it showed that Rachelle was totally capable of working and taking charge of a large audience -- a natural performer indeed. Three of the four songs on the CD were original compositions by Rachelle.

In 2004, Rachelle performed in concert before an audience of 40,000 in the capital city of Iceland on the main stage of Reykjavik's City Centre at a festival celebrating Iceland's National Day of Independence. It was a rare opportunity for Rachelle since she was the only performer not born in Iceland. It was by far the largest crowd she had played before and both she and the audience were thrilled!

Rachelle, who is of Icelandic ancestry, received a personal invitation from Atli Asmundsson, Consulate General of Iceland, to play in October 2004 at Winnipeg's Art Center at a gala event called "Iceland Naturally."

Rachelle continues to develop her talents in all areas and has grown and matured emotionally, spiritually and physically. Her song writing is overflowing with more creativity and skill and it is evident that she is poised for a very promising future as a major recording artist.