Rayannah

Winnipeg loop specialist Rayannah released her Boxcar Lullabies EP earlier this year, and as she prepares to play some fall dates in support of the short-player, she has unveiled a video for the track "The Water," and Exclaim! has the premiere.

The song is a near-a cappella lament in which Rayannah sings amidst a barren soundscape of rustling electro-acoustic tones and a few abstract loops. The accompanying clip captures the smouldering melancholy by showing the singer standing by her lonesome in the middle of a party. When the arrangement bursts into its rhythmic final passage, the party similarly becomes a fun romp with gang vocals from Midnight Choir.

Rayannah said in a statement, "Hearing Midnight Choir belt out the ending for the first time was a trip. It was exactly what I was trying to share: the feeling when you're surrounded by people who will carry you through, and you realize you can let go. A sort of joyful helplessness. It was also pretty great to see the choir conductor dancing on a table directing warm-up, beer and pizza in hand."

Scroll past Rayannah's tour schedule to watch the premiere of the clip, which was directed by Lili Lavack.

Tour dates:

10/09-10 Los Angeles, CA - Culture Collide Festival
10/14 Vancouver, BC - Railway Club ^
10/20 Toronto, ON - The Supermarket
10/21 Montreal, QC - La Place des arts
10/24 Wakefield, QC - The Blacksheep Inn *

^ with Jody Glenham
* with High Waters - Exclaim! Magazine

Loop-pedal extraordinaire Rayannah kicked off the night with a set that proved to be the best possible example of where modern jazz can go. Technology was at the forefront — her layers upon layers of vocals looped and repeated created dense yet uncluttered songs — but the classic jazz techniques of scatting and improvisation were not far behind.

It takes an incredible amount of confidence to use that much looping live — each note must be in exactly the right spot (tonally and timing-wise) in order for each layer to be added successfully. Rayannah powered through her set masterfully; she was focused and precise. A few notes were off here and there, most notably in her upper register, which at times felt quite forced, but that’s easy to overlook knowing how much pressure that one voice is under. Especially moving was her final piece, Tempête, a crisp and twinkling tune that ended her set on a literal and figurative high note. - Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg loop specialist Rayannah released her single "Boxcar Lullabies" last year, and as she prepares to unveil her Boxcar Lullabies EP next month, she has shared a video for the title track.

The video is fairly calm, but it's given an anxious tension by the churning drum programming and layered vocals. We see glasses of water ripple, mugs of tea steam and keys jingle, while reversed shots make it look like Rayannah is breathing in her own clouds of condensation.

Scroll past her tour schedule to watch it below. Rayannah's hometown EP release show is on May 7 at Winnipeg's West End Cultural Centre.

Tour dates:

05/07 Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Centre *
05/12 St. Catharines ON - Mahtay Cafe
05/15 Ottawa ON - The Daily Grind
05/16 Montréal QC - Bleury-Bar à Vinyle
05/17 Peterborough ON - The Garnet ^
05/21 London ON - London Music Club ~
05/22 Toronto ON - C'est What ~
05/23 Alton ON - Ray's 3rd Generation Bistro Bakery

* with Atlaas
^ with Sister Says
~ with Georgian Bay - Exclaim! Magazine

Winnipeg looper Rayannah made herself known to us earlier this year with her single "Boxcar Lullabies," and now she's shared a new track called "Growing Song."

The song chronicles growing up, and it was constructed with elaborate layering, as Rayannah's soul-tinged lead vocals flutter over a bed of electronic percussion and wordless harmonies. While the soundscape is fairly similar to "Boxcar Lullabies," this one favours lounge-ready smoothness over moody tension.

Take a listen below. - Exclaim! Magazine

It’s filled with quintessential Winnipeg scenes, from the dirt- and snow-filled beginnings of spring, to a morning coffee in a ceramic mug and parking your bike in your apartment.

Check out the just-released video for the title track of Rayannah’s debut EP, Boxcar Lullabies, shot by Winnipegger Jonathan Stanners. And mark down May 7 for the EP release party you won’t want to miss, with ATLAAS opening the show. - My Toba

Winnipeg loop artist Rayannah is still a relatively unfamiliar face in the Canadian indie music world, but she's looking to make herself known with a new single called "Boxcar Lullabies."

Beginning with crunchy percussion and overlapping vocals loops, the song is a dramatic blend of hard-hitting beats, experimental electronics, intricate laying and moody pop vocals.

Hear it below. Rayannah, who is a member of the group collage-à-trois, hinted on Twitter that she intends to share more songs online.

https://soundcloud.com/rayannah/boxcar-lullabies

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By Alex Hudson - Exclaim! Magazine

Winnipeg-based electro-soul artist Rayannah releases the official music video for the title track of her debut EP Boxcar Lullabies. Shot in Winnipeg by local filmmaker Jonathan Stanners, the video is available exclusively at rayannah.ca​​​​ ​and on Rayannah’s Youtube channel. The track is one of five originals to be featured on the EP, which is being released on May 7, 2015.

“It’s been such a thrill to collaborate with incredible artists throughout the creation of my EP and now this video. To have my music accompanied by imagery that defines it so well is really exciting to me,” she said.

The previously released single “Boxcar Lullabies” was described by Exclaim! magazine as a “dramatic blend of hard-hitting beats, experimental electronics, intricate laying and moody pop vocals.”

To accompany the video launch, Rayannah announces dates for her tour of Ontario and Quebec. Rayannah kicks things off with her EP release party slated for May 7th at the West End Cultural Centre with indie electronic pop duo ATLAAS. Tickets are $15 and available through Rayannah’s website. - Spectator Tribune

Last night Winnipeg artists Rayannah was Neil Coligan's guest on the show. She is headlining this weekend's latest Nu Sounds Series from Jazz Winnipeg.

The concert is called Rayannah: The Pedal Project. It began as the single voice of Rayannah, layering itself and creating music from scratch. The result can be sparse and full of silence, or a dense wall of sound. Singing into a loop pedal for the first time in 2011, the young artist quickly dove into the new medium, experimenting with beat boxing, synths and percussion. Alongside these instruments is the voice, which takes on different shades while painting the background, keeping time, and floating on the melody. Rayannah has since taken her pedals to Toronto and Montreal, and launched her European debut in French cities Lille and Paris.

Her pedal work grows out of her studies at the University of Manitoba jazz program, particularly in its rhythmic elements and improvisation. Originally adapting well-known jazz standards, R&B hits and folk songs for her unusual instrumentation, Rayannah has found a new drive in writing original music. Her visceral lyrics, both French and English, pull from all corners of her experiences whether dark or sweet. For her Nu Sounds performance, Rayannah will share the stage with a group of musicians, allowing new inspiration for the single voice of The Pedal Project.

Rayannah is performing Sunday night at The Park Theatre as part of Jazz Winnipeg's Nu Sound Series. Showtime is 8:00 PM. Tickets are $15 at th door or $12 in advance.

Listen to Neil Coligan's interview with Rayannah. - Classic 107

Winnipeg-based indie pop artist Rayannah has released her new music video ahead of eastern Canadian tour dates this spring.

Boxcar Lullabies is her debut EP, just one of five originals to be released on May 7. The video was shot by Winnipeg filmmaker Jonathan Stanners.

Boxcar Lullabies is a forthright showcase of the mastery of Rayannah’s looped and layered voice — only this time, combined with the indelible sounds of delicate strings, distorted whispers, pulled-apart pianos, passing trains, and a choir of double basses. The result is a supremely unique work that is at once familiar and foreign, each song of its five songs a world of its own.

Before hitting the road, Rayannah will play for a local audience at the West End Cultural Centre on May 7 with special guest ATLAAS.

Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 in advance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival Music Store, Music Trader, the WECC or online at Ticketfly.com. - ChrisD.ca

There was a collective gasp as Winnipeggers saw Rayannah’s breath expelled on-screen for the first time in the music video for her single, “Boxcar Lullabies.”

At once stunning, raw, and quintessentially Winnipeg, the beautifully produced “Boxcar Lullabies” video launched Rayannah into a new league right in time for her debut EP release.

Her breath is an appropriate focal point; Rayannah’s voice has carved her career to this point and lent itself to commanding her first instrument: loop pedals.

“I’ve always been a vocalist – that’s my first love,” says Rayannah, who studied jazz voice. “But I kind of had a yearning to be a part of a band.
“Since I’ve started playing the pedals, I feel more like part of the band.”
Rayannah often is her own band: she imaginatively layers beat boxing, synths, percussion, and melodic harmonies to form complete songs that can be carried on their own, or incorporate new instruments. Her Boxcar Lullabies EP features strings, piano, train sounds and double basses accompanying her vocal creations.

Beginning to experiment with loop pedals just three years ago, “Boxcar Lullabies” is a tight display of her craft, grown in force and impact by the supporting sounds.

At her EP release party in May, at its peak, she had eight string players onstage with her. “I just wanted to go with the most exciting possible version – the biggest, most extravagant,” she says.

As with her EP, certain songs are stripped down, but she didn’t shy away from spectacle and grandeur. “There’s one song where there must be my voice coming through 30 times,” she says.

Rayannah started her career a little backward, touring before having recorded material to promote – but her commanding stage presence is ready to support a record she’s proud of, that matches her enthusiasm for live performance.

“For me, recording and performing is so, so different… (The EP) felt like I was making art there as much as I am when I’m performing or playing a show.

“When really everyone in the room is feeling the same thing – that’s the moment that I’m living for.”

Based on the reaction to her video premiere, everyone is really feelin’ Rayannah.

In true Winnipeg fashion, the crisp and neatly produced look came across with the help of just her longtime friend and videographer, Jonathan Stanners, and her sister, visual artist Caro LaFlamme. “We had just a giant list of ideas and kind of went at it,” she says. The scenes are dynamic, with authentic Winnipeg landmarks locals can pick out.
“It’s about our city in a lot of ways,” says Rayannah, of the single. “I just wanted to be really honest with my video. It’s actually shot in my living room for a lot of cases… and the rest is places that I go, that I cross super frequently.”

Though other cities’ residents can relate to the dirt- and snow-filled beginnings of spring, the awkward in-between dress of sopping weather, and a morning coffee steaming in a ceramic mug, the song and video is an ode to the city Rayannah loves to call home.
“Without making it this utopia, for me, it feeds everything that I need it to feed, and it is everything that I need it to be.

“I have no plans to uproot home in the near future.”

Though her two feet are firmly planted in the city, Rayannah’s taste for travel gave her momentum as a performer.

“I was going travelling and I was like, ‘Maybe I can do some shows.’
“It kind of happened organically… the tours have gotten more and more extensive.”

With the EP release, her goals are similarly humble, with unlimited potential to pick up steam. “I think the EP is going to open up doors for me in the (touring) department.

“I want to get it into as many ears as possible,” she says.
Visit http://www.rayannah.ca for more on Rayannah’s music. - Smartbiz