Basia Bulat
Encyclopedia
Basia Bulat is a Canadian folk
singer-songwriter
. She is known for performing with an autoharp
.
station. “I don’t think I realised the radio had more than one station til I was 11 or 12,” Basia Bulat says. She attended the University of Western Ontario
where she received a degree in English; she also took some classes with Olenka Krakus of the band Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
. While a student there, she was coaxed by friends into opening for Julie Doiron
and soon gained a local following.
She released an independent EP
in 2005 and was subsequently signed to Rough Trade Records
, which released her full-length debut album, Oh, My Darling
in April 2007. The album was later released in Canada by Hayden
's Hardwood Records.
Her singles "Snakes and Ladders", "Little One" and "I Was a Daughter" have been playlisted on CBC Radio 3
while various tracks have received airplay on college radio in Canada and the United States. Her album Oh, My Darling made the short list for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize
.
Bulat has toured across Canada, the U.S., Europe; in June 2008, she ventured to Australia. She played the 2008 Dawson City Music Festival in the Yukon
. Bulat cited the week she spent in the quiet and remote location as an inspiration for her songwriting.
Her second album, Heart of My Own
, was released by Rough Trade Records
in the US and Canada on January 26, 2010.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. She is known for performing with an autoharp
Autoharp
The autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
.
Career
Basia Bulat grew up in Etobicoke, Ontario where her mother was a music teacher who taught piano and guitar. She has said the radio at home was permanently tuned to an oldiesOldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
station. “I don’t think I realised the radio had more than one station til I was 11 or 12,” Basia Bulat says. She attended the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
where she received a degree in English; she also took some classes with Olenka Krakus of the band Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
Olenka and the Autumn Lovers
Olenka and the Autumn Lovers are an active indie folk band based out of London, Ontario.- Style and history :Fronted by Polish actress Olenka Krakus, the band's sound is mix of orchestral folk pop with elements reminiscent of classic country and folk music, and Eastern European folk...
. While a student there, she was coaxed by friends into opening for Julie Doiron
Julie Doiron
Julie Doiron is an award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter of Acadian heritage.-Background:Doiron started playing guitar in Eric's Trip at the age of eighteen, having joined the band at the insistence of her then-boyfriend, Rick White, also of Eric's Trip...
and soon gained a local following.
She released an independent EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 2005 and was subsequently signed to Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
, which released her full-length debut album, Oh, My Darling
Oh, My Darling
Oh, My Darling is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat. It was recorded in Montreal and produced by Howard Bilerman, whom Bulat met in 2006 and asked to work with. It was originally released April 30, 2007 on Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom...
in April 2007. The album was later released in Canada by Hayden
Hayden (musician)
Paul Hayden Desser who records as Hayden, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Thornhill, Ontario.His early works are a largely eclectic mix of genres from grunge rock to alt country, as demonstrated by his first full album, Everything I Long For, released in 1995. Since then his work has become...
's Hardwood Records.
Her singles "Snakes and Ladders", "Little One" and "I Was a Daughter" have been playlisted on CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
while various tracks have received airplay on college radio in Canada and the United States. Her album Oh, My Darling made the short list for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label...
.
Bulat has toured across Canada, the U.S., Europe; in June 2008, she ventured to Australia. She played the 2008 Dawson City Music Festival in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. Bulat cited the week she spent in the quiet and remote location as an inspiration for her songwriting.
Her second album, Heart of My Own
Heart of My Own
Heart of My Own is the second full-length album by Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat, released on January 26, 2010, on Secret City Records...
, was released by Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
in the US and Canada on January 26, 2010.
Discography
- Basia Bulat (2005, EP)
- Oh, My DarlingOh, My DarlingOh, My Darling is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat. It was recorded in Montreal and produced by Howard Bilerman, whom Bulat met in 2006 and asked to work with. It was originally released April 30, 2007 on Rough Trade Records in the United Kingdom...
(2007) - Touch the Hem of His Garment (2008, 7")
- Heart of My OwnHeart of My OwnHeart of My Own is the second full-length album by Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat, released on January 26, 2010, on Secret City Records...
(2010)
Compilations
- Friends in Bellwoods IIFriends in Bellwoods IIFriends in Bellwoods is a compilation album, released in 2009 by Out of This Spark as a benefit for Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank. The album is a sequel to the 2007 compilation Friends in Bellwoods....
(2009): "My Heart Is a Warning" - Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada Deux (2010): "You Are A Gift"
Other media
- The song "Little Waltz" was used in a 2007 Australian VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
Eos advertisement. - Her first official music video, "In the Night," was released in December 2007.
- The song "In the Night" was used on AMC's Every Night at 8 promotion for February 2008.
- The song "Before I Knew" was used in a commercial for 2010 Subaru OutbackSubaru OutbackThe Subaru Outback is a station wagon manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries since 1995. Its original concept originated with Subaru of America, which was suffering from slumping sales in the mid-1990s partly due to a lack of an entry in the then-burgeoning sport utility vehicle market...
.