Jane Siberry
A superstar of the imagination with a passion for the truth.” – Interview Magazine
When she was 16, Jane Siberry wrote her first song for an English class. It was about her beloved father. Thirteen albums later, and with 4 Juno Nominations to her credit, Siberry has become internationally known for her angelic and filmic music. What began in the early 1980s as simple guitar and piano-based acoustic sets in the coffeehouses and clubs of Toronto has led to the creation of a musical repertoire celebrated the world over for its innovative yet oftentimes elegantly austere manner.
Through her many musical incarnations, Siberry has established herself as an exceptionally gifted singer, musician and composer. She began her career while earning a B.S. degree in science and microbiology at the University Of Guelph, Ontario. In 1981 she laid the personal foundation that would years later enable her to form and run SHEEBA Records – by releasing her self-titled debut album independently, having financed it with waitressing tips and bartered studio time. In 1984 she signed with a small Canadian label that joined forces with A&M/Windham Hill to release No Borders Here, yielding the hit song “Mimi On The Beach.” Her 1985 effort for the label, The Speckless Sky, earned Siberry her first music awards, as it reached Gold status in Canada and garnered two People’s Choice Awards for “Album of the Year” and “Producer of the Year.”
The acclaim brought Siberry to the attention of Warner/Reprise, which signed her in 1987, and produced the hauntingly beautiful The Walking. Two years later, she followed up the enigmatic album with Bound By The Beauty, which introduced a wry sense of humor and an acoustic simplicity to her evolving body of work. Recorded in the middle of an apple orchard, the album attracted attention from producer and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno, who offered to produce some tracks for her next album, 1993’s When I Was A Boy. This recording became Siberry’s biggest commercial success, and included such hits as “Sail Across The Water,” “Temple,” and “Calling All Angels” – which featured a duet with k.d. lang and first appeared in Wim Wenders’ film Until The End Of The World. The song was later rerecorded for the climactic scene in the movie Pay It Forward (2000).
Siberry recorded one last album for Reprise in 1995, the jazz-inspired Maria, before leaving to boldly launch her own independent SHEEBA Records label in 1996. Having envisioned her label as a vehicle to pursue additional projects beyond her recorded work, Siberry’s goal for SHEEBA is to distribute “all things Siberry.” Teenager (1996) is comprised of songs written by Siberry in her early teens – a gift to her fans that allowed a glimpse into the artist’s past. The New York Trilogy collection was the outcome of her extraordinary series of three theme concerts at New York City’s Bottom Line nightclub in the autumn of 1996. The trilogy consists of the two-disc Child: Music For The Christmas Season, released in late 1997, as well as the two single-disc titles Tree: Music For Films And Forests, and Lips: Music For Saying It, released in 1999. A Day In The Life NYC 1997 is an adventurous, 29-minute sound collage of a day in New York City consisting of voice-mail messages, cab rides, moments from yoga class, and excerpts of studio adventures with fellow artists Darol Anger, Joe Jackson, and Patty Larkin. With Hush (2000), a collection of traditional American and Celtic spirituals, Siberry imparted a sense of emotional immediacy in bold new interpretations of timeless classics.
Along with her music releases, Siberry has published three books through SHEEBA: Swan (1998), One Room Schoolhouse (1999) by invitation of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and New Years Baby (2000). SHEEBA relies primarily on the highly active Web site www.janesiberry.com, which sells an extensive catalogue of the artist’s recordings, books, and videos. The site also serves as a resource for information on new CD releases and tour dates and has taken on a life of its own, evolving into a forum for discovery and input among those who follow Siberry’s career. Like a fine brandy, she considers her fans to be “distilled,” including those that are exuberantly supportive. By way of the web, Siberry seeks advice from the public on a variety of topics ranging from suggestions on new site designs to tips on growing roses. In this manner Siberry has taken full control of her career, both creatively and commercially.
Jane has just wrapped a North American tour to promote the 2001 release of City, which saw her playing to full houses across the country and throughout Canada. She also was a featured guest at last year’s “Canada Loves NY” rally after the September 11 attacks in the city where she performed to great acclaim.
Apparently, New York continues to love Jane. Following the World Trade Center tragedy, it was witnessed that a New Yorker placed a stereo atop the makeshift shrine/memorial in Central Park and looped the compellingly beautiful and inspiring “Calling All Angels,” Siberry’s most popular song. Passersby were seen to donate batteries at the shrine, and the song continued to play through the night. Jane became a mouthpiece for a population left confused and aghast in her plaintive incantation: “Calling all angels, walk me through this one, don’t leave me alone.”
In the new year, Siberry feels restless to expand her palette beyond music with plans of her own talk show and clothing line.
In April 2002 Rhino Records, the most prestigious of the archival specialists, delivered a completely stunning addition to the Siberry canon: Love Is Everything collected 30 tracks over 20 years, representing all of Jane’s albums and including the brand new fourth installment of “Map Of The World” subtitled Pilgrim. Accompanied by a luscious and lovely 52 page booklet, Love Is Everything is an absolute homage to Jane, simultaneously an entry point for neophytes and a must have for true fans.
As 2003 dawns, the Siberry muse is ever restless. A full Christmas recording is underway for fall release and writing continues apace for Jane’s first all new recording since Maria. Provisionally entitled Lily, with grace it will be with us in 2004.
