Known for having an ethereal and captivating voice, Chilean Canadian singer/songwriter Tanya Nielsen has been performing since the tender age of 6.  Fronting her own electronic influenced rock/pop band for the last couple of years, writing and arranging original material, this multi-faceted artist recently dropped her first album, “FireFly,” which she describes as dreamy pop with an electronic twirl.  Recording and producing the album herself, the work is a rich orchestration of pop-jazz influenced melodies and a melange of acoustic instruments, including the Andean Charango, supported with moving electronic bass lines and drumbeats.

    All began with a APT-80 Casio Keyboard that Tanya received in her 5th birthday. Experimentation with sounds start florishing fervently. She produced early compositions which she sang from the age of 7 before live audiences around her home-town of Edmonton.

    Throughout her early and later school years, Tanya had lead roles in school plays, performed solo for jazz choirs, sang lead and backups, and played guitar, keyboard, accordion and base clarinet in school pop bands.  Her gift sparked the interest of teachers who encouraged her to pursue a music career, having distinguished herself with her soft melodic voice, and ease at singing harmonies and picking up instruments/playing by ear.  During this time, she joined a local South American Folkloric song and dance ensemble and participated in pop music groups, singing lead, back-ups and playing keyboards in Edmonton’s “Latino Blue” band.

    After graduating in Music Composition, Tanya embarked on many musical projects as a composer and singer, honing and developing a professional approach to her craft. She was a voice teacher for a local music school, “B-Scene Studios,” a musical director for Edmonton Fringe Festival’s hit play “Murder and Mayhem,” and a music film composer for “The Station” (a short film which earned top-ten honours in Edmonton’s Local Heroes Festival in 2000.) In 2002, Tanya was also a featured musician in CBC’s Friday Night’s Special Report on Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.  These diverse experiences enriched her creatively and inspired her to push forward with her career.

    In 2004, Tanya followed her musical dream and moved to the artistic and beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec. While studying French, she landed a 3-month internship at Donald K. Donald Entertainment Group in Marketing and Promotion for Aquarius Records.  This allowed her to learn about the business from behind the scenes and eventually led her to her next projects - writing and rehearsing material for her many musical performances around Montreal.

    While developing her presence as a singer/songwriter, Tanya found her unique style - world-pop infused with jazz influences and electronic arrangements. And it is during this time that her electro-pop disc, “Firefly” was born.  Influenced by Montreal’s vibrant interculturality, she teamed up with Montreal singer-songwriter Matt Stern and Japanese Montrealer, Asami Martens, to create “Denwashite” a Japanese version of her hit song, “Free-Fone Line,” both of which are featured on the album.

    Since the album’s launch, Tanya has been reinventing the powerful Rock-Pop interpretations of “Firefly,” performing live with her 5-piece band at Sala Rosa, Centre St. Ambroise and Yellow Door to name a few.  She is actively promoting the album, performing live and working with some of Montreal’s most talented musicians and music industry professionals, including:  Jean-Sébastien Brault Labbé and Geoffroy Bélanger of Studio Zodyo, former member of Edmonton’s folkloric Andean group “Imagin,” Renato Baldaš, and Paul Brady, singer/songwriter for Montreal’s Rock group “The Officials.”

    It’s time for you to discover Tanya’s musical realms. Welcome!