Moving to Toronto was always a big part of the plan for me because it is Canada’s music hub. I met my manager, who was a booking agent in Toronto at the time, while I was still in Nova Scotia, and he helped me set up a run of tour dates through Ontario in 2018. I got to see first-hand that there were a lot of markets I had yet to hit and a lot of opportunities available in Toronto. It was definitely thanks to things like Nova Scotia Music Week and NSCC that I built a solid foundation and made some small connections first before making the move. It’s been really challenging to be away from home, but I love it here and there is still so much left to explore. It feels like I’ve been doing this for a long time though I’ve still really only been releasing music for a couple of years and there are many things I’m still working towards that I hope to achieve in this city. Spotlight on Business: The music business is more than just getting behind the mic and singing. It is about making connections with others in the industry and touring.You have been very busy touring and performing on the main stage at big venue festivals like the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. How has this helped you as an artist? LOVIET: My whole goal right now when I’m performing on tours and at festivals is to get the experience and reach as many new audiences as possible along the way. I got to go on tour with JP Cooper last spring and performed at sold-out shows around North America at iconic venues like ‘The Roxy’ in LA which was insane. It felt very once in a lifetime for an artist at my level when I’m still just writing and recording in - dependently, but it taught me so much. It was definitely a grind, and I spent the majority of the traveling on my own and performing solo, but the audiences were so amazing so all the stress of running through airports with all your gear on your back or driving 10 hours straight, working under tight budgets, was really worth it. Playing events like Bluesfest, FEQ, and Lol - lapalooza (which is one of the largest music
Photo Credit - Steph Montani
“I learned I was most comfortable on stage performing with my guitar and writing my own music apart from covering songs.”
Spotlight on Business: So, from a young age, you wanted to become a singer-songwriter, musician, and performer. So, what made you decide to leave Shelburne for Halifax and then head to Toronto to focus on pursuing your music career? Can you tell us about your journey, how did you know it was the time to make the jump and what was it like? LOVIET: I started taking piano lessons when I was five and took to the guitar when I was about eleven, playing in bands in my teens. It took me a long time to hone my craft as a singer, unlike my mom who had been singing her whole life with her sisters or at church. I didn’t have that background and I kept it more to myself. I learned I was most comfortable on stage performing with my guitar and writing my own music apart from covering songs. I definitely came out of my shell once I started playing in the bar scene and around Halifax during college. Growing up in a smaller community gave me a kind of freedom with my music in the beginning. I got to develop my skills away from the rest of the world and take influence from the things I really truly loved and had to seek out. Also, in such a small town, there really wasn’t a lot of excitement around, so me and my friends would make our own and I kind of became more adventurous and imaginative this way. But I always knew there wasn’t really a way to establish myself from there and at the time social media didn’t exist, so I had to leave in order to find resources and exposure. I wanted to play on bigger stages and wanted to follow wherever my music could go, and still do.
Photo Credit - Steph Montani
“Playing outdoors and the energy from the crowds you can’t beat but we just go into everything with no expectations and do what we do.”
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 23 ISSUE 3
VOL 23 ISSUE 3 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
14
15
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease