Heather J
Canadian alt-pop singer/songwriter Heather J releases new single “Dancing When I Die”.
Produced by Alex Seguin and Matthew Peruscello, the heartfelt ballad was written after a tragic loss. “It made me realize how fragile life is, and what really, really matters at the end of it all. And to me, it's the people you love. If I want listeners to take one thing away, it's to be reminded to hold those you love close, and hold them forever,” explains Heather.
The song is also accompanied by a music video showcasing a collection of home videos.
With “Dancing When I Die”, Heather J embraces her vulnerability through a personal and emotional message we can all relate to.
“Dancing When I Die” is now available worldwide.
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I’m Heather J, an alt-pop singer songwriter from Dundas, ON. To be honest I feel like I’m in the midst of writing my story. But to take you back, I guess it all started when I first began writing at the age of 8.. I’ve always been one to write in diaries, journals...I have this infatuation with blank notebooks. So naturally, the writing turned into teaching myself guitar, and keeping up with the piano that Mom taught all us siblings. Writing music was a natural progression, and something that I think was just part of me. There was really no distinct defining moment. In 2011 I began posting cover videos and original music on Youtube, and found that people really connected to it, and I was able to grow quite a following. From then and up until now, it’s been a constant journey of discovering who I really want to be as an artist. That natural evolution of trying different things, and I’ve surely seen what has and hasn’t worked. I think I’m at the stage where I’m understanding myself much more clearly - the things I like and the things I don’t like. Either way, it all ends up coming out in the music.
Could you tell us about your childhood a little bit?
My childhood. God, I was such a lucky kid. I grew up with 3 siblings - a younger sister and an older sister and brother. All 2 years apart. My parents had their hands full with the 4 of us. But we had the best childhood - a big grassy backyard with a sandbox, constantly doing crafts and baking cookies with my mom, trips up to the cottage every summer, campfires, themed birthday parties. The list goes on. You get to an age where you look back and just feel overwhelmed with gratitude and love for the family you have and the experiences and lessons they’ve given you.
We were also a very musical family. My mom played and taught piano, my Dad played guitar, and they both sang and played in the church band. We’ve got so many home videos of us at the piano with my mom, or us dancing in the livingroom with tutus on while my mom plays some goofy song. Music has been a constant throughout my childhood.
Any favorite childhood memories?
Summers at the cottage. Forever and will always be my favourite memory and place.
If you could say something to your younger self, what would you say?
Don’t worry about the future so much. Be smart, work hard, and plan like you’re doing, but don’t let it consume you. I’m still trying to figure that out.
How would you describe yourself today?
Oh gosh, literally a melting pot of everything. Extremely (almost too) independent, but also a hopeless romantic that hopes to include someone in my story. A dreamer, but also a realist. Confident, yet insecure. I don’t know, I think I’m just a typical mid-twenties woman who’s figuring it all out.
What lessons did you learn from your experience in a band?
I was once in a girl/guy duo, and what I learned from that experience is immeasurable. The biggest lesson I learned was to be authentic to yourself. When you feel that’s not happening, you need to evaluate the situation. I learned that working off of 4 hours of sleep is really freaking hard. I also learned that there is nothing stopping you from getting to where you want to be. Just get started.
What gave you the confidence to be an artist and release your original music as a solo artist?
There were certain situations I found myself in where I felt like my creative vision as an artist wasn’t coming through. And that felt crippling. There are things that keep you tethered to a person or place, and there will always be reasons to feel afraid of leaving that and jumping into the unknown. But I kind of just instinctively felt that I had to do my own thing. It was necessary, or else I wouldn’t grow.
How would you define Heather J, the artist?
She is ever-evolving, but her infatuation with seeing the world as art, remains constant. She hopes to inspire.
"Dancing When I Die" is your new single - what's the story behind this song?
I experienced the weight of a loss, and the effect that it can have on you. It put life into perspective for me. How easily life can be taken without a goodbye. It scared me, actually. And it made me think of everything I want next to me when I go. That’s family. They are my world, they are everything. The song is basically saying, “If I have you next to me when I go, I’ll be happiest. I’ll be dancing. There will be nothing to fear”.
What did you feel when writing this song?
I remember writing it in about 30 minutes. The whole time I just felt closely connected to it, I was very much in my own world. And when I was done, I played it over and over again. I felt like I said exactly what I set out to say. And that’s very therapeutic. I knew people would understand the song, and relate to it.
Who helped you create this single? When did you start working on it?
The single was written by myself, on my piano at my home in January, and like always, I’ll bring whatever songs I’ve written that week to my producer and we’ll lay them down. A month or two after I did that, I drove up to Windsor to do a podcast with my friend Alex Seguin of ‘In The Red Podcast’. One of those mornings we just sat in the studio and laid down Dancing When I Die, at like 11am. My voice was so groggy from too much red wine the previous night haha. But we went with it, and he started building it up. I was falling in love with where the song was going. A month and a half after that, I changed my release plan and decided I wanted to make this the next single. It just felt like the best time for it. So my producer picked up from where we left off in Windsor, and now it’ll be in your hands soon. Alex and Matt (my producer) literally brought this song to life. I can’t thank them enough for the colour they’ve added to it.
What made you want to release this song as a single?
I wrote it before the world went a little crazy, and like I said, it just sort of feels like good timing right now. Absolutely everything feels so uncertain, and I feel like this song (at least for me) reminds me of the people in my life that are constant. I feel like it’ll inspire us to hold those people closer, and bring us a little happiness and reassurance.
What can you tell us about the visuals for this song?
The song will be supported with a music video on release day, which is a collage of home video footage. It represents everything that the song is about, and everything it means to me. It reminds me of the memories with family I am so thankful to have - how everything else truly doesn’t matter at the end of it all. I just need them, and I’ll be alright. We’ll also be releasing a dance visual for the song. I’m excited to see the song expressed in movement...there’s something so beautiful and powerful when music and movement come together.
What does singing make you feel?
I feel most ‘me’. I feel understood. I feel clarity. I’m horrible with communicating in words, but when it’s poetry and song, I can get it out. Maybe I’ll just start singing when I get into arguments, and my point will come across better haha.
What does it mean for you to be an artist?
Making the reality of being human, in this world today, the most beautiful. To write about love, heartbreak, trials, triumphs and lessons of life come across as art. I think if everyone could just see all the simple moments that exist in their every day, they’d see so much beauty. I want to bring that out in whatever I sing, say, do, and create.
What are your thoughts on today's global situation? How are you holding up?
It’s a little crazy experiencing something like this. I’m very thankful. I have a roof and I have food, I have a large backyard to sit under the sun in. And obviously, I have an extended amount of time for music. I’m reading a lot about music, marketing, learning new jazz chords. Trying to soak up as much as I can. But this time has also been a little challenging, mentally. We have a lot of time to reflect, to compare. And that comes with a lot of not-so-fun thoughts, at least for me. But on the flip side, I’ve found bits of clarity and direction with my artistry. So I don’t know, it’s all just been a wave of emotions, good and bad. But hey, things could be so, so much worse, and my heart goes out to the people and families who are experiencing their world flipped upside down from this pandemic.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
If we all saw the beauty in the simple moments in life. We’d be kinder people. We’d be full of love, and we’d fall in love. And we wouldn’t need much to get by.
What message do you want to give to the world?
Choose kindness.
Connect with Heather: