EXTENDED: Langley cross-over vocalist unveils new album

Murrayville’s own Tiffany Desrosiers, a 28-year-old singer and songwriter who also performs with the Vancouver-based pop-opera group Vivace, is further testing her independence with the release of an album this month.

Armed with a bachelor of music degree from UBC and her powerful voice, Desrosiers released her self-titled debut album back in 2009, and has gone on to win over many contest judges on the local, regional, national, and even international levels.

Likewise, she’s won the hearts of many music lovers the world over.

Her ability to sing both pop-opera and classical styles has led to performance opportunities with a few different classical crossover groups.

But now, she’s travelling almost extensively throughout Canada and the U.S. with Vivace.

This month, however, is all about some personal triumphs that are all wrapped up in the release of her EP, Fearless.

“It is best described as an infusion of Celine Dion, Sia and Demi Lovato, with classical and electronic overtones,” Desrosiers told the Langley Advance.

“With the driving presence of piano underlining every song, you’ll find yourself hooked immediately by its sweetness. As you dig deeper, you will find a blend of electro elements peppered throughout.

“The Fearless EP takes you on a dynamic, inspirational journey through life, love, and taking on the world – fearlessly,” she added, explaining how her own personal experiences and feelings are fundamental to this five-song album.

At the beginning of Fearless, she and local producer and songwriter Troy Samson were casting around for a nugget to base a song around.

“At the time I was experiencing extreme anxiety and fear in a relationship I was neck deep in,” the artist explained. “I was head over heels for someone and was so afraid of rejection that my natural reaction was to pull back.”

She opened up about these feelings Samson, and in the next session he presented Desrosiers with the idea of being fearless.

“We wanted to put a positive spin on the situation,” she elaborated. “We crafted the song around the idea of a fairytale and used suitable imagery along the lines of masquerades, enchantment, burning boats, and walls of thorns around my heart to depict the story.”

By the time the song was finished, the relationship she was in ended, and she left trying to put herself back together and make sense of it all.

The next two singles, Tears for the Rain and ‘Til I get Over You were followup songs, creating a trilogy of her journey within the EP.

Each song on the album was inspired by the same individual, except for the ballad on the album, Forever in Heaven, Desrosiers said.

“I started writing this song when I attended UBC seven years ago, and brought several other writers on board throughout the years to refine it to parallel how I was envisioning it. I was so lucky to receive a grant from factor to assist with making the CD and its promotion possible,” she shared.

Desrosiers has just returned from a cross-Canada radio tour, meeting with music directors to share Fearless.

“I felt like I was able to cross Road Trip Across Canada off my bucket list, while exploring cities and provinces I had never seen before and promoting my album at the same time,” she told the Advance.

The tour was split into two parts; the first was Edmonton to Ottawa and back to Vancouver through the Okanagan, and the second was the Maritimes and Quebec.

In between the radio tour, she was also performing concerts with Vivace – including shows in Florida, Tennessee, New York, and last week to West Virginia and New Mexico.

In the meantime, Desrosiers and the other members of Vivace will be performing closer to home at the end of May.

There’s a show with the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. on May 30, at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Tickets are available at 1-604-391-SHOW, or at www.chilliwackclturalcentre.com.

Then Vivace is performing in Maple Ridge on Sunday, May 31, starting at 7 p.m. at the Maple Ridge Alliance Church, 20399 Dewdney Trunk Rd.

Tickets for the Maple Ridge show are $20 at the door or from 604-813-5256. This show will also feature piano player Trevor Hoffmann.