It doesn’t take long to fall in love with the powerhouse voice and infectious melodies of Winnipeg singer-songwriter Alexa Dirks, a.k.a. Begonia.
She made her solo debut to much acclaim in 2016, before even managing to release a full album. In April she released a video of a stunning live performance of the song “Juniper,” and in October followed it up by releasing the soulful “Out of My Head.” Success quickly followed for the former member of Juno-winning group Chic Gamine: she ended the year being featured on Canada's New Year's Eve: Countdown to 2017 CBC broadcast, performing live with the Bros. Landreth. Plus, our own editorial staff put her on our list of the Best New Bands of 2016, and “Juniper” reached No. 1 on CBC Radio 2’s Top 20. NPR also listed Begonia as one of its 10 Canadian Artists You Need to Know.
Dirks cites '90s R&B, '70s folk and Fiona Apple as key influences on her debut EP Lady in Mind, and says that, while her songs are about relationships, she also writes about the feeling of not always knowing which path to follow in life.
“Mostly, these songs are about love in different forms,” Dirks said via press release. “Some of them stem from a pretty important and bad break-up, but they're not all about my relationships with men. They are about my relationship to myself as a woman and the others around me while I try to understand the joy, anger and restlessness that fits into my life.”
“It's like a second puberty; my body is changing, my mind is changing, and I know I'm not the only one who can relate to this journey. I want people to listen to this music and feel empowered," she continued. “I especially want women who feel a little awkward and lost in their day-to-day life to feel like they are not alone.”
Begonia and her band will hit the road starting Feb. 6. See their tour dates here. Lady in Mind will be released on Feb. 10. You can pre-order the album here.
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