The Road To A Juno Nomination

Today, Kreesha Turner was nominated for two Juno Awards, Best New Artist and Pop Album of the Year. She released this quote to the media this morning:
"2008 was such an AMAZING year! Being nominated for 2 Juno Awards is such an honour and a perfect way to kick off 2009. I am so grateful to everyone that has supported me - especially the fans!"

It's been a long and hard road for Kreesha to get to this point. It's also been a lot of fun, as a music industry insider, to get to work with Kreesha. Here are some of my memories of the road to Kreesha's Juno nominations.

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The first time I met Kreesha I was working for another record label and was with another artist (I believe it might have been The Game). We were on our way into the Bounce FM radio studios for an interview. Kreesha and her Mom were just on the way out of the studios. I had never seen Kreesha in person but I knew who she was. She had just won the first ever Bounce Talent Search and her song, "Bounce With Me" was getting a lot of spins on the station. While the artist I was working with chatted with the on air staff I visited with Kreesha and her mother and wished them luck with her singing career. I was struck by how beautiful and poised this young lady was. I was convinced that she would be a star. Two years later I left Universal Music and went to work for EMI. I was happy to discover that Kreesha had been signed to EMI and I would get to work with a hometown, Edmonton, artist.

Flash forward to early 2008. EMI Music Canada is getting set to release Kreesha Turner's debut CD, "Passion". To set the CD up, Kreesha is doing a promotional tour across Canada to meet with key media and music industry people. As we are close to Valentine's Day, I sit with my youngest daughter one morning and we make up some bags of candy for Kreesha to drop off on our visits.


Ella helps put together Kreesha Turner "Passion" packages.

Kreesha, her day to day manager, Jessikah Roberts, and I dropped in to radio, newspaper outlets, music stores, and concert promoters in Edmonton and Calgary over the course of two days. Kreesha sat in the offices as we played back some music from her forthcoming CD and chatted with everyone about her musical path so far and her plans for the future. She was a delight to work with and made a great first impression everywhere we went.


Kreesha Turner drops into the Alberta Music Industry Association offices in Edmonton - February 2008.

As "Bounce With Me" was released as the official first single from "Passion" it quickly climbed the charts at CHR and Hot AC radio. The song didn't go as high as we would have hoped though as some stations, like the Bounce, had played the song previously when Kreesha first won the Bounce contest a few years earlier. The song did make some surprise appearances on network television in the United States though. Kreesha was still getting some great early exposure.

In the summer Kreesha returned to Alberta and performed at Edmonton's Capital Ex on the Ed Fest stage, opening for Jully Black. Her set was quite impressive. Kreesha's band consisted of keyboards, drums, a bass guitar and three background singers. They put on a very funky show.


Kreesha on the Ed Fest Stage at Capital Ex in Edmonton - July 2008.

While Kreehsa was in Alberta in July we had her perform for a private party of Bounce contest winners at the Bank nightclub. We also drove down to Calgary and had Kreesha perform a set at the oddly named Snatch Rock Bar at a show presented by The Vibe. Kreesha was working on her live performances with the help of ace arranger, producer, performer, Jon Levine, as her keyboardist and band leader. Her stripped down sets featured Jon on Keys and three lovely background singers. We put on a lot of miles in 15 passenger vans over those two days.


Kreesha on stage in a tent behind The Bank nightclub for a Bounce FM contest winners event.


Kreesha performs at Snatch Rock Bar in Calgary.

As "Don't Call Me Baby" took off as Kreesha's second hit single, we finally released "Passion" to record retail on Tuesday, August 12th. Kreesha came back to Alberta for some more promotional dates to celebrate the launch of the CD. On the Friday after release, Kreesha, Jon Levine and the back up singers performed a free lunch hour concert on Stephen Avenue Walk in downtown Calgary presented by Energy 101.5. After her set she signed autographs for about half an hour and sold numerous copies of her CD. That same afternoon she visited Calgary FM and recorded a few songs for the station's "Live at Five" show. Later, that same day, Kreesha signed autographs at Play in Market Mall. Although there weren't too many people at the signing, Kreesha was a total pro and chatted and mingled with the store staff and curious passers-by that had no idea who she was.


Kreesha performs a free lunch hour show on Stephen Avenue in dowtown Calgary.


People line up to meet Kreesha and buy "Passion" after her performance.


Kreesha visits with the store staff at Play in Market Mall.

On the Saturday after "Passion" was released Kreesha made a triumphant return to Edmonton. She performed a set on stage at West Edmonton Mall that was carried live to air on Bounce FM. A large crowd of several hundred people watched the show and cheered on their hometown girl. After the set Kreesha signed autographs for well over an hour.


Kwame from The Bounce introduces Kreesha to a large crowd of hometown fans.


West Edmonton Mall greets Kreesha Turner.

Through the rest of the summer and into the fall Kreesha's star continued to rise. "Don't Call Me Baby" was a hit at CHR, Hot AC and AC radio. It went on to hit #1 on the AC radio chart and stayed there for several months. Kreesha made numerous appearances in fashion magazines (including the cover of Fashion Magazine) and on television. Her singles continued to rack up airplay at multiple formats. She flew back to Alberta to co-host an episode of E-Talk and was a presenter at the Western Canadian Music Awards in Edmonton.


Kreesha and I with Rick Campanelli from E-Talk Canada in the lobby of the Palliser Hotel in Calgary.


Kreesha and I at the Western Canadian Music Awards at the Myer Horowitz Theatre in Edmonton.

In the winter months Kreesha released another single and a video for "Lady Killer". She also released a Christmas song called "Wherever You Are" that got a lot of praise from stations hungry for new, original Christmas music.
Kreesha enjoyed a quiet Christmas and then was back at it early in 2009.
"Shattered" was released as a new single for AC radio and Kreesha came back to Edmonton to be a celebrity judge on a new TV show called "Karaoke Star Jr.". The show was shot in her old school, Victoria Comp. It was another big homecoming for Kreesha as the staff and students were thrilled to see a hometown girl doing so well in the music world. After the show taping, Kreesha was mobbed by hundreds of kids demanding photos and autographs. On the day she visited her old school Kreesha found out that she had been nominated for 6 Canadian Radio Music Awards. All of her hard work and talent was finally being recognized by the Canadian Music Industry on a grand scale.


Kreesha with her fellow judges from Karaoke Star Jr., Danny Fernandes and Tara Oram.

Today's Juno nominations are just one more stepping stone on a long and, hopefully, very successful music career for Kreesha Turner. I am proud to have been involved in working with this fabulous young lady. Good luck Kreesh!