Jorane

Having made a name for herself by being one of the very few -- if not only -- pop cellists who sings while she bows, Jorane (born Johanne Pelletier in 1975) released her first album, Vent Fou, in 1999 and would eventually play stages all over the world. She followed up her debut in 2001 with 16mm, which led to a live recording of her performance at the Montreal Spectrum as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival. In 2004, Jorane embarked on the two-part release Evapore and The You and the Now mini-albums, which allowed her to work with such talents as Daniel Lanois (whose guest vocals adorned Evapore) and Lisa Germano. For the next few years, Jorane spent her time taking her unique sound to stages in numerous countries, as well as winning a few awards and award nominations along the way. In 2007, she released the album Vers à Soi and the Internet-based Canvas or Canvass. A Juno Award nomination followed in 2008. ~ Chris True