WATCH AND SHARE “BEATS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “BEATS” HERE
THE LONGEST ROAD TOUR DATES WITH TERRA LIGHTFOOT AND LINDI ORTEGA BEGIN FEBRUARY 5
MORE CANADIAN DATES ANNOUNCED IN KINGSTON AND QUEBEC CITY
“...searing and dignified” - NPR Music
"...a complex, powerhouse synth-soul that hangs on one of Canada’s most
extraordinary voices." - Line Of Best Fit
“The woman has, you would say, presence to spare. When she opens her mouth to sing it's like, ‘What just happened?’” - Exclaim!
"an audacious adventure in modern soul, with gospel inspirations and updated takes on finger-snapping Motown pop and late 20th-century R&B." - Globe & Mail
“With her showstopping voice, Dirks blends acoustics and synths for her own
brand of gospel.” - CBC Music
“Beats” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, the “searing and dignified” (NPR) Begonia (aka Alexa Dirks) is sharing the first new single of 2019. “Beats” says Dirks, “is all of my self-doubt and self-confidence living together in a poppy little package. It's all the voices in my head speaking at once. I get so worked up sometimes it can be hard to see things for what they really are. I think this song is basically saying that you can be deeply vulnerable and completely strong at the same time. It can seem confusing but sometimes you just have to feel all your feelings and then step back, take a deep breath and keep on going.”
The lyric video for “Beats” sees projections, live-action, and animation layered together by multidisciplinary designers Jadyn Klassen and Nick Luchak, working under the moniker TGFS (an unofficial conglomerate and acronym for the name of the vacated Tropical General Food Supply store in which the two of them once shared a studio space.) "There were a lot of moving parts in putting together the video that all worked quite well together,” says TGFS. “We were given the chance to run wild with layout and type, treating every phrase like its own poster. At the end of the day, we wanted to make a lyric video that was engaging, playful, and resonated with Begonia’s sensibility: dreamy, casual, colourful, and glamorous.”
WATCH AND SHARE “BEATS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “BEATS” HERE
Following a successful run of Western Canada tour dates, including a stop at Winterupption, Begonia will head back out on the road beginning February 5 for The Longest Road Show with Terra Lightfoot, Lindi Ortega, and a whole host of special guests. The Longest Road Show is produced in conjunction with Sonic Unyon and LiveNation Entertainment, sponsored by Exclaim!, and benefitting Women in Music Canada, MusiCounts, YWCA Canada, and Girls Rock Camp. Full tour dates can be found below.
Recently, Begonia also released “The Light”, co-produced by Dirks with Marcus Paquin (Stars, The National), Matt Schellenberg (Royal Canoe), and Matt Peters (Royal Canoe), who also co-produced “Beats”. The two singles lead the way for more new music from Begonia in the near future.
WATCH AND SHARE “THE LIGHT” HERE
“PURCHASE / STREAM “THE LIGHT” HERE
Begonia’s Alexa Dirks has never been able to fit into the box of being a "conventional woman". “I’m loud, I’m awkward and I’ve always taken up space. I've done things my whole life that some people would tell me weren't appropriate 'for a girl'.” That narrative that once tore Dirks down is now what empowers her to take charge of her own story, in her own way.
Winnipeg-based Dirks is a JUNO Award winner with her former group, Chic Gamine. As Begonia, Dirks is bold, brazen with her florid, surprising pop that is tempered with sensitivity and wisdom. Dirks' first solo output, Lady in Mind, was listed on NPR’s 10 Artists You Need To Know in 2017 and “Juniper” reached #1 on the CBC Music Top 20. Noisey wrote that, “Begonia has one of Canada’s most extraordinary voices, and thankfully she uses it to obliterate the misery from this world one live performance at a time.” NPR claimed that Begonia is “the place where where synth-pop meets old soul and scrappy meets sexy."
Photo Credit : Leeor Wild // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
BEGONIA ON TOUR
2/5 - Kitchener, ON - Centre In The Square *
2/6 - Ottawa, ON - Algonquin Theatre *
2/7 - Hamilton, ON - New Vision Church *
2/8 - London, ON - London Music Hall *
2/9 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix *
3/21 - St Catharines, ON - FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
3/22 - Burnstown, ON - Neat Cafe
3/23 - Kingston, ON - Grad Club
3/24 - New York, NY - TBD
3/25 - Boston, MA - TBD
3/26 - Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti
* The Longest Road Tour with Terra Lightfoot and Lindi Ortega