WATCH / SHARE “IT’S TOO QUIET” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “IT’S TOO QUIET” HERE
CATCH BEGONIA AT SXSW THIS MARCH
U. S. 2022 TOUR DATES BEGIN MARCH 2, 2022 - MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
Photo Credit : Calvin Lee Joseph // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
At the end of 2021, Begonia (Alexa Dirks) shared the new single “Heaven” which is currently sitting near the top of the CBC Music Top 20. Today, the celebrated songwriter is announcing her upcoming performance at SXSW this March, and is also sharing another new track, “It’s Too Quiet”, a song about “the uncertainty and excitement of new love,” says Dirks. “When you just want to be around someone all the time but aren't sure how they feel about you, so you second guess every text and every phone call before finally just being vulnerable (AH!) and letting the other person know how you feel. I feel like this phase of a relationship is all at once exhilarating and torturous.”
WATCH / SHARE “IT’S TOO QUIET” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
BUY / STREAM “IT’S TOO QUIET” HERE
“It’s Too Quiet” Single Artwork // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
“Heaven” is a track that finds beauty in the unknown. “When I was a kid I thought I knew a lot about everything,” says Dirks. “I was taught to believe that there was always a right or wrong and beyond that, that there was a heaven and hell waiting for us after we die and we just had to live our lives accordingly to end up in either place. I had a lot of fear of screwing up and a lot of fear of the unknown. As I've grown, all of those binary ways of thinking have more or less been shattered. I've come to understand that I'll always be searching and that there's a lot of beauty to that. I still think about what happens after we die but I feel more curious about it than I feel afraid or certain of it. I think this song speaks to that doubt and curiosity: thoughts I used to struggle with but now fully embrace”
WATCH AND SHARE “HEAVEN” HERE
BUY / STREAM “HEAVEN” HERE
MORE ABOUT BEGONIA
As Begonia, Alexa Dirks is bold, brazen with her florid, surprising pop that is tempered with sensitivity and wisdom. In her music, Begonia leans hard into a sense of arrival. Whether it’s learning to come into her own or processing a brutal heartbreak, Dirks’ intimate lyrics and audacious sound allows for her audience to relate to the messiness of life with an honesty that is refreshing.
Her debut LP, Fear, was nominated for a JUNO Award for Adult Alternative Album Of The Year and was longlisted for The Polaris Music Prize. It was one of Exclaim!’s Most Underrated Albums of the Year, made end of the year lists from CBC Music and Dominionated, and saw both “Beats” and “Hanging On A Line” named as CBC Music Top 20 Fan Favourites of the year. Fear also spent 10 straight weeks as the #1 album in Canada on Earshot’s Top 50 chart.
Fear was written and co-produced with a familiar team of Matt Schellenberg (Royal Canoe) and Matt Peters (Royal Canoe) along with Marcus Paquin (The National, Arcade Fire, Local Natives).
Dirks' first solo EP, Lady in Mind, was well-received, being listed on NPR’s 10 Artists You Need To Know in 2017 and single “Juniper” reached #1 on the CBC Radio 2 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 wrote that Begonia is “the place where synth-pop meets old soul and scrappy meets sexy."
WATCH AND SHARE “FEAR” HERE
PRAISE FOR FEAR
“With its twin-helix bind of sharp pop and warm soul, Fear positions Winnipeg's Begonia (Alexa Dirks) as a powerhouse on the Prairies.” - Exclaim!
“Fear is the opposite of all its name implies: confident, bold, and blossoming with subtlety and intelligence.” - Dominionated
“...Fear still manages to make you feel like you've been let in on pop's best-kept secret. But, not for long. 2019 might have refreshed our memory of Dirks' vast capabilities, but 2020 will hopefully deliver her the global recognition she deserves.” - CBC Music
“...searing and dignified” - NPR Music
"...a complex, powerhouse synth-soul that hangs on one of Canada’s most
extraordinary voices." - Line Of Best Fit
"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