WATCH / SHARE “5AM” HERE
FALL TOUR DATES WITH DAN MANGAN AND MEN I TRUST BEGIN TODAY
ACROSS THE ROOM, OUT NOW FROM ARTS & CRAFTS
BUY / STREAM ACROSS THE ROOM HERE
Photo Credit : villedepluie // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Gabrielle Shonk is on the road with Dan Mangan for a run of Canadian tour dates before joining up with Men I Trust in Toronto. Full tour dates can be found below. In addition, the JUNO Award nominated artist is sharing the new video for “5AM” from her latest album, Across The Room, out now via Arts & Crafts.
Directed by Gerado Alcaine with Director of Photography Jay Boivin, Shonk says she wrote “5AM” basically “telling a story about running into an ex at a party and then going home together after a long night of inhibition. The choruses then express a desire to rekindle and fix the relationship through idealistic ideas as if nothing were ever broken. When Gerardo and Jay presented the concept of the video to me, I was really happy they came up with an idea that expressed elements of the song without being a direct visual interpretation of the lyrics.
“In ‘5AM’ you can see the main character (Antoine Nicolas) escaping a reality that seems bland and uncomfortable through a VR mask, which he carries around with him. To me the music video has many layers of interpretation, but I’ve been going back to the idea of living in denial as a way to cope with the uneasiness and anxiety of life. There’s also a pretty big correlation with the distractions of the ‘modern world’ and a lot of people coming out of the past three years of isolation with a new sense of social anxiety. At the end of the video, the lines between both worlds become blurred, which makes me think about how pretending and escaping can feel good for a while, but it can only get you so far. At some point you can get lost in it and it’s really just a short-term band-aid. Huge thanks to everyone who participated and put their hearts into this video, it means the (VR) world!
WATCH / SHARE “5AM” HERE
MORE ABOUT ACROSS THE ROOM
How do you come back to yourself? First, it’s important to understand you have become lost, and admit you’ve veered off path. How then do you begin to piece yourself back together? This is the journey Gabrielle Shonk, the JUNO Award-nominated singer and songwriter, takes us on with her sophomore album, Across The Room, set for release February 24, 2023.
The eleven-track record chronicles the big and small feelings of heartache, and the hope that comes with endings and new beginnings. This excavation of self and purpose seemed to be a long time coming. “It's not always the easiest to look inward. But, when it is easy, you hold on to all those small victories— finding a sense of wholeness within yourself,” says Shonk.
WATCH / SHARE “PEOPLE PLEASER” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “HOW WE USED TO BE” HERE
Searching for a sense of wholeness has been central to Shonk’s path in the five years since her self-titled debut album. Conversations about a sophomore record began not long after the success of her debut, with her former major label asking to see and hear new material. Shonk recalls succumbing to a self-critical, internal pressure during that time for what that next album would be; a creative blockage that made her unsure of what she wanted to say at all.
Some songs on Across The Room are a few years old. They began as stowed away writing projects in green rooms; whatever downtime she had during a busy touring schedule, Shonk and frequent collaborator and co-writer Jessy Caron (Men I Trust) worked on new material together. Out of those sessions emerged “Reminds Me of You”, a wistful, sombre song emanating a familiar feeling of grief when everything reminds you of the love you’ve lost. The coalescence of the track was natural, and Shonk started to feel renewed confidence.
BUY / STREAM ACROSS THE ROOM HERE
Across The Room was recorded during the first half of 2022, splitting production time around rural Quebec and Montreal with Mac Cormack. Shonk brought herself fully into view. “I found my creative groove. I felt so much more grounded, independent and confident in my own capacities as an artist, musician, and songwriter, and stopped blocking and judging my creative flow, which gave me my best work yet,” she says.
PRAISE FOR GABRIELLE SHONK
“A cohesive narrative journey of rediscovery” Exclaim!
“as if Shonk has finally broken free” CBC Music
"her gorgeous comeback single... [is summed up as] “a ballad about a relationship that was hard to leave,” and you can hear the pain in her voice; wanting something back yet knowing it's gone." FLOOD Magazine
“Shonk’s voice, part of the same throaty jazz-pop lineage as Amy Winehouse” - W Magazine
"Shonk has a powerful voice with echoes of Adele and Alicia Keys, and her songs are steeped in the classic singer-songwriter tradition of artists like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Tracy Chapman.” - Montreal Gazette
GABRIELLE SHONK TOUR DATES
Sept 21 - Cumberland, BC - The Waverley *
Sept 22 - Nanaimo, BC - Port Theatre *
Sept 23 - Victoria, BC - Capital Ballroom *
Sept 25 - Vernon, BC - Vernon Performing Arts Centre *
Sept 27 - Lethbridge, AB - Yates Theatre *
Sept 28 - Red Deer, AB - Bo’s *
Sept 29 - Calgary, AB - Bella Concert Hall *
Sept 30 - Sherwood Park, AB - Festival Place Theatre *
Oct 1 - Sherwood Park, AB - Festival Place Theatre *
Oct 3 - Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre *
Oct 4 - Regina, SK - Darke Hall *
Oct 5 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre *
Oct 6 - Toronto, ON - History §
Oct 12 - Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre
Oct 13 - Montréal, QC - Le Ministere
Oct 14 - Trois-Rivières QC - Salle Anais Allard Rousseau
Oct 20 - Québec City, QC - Imperial Theatre
Oct 21 - Sherbrooke, QC - La Petite Boite Noire
Jan 13 - Victoriaville, QC - Cabaret Guy-Aubert
Jan 19 - Montmagny QC - Salle Promutuel
* supporting Dan Mangan
§ supporting Men I Trust