arlene & the people

Mississauga’s own Arlene Paculan isn’t just a talented musician and singer. The enthralling Gemini, who got her first taste of music by learning the piano at age 6, is using her talents and passion for music to help inspire and empower others.
The ever-smiling Arlene is a seasoned performer and has been showcasing her talents throughout the GTA for over two decades now, with no plans on slowing down.
What’s keeping her busy? Well, quite a bit.

She launched “Wonder Women”in 2010, an avenue that started out as a showcase for female singer-songwriters across various genres and putting them in front of different audiences to exhibit their talents and help increase awareness. The added bonus is it enables funds to be raised for female-driven associations.
With each event growing in popularity, the performance, now called “WonderFest,” combines “Wonder Women and Super Men” to broaden the appeal of the event and allows more talented musicians to connect their music with the community.
These events have ballooned in popularity so much so that now they're not only about music. There are various art mediums included, such as painting, poetry, spoken word, dance, film, performance art, comedy, motivational speakers and storytellers. With such breadth and depth, Arlene’s vision is constantly growing and that’s great news for her fellow artists.

Clearly, this gal is all about giving back, which is something she’s quite humble about.Her mantra is to “showcase the talent around us. To give artists a platform and outlet and afford them an opportunity to introduce and share their passion with the world.”
She goes on to say, “these events are to inspire and encourage people to create, regardless of the medium. Creativity can be found nearly anywhere, from setting the table, to an intricate spreadsheet, to a corporate setting and a plethora of avenues in between.”
I asked what motivates her and the instant answer was “my love for music and ability to create opportunities for others.”
It wasn’t a rehearsed response. It wasn’t saying what she thought I wanted to hear.
The way she spoke, her confident tone and the excitement that surrounded our over two hour conversation was an honest representation of a selfless woman who understands the value in helping others through her success.


She launched her own event/artist promotion company in 2012, called “Let’s Make Good Productions”, with her close friend, Kat Leonard, taking the leadership role as Artistic Director. The company’s mission statement is to spread empowerment through various art forms via ongoing WonderFest events and workshops. Adding to that is a TV show they host on Rogers TV called “WonderFest TV” which gives them another outlet to promote their empowering message.
In 2016, expect to see a host of WonderFest events, in addition to her weekly solo performances and energetic live performances with her band, “Arlene Paculan & the Cool Ones”.
Somehow, she’s also found time to work on an EP of original music that’s due in the spring of 2016. Either she’s found a way to freeze time or she sleeps every other night. Either way, this Mississauga talent is motivated, driven and absolutely ambitious.



Through the course of our chat, I learned several interesting things about her, including:

She doesn’t eat chocolate. (not a typo)
She was a competitive figure skater in her younger years and still enjoys leisurely skating when time allows
She performed her first original song at age 17 at the CNE’s Rising Star competition
She was runner-up in Now Magazine’s 2015 Best Songwriter category (very impressive!)
Lime Green is her favourite color
No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom is one of her favourite albums
Our Lady Peace is her favourite band
She plays the guitar, harmonica, cajon and glockenspiel in addition to the piano
Her favourite Mississauga venue is Celebration Square
Her dream venue to perform at? Carnegie Hall in NYC


After touring in Europe earlier this autumn, Arlene’s 2016 calendar keeps getting busier with an upcoming TV show on Rogers Cable in addition to leading the “Night Time Band” for Night Time with Sam Davis’ TV show, also on Rogers Cable.

Between empowering and supporting a plethora of other musicians and artists, expansion plans for WonderFest and consistent live performances, this Randolph Academy educated super-woman still boots around in a 2004 Toyota Camry (say what you want, that car has tons of space for her gear) and is incredibly humble. She constantly deflects the attention off of her and pours it onto others, knowing that giving bears more than receiving.

With her head in the clouds, feet firmly on the ground and fingers frequently dancing upon 88 black and white keys, Mississauga’s Arlene Paculan has beautifully blossomed from a rising star to an ever-shining beacon of inspiration and empowerment, lighting the way for others. - Modern Mississauga

Mississauga News
By Chris Clay

It will be a night of performances almost exclusively by Mississauga artists when WonderFest West takes place June 4 in Port Credit.

Organizer Arlene Paculan, who’s also a well known Mississauga singer and songwriter, said the goal of the event is to help spread empowerment through art.

While some people lament the lack of venues for artists in Canada’s sixth largest city, Paculan says there are plenty of places to perform and that’s why she grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and organized the event at Clarke Memorial Hall. Many artists just need a little push to find it in themselves to get up on stage and Paculan hopes the concert is one way to encourage them.

“There are so many Mississauga artists who are looking to perform and I think they just need a little encouragement,” said Paculan. “I’m a Mississauga person who absolutely loves art and we have so much talent in the city (that I wanted to help showcase with the concert).”

The event starts at 4 p.m. with a dance workshop offered by Marcelino DaCosta. He’s also known as Frost Flow and is the founder of Mississauga hip-hop collective Ground Illusionz.

Following the workshop, it will be a night of music, poetry, comedy, spoken word and live painting by more than a dozen artists and arts groups, many of whom are from Mississauga. They include Paculan and DaCosta, Ernie Vicente, Ricardo Mejias, Kat Leonard, Mileena Sobreira, Es, Delrose, River North, Andrew Wilson, Sonya Zhang, Charmie Deller, Josephine Casey, Mya Casey, Viniti Venkatesh, Ylana Luigi-Stelling, Carla Gonzalez-Casanova and Nisreen Art.

The live entertainment begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $10-$15. Youth 10 years old and under are admitted free.

To purchase, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/wonderfest-west-june-2016-tickets-10457487627. - Mississauga News

story Perry Lefko photographs Steve Uhraney

Of all the resolutions that people made on New Year’s Day in 2014, Arlene Paculan’s may have been the most unusual.

“My resolution was to speak louder and to pronounce everything,” she says.

Given that she is a singer/actress/producer/promoter, the very notion that she is looking to pump up the volume to be heard is interesting, but her voice is becoming increasingly more prominent – literally and figuratively – in the arts community. The Mississauga born-and-raised multi-talented performer is known throughout the Greater Toronto Area and is making inroads into the U.S. She has recorded two albums – the first, I’m Worth It, in 2010 and the second, Everything Begins With Love, last year – sings in concerts and theatrical stage shows, organizes festivals to help artists showcase their skills in a variety of genres and co-hosts a show on Rogers Cable 10. When she isn’t busy with her own career, she is the office manager for her mother, Tess, who is involved in financial management with Primerica Canada.

Arlene has been performing for much of her life, going back to her youth, beginning with competitive figure skating. Her mother, Tess, enrolled Arlene and her elder sister, Tracy, in the Mississauga Skating Club and then the two siblings advanced into the Canadian Ice Academy. Tracy stood out because of her ebullience and effervescence, compared to the introverted Arlene.

“They were sweet and polite and for almost two years, Tracy spoke for both of them,” says former coach PJ Kwong. “I swear to you that Arlene was so shy, she would rarely speak to me. She would look at me from under impossibly long eyelashes with soulful brown eyes. They are close in age and with little to distinguish them from each other in terms of exchanges with me, I used to mix them up constantly. So much so, that we finally came to the conclusion that I would call them Tralene – an affectionate nickname that we still use today.”

The figure skating started to conflict with piano lessons, which Tess wanted them to do to learn to sing for the Lord. The family has a strong religious faith.

“We loved (skating and piano) until piano became a little bit harder,” Arlene says. “We were skating almost every day and had no time to practice piano. My mom gave us an ultimatum – if we quit piano, we had to quit skating, and we didn’t want to do that. I thank her for doing that otherwise I wouldn’t be able to share music or create music.”

Arlene competed nationally at a level just below elite and still keeps active in the sport as an instructor. But in the ‘90s, listening to alternative rock music by bands, in particular Our Lady Peace, steered her towards a career in music, although skating played a parallel in terms of creativity and artistic expression.

“Music is a different medium,” she says. “Writing music comes more naturally than my skating.”

Arlene’s first on-stage performance happened in Grade 2 at St. Matthews Catholic School in a Christmas concert in which she was chosen to sing a solo and surprised everyone with her voice and confidence.

“I don’t remember how I was picked being so introverted, but after that I just wanted to go on stage,” she says.

She began singing lessons – one of her first teachers, Eleanor Calbes, told her she had a Broadway voice – and then started writing songs using a guitar she bought and learned to play on her own. Singing evolved into musical theatre, and following high school she successfully auditioned for acceptance into the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy College and Conservatory of Performing Arts in New York. But the cost proved to be too prohibitive, so she enrolled in and graduated from the Randolph Academy of the Arts in Toronto.

She started acting in musicals, had a non-speaking role in television commercial, did some short films and auditioned for various roles until it became tiresome and stopped doing it. Around this time in 2004, her grandmother, with whom she had a close relationship, passed away. Arlene picked up the guitar and started to write a song, the first time she had done so since high school, as a tribute to her grandmother and entitled it, Thank You Nana. She recorded it for the funeral, but felt too nervous to perform it in front of the crowd. However, the experience fueled her to start writing songs again.

“All these songs started to pour and I found maybe I could share these songs, but at first I was nervous because I thought, ‘What if people don’t like it?’” she says. “A lot of people think that way, too, but I got over it. I did some open mics and shared the songs and got some good responses. The more that I did it, the more I thought this comes to me naturally. Then from there I thought there was something I could do with it.”

She started booking shows for herself by calling bars, lounges and restaurants, and then added backing musicians and began doing monthly shows. In 2010, she recorded I’m Worth It, a collection of six songs of original material, with one of her mother’s clients, Kuya Productions.

“Everything was so new to me and I was like a kid in a candy store,” she says. “It was cool to have that physical evidence that I could do something with my music.”

The title track stemmed from a conversation she had with a friend who was experiencing some personal issues. Arlene tried to bolster her friend with self-empowerment and self-esteem.

“I said something to her that I heard before: the only limits that we have are the ones we put on ourselves,” she says. “I always have to work on positive thinking and I’m Worth It came through that conversation. There’s something inside all of us. We can self-talk ourselves up positively or negatively. We just have to realize we’re worth whatever is coming our way. We’re worth the great things that our coming our way. It’s a mindset. It also helps me find my work, too. If you want something in your life, you have to go after it with your heart and mind, too.”

The first time Tess heard I’m Worth It she became emotional and cried.

Arlene is trying to spread the idea of self-empowerment with T-shirts and buttons that have the words I’m Worth It. She re-recorded the song with a different arrangement for the second album.

Beginning in April, 2011, she began promoting shows to help artists of all different mediums and genres to spread empowerment, confidence and creativity. She called her initial show Wonder Women, which took place at Smiling Buddha in Toronto. She brought the event to Mississauga with help from the Mississauga Arts Council, and it involved female artists.

“I noticed it’s still a male-dominated world in the music industry, so I was trying to be like, ‘Yeah, let’s go women. Let’s put our stamp in the music industry. It wasn’t a feminist kind of thing. It’s more of coming all together to empower women.”

Along with her best friend, actress Kat Leonard, Paculan has produced six Wonder Women shows, and in March, 2013 their company, Let’s Make Good Productions, debuted a show for male artists called Super Man. Last August, they created WonderFest, which included workshops to build the foundation for performers, and it took place at the Mississauga Celebration Square Amphitheatre. She has a third WonderFest scheduled for April 6 at the Revival Bar in Toronto.

Arlene has certainly come a long way as a multi-dimensional performer and producer, although she is still trying to fully emerge from her shell.

“When I do musicals, the lights are on the actors and I don’t see anyone in the audience and that helped ease the whole shyness thing,” she says. “In theatre you’re playing different parts so it was easier for me to just go with the character I was playing. I got to play Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Rizzo in Grease. Practice has helped me become more confident.

“I still am shy,” she adds with a laugh. “I feel like nobody can hear me so I shouldn’t talk anymore. It’s just something I’m getting over through more performing, getting more confident.”

In many ways, she has found her voice. GL - Good Life Magazine

MISSISSAUGA — Friday will be a very big day for Mississauga’s Arlene Paculan — that’s when she’s releasing her long-anticipated debut LP, Everything Begins with Love.

Paculan’s pumped. And why not. It’s three years, since 2010, when her debut EP album, I’m Worth It, garnered recognition in the local arts community, earning her two nominations at the MARTYs.

“It’s a new chapter in my music life,” Paculan says of the release party, which takes place at Gallery 345 in Toronto starting at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

She’ll be joined by her pal Kat Leonard, a graduate of The Second City Conservatory.

Paculan and Leonard are the duo that brought the Wonder Women festival — an event focused on spreading empowerment through art — to the Celebration Square Amphitheatre last year. They’re bringing it back to the same venue on Aug. 14.

“Kat will be warming up the show with her comedic songs and energetic performance,” says Paculan. “I will also be joined by Miquelon Rodriguez, Sarah Giles and Peter Linseman.”

Paculan, whose style and voice are said to emulate Sarah McLachlan, Alicia Keys and Norah Jones, will perform her set of originals and fun covers. They’re a mix of jazz, folk, blues and a bit of pop.

Over the past five years, Paculan, a graduate of Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts in Toronto, has been busy. She has performed at the Toronto Jazz Festival (2012), PRIDE Toronto (2012) and an opening performance for the Juno-nominated jazz sensation and fellow Mississaugan, Jill Barber, at Celebration Square last summer.
- Mississauga News

Soulful singer/songwriter Arlene Paculan grew up in Mississauga, and trained in Toronto. Over the last few years, she has been doing her part to contribute to the music community on both sides, not only by sharing her voice, but by helping empower others to do the same.

Nicky: Hello, Arlene! You’re fresh off a performance headlining a show for the TD Toronto Jazz Festival last night. How did that go?

Arlene: It was amazing! It was at The Central, as part of the club series. I had Matt Morgan & The Back Up Plan open for me, as well as The Muso Project. It was a pretty good turnout. It was actually my first experience to have strangers come in to see me, specifically. If I don’t recognize someone I’ll usually try to find out who they’re here to see. So I asked some people and they all said “You!” It was so cool.

N: People you don’t even know, know who you are now!

A: Yeah, there were a bunch of them. I guess they saw it on the website, so they were just looking for something to do that night, which is cool. Another woman said to me, “Oh, you’re woman in the picture on the website!” It was cute.

N: Were you asked to do it, or did you ask them if you could perform?

A: Lucan Wai from The Central mentioned to me that they were going to be one of the venues for the Jazz Festival, so he approached me, and I said I’d definitely love to be part of it.

N: You’ve been performing a lot lately throughout the city. For how long have you been playing local clubs?

A: Over two years now.

N: And you’ve started to produce your own shows.

A: Actually, it started off with me producing shows. It was because, in theatre, there’s a lot of auditioning. I absolutely love musical theatre. So I came to the conclusion that I should start putting on my own shows where I can promote my music on my own terms. That’s where I got the idea of finding venues, getting friends involved and having a show.

I continued to do that, and I’d invite different people so it wouldn’t be the same lineup every time. We’re expanding our audiences as well. Because I did that, more and more people are asking me to jump on board for their nights. So a lot of the work that I put in before is kind of dying down. But I do like to produce my own shows, because it’s a different kind of creative form.

Writing and singing is something personal, but putting on my own nights, getting people together to enjoy music is completely different.

N: Did you start out doing covers, or have you always been writing songs?

A: I started out doing covers, but then I started to improvise on the piano, which is how I learned to make up music, so then I started writing my own stuff. I found my love for it. It’s so cool to create a story with melody.

N: Where do your ideas come from?

A: Most of ones that people enjoy are stories that I made up. Being an actor you have to play a role that you haven’t necessarily lived. You have to imagine yourself in that situation. One song that a lot of people really like is called Nightmare. It’s basically a song where I imagined if someone were to cheat on me or betray me, these are the words that would come out.

N: So you’re not pulling from your real life experiences, then. You’re just imagining yourself going through this stuff.

A: Exactly. There’s another song on my EP, which is a break up song, but I’ve never broken up with anyone. (laughs) I make it so dramatic. The first line is “The snowflakes gather on the tears you left me with.” I was thinking of how I would feel if I were to ever break up with somebody, and just go into that emotion. But there are some songs that I have experienced. Certain people have affected me in order to express the words in some of the songs.

N: How do you describe your sound?

A: I call it classy jazzy pop. I’ve always said my music is adult contemporary. I’m influenced by Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Jewel, and all those awesome females.

N: Are you always on piano, or do you also play guitar?

A: I do sometimes play guitar. Very rarely.

N: Do you play any other instruments?

A: Well, sometimes an easy one like harmonica or ukulele. I have a glockenspiel in one of my songs. I play piano and glockenspiel at the same time.

N: What’s a glockenspiel?

A: It’s a little double xylophone.

N: You don’t just do this. You mentioned you also come from musical theatre. You trained in that at Randolph Academy for Performing Arts. Where did that take you?

A: I’ve actually done a lot of musicals since graduating. I got a chance to play Rizzo in Grease, Nancy in Oliver, Laurie in Oklahoma, and I’m not a soprano, so I really had to train for that role.

Then I did a bunch of Shakespeare. I played Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, which was fun. What that all brought me to now, which I’m really grateful for, is that they thought me how to pretend and create.

When writing son - Quip Magazine

Mississauga singer Arlene Paculan will perform at The Central in Toronto next Wednesday.
She'll be joined by slam poet Cathy Petch, Second City veteran Kat Leonard and poet Lizzie Violet at Wonder Women IV, an event that celebrates women in music while raising awareness about domestic abuse.
All four women will showcase stories and experiences through music and spoken word.
Show time is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $10.
Part of the proceeds will go to charities that support women and children trying to rebuild their lives following domestic abuse.
Paculan, who created the event and is producing Wonder Women IV in conjunction with This Girl Friday (a company that specializes in promoting Indie artist events), has been working hard at launching her career as a singer/songwriter.
She told The News in an interview last year she's a firm believer in creating your own fortune and has been hosting open mic nights at the Naughty Nads on the first and third Tuesday of each month. She has also been producing and organizing shows that highlight herself and other independent artists through her own production company Lene, Mean and Green.
"Rather than sitting back and sending my CD to agents and waiting for them to find me, I'm sending my work to radio stations and contacting venues myself," she said. "With hard work, people are asking me to perform."
The fifth Wonder Women event is being planned for Celebration Square. A date has yet to be set.
For more information, visit www.arlenepaculan.com.
jle@mississauga.net - Mississauga News

Not everyone dreams of buying a diamond ring for their mom and sings about it with the help of a little plastic guitar, but for Mississauga native Arlene Paculan, that’s always been the plan.

Paculan has been playing music since the time she could dance. Equipped with a pink guitar in hand, she started singing for anyone and everyone who would listen. Now at the age of 29, it’s clear that this is no longer a dream, but a reality that has no intention of slowing down.

Her career began at the age of six when her mother enrolled her in piano lessons. She quickly became bored with the classical aspect and soon had intentions of quitting. Her mom didn’t see things the way a young Paculan did, and as such, did not allow her to stop. If she did, she would have to give up yet another passion, figure skating.

“That was the ultimatum, and I’m really glad my mom put that on us,” said Paculan.

Though she did eventually give up the lessons, her passion for playing never faded. Once she stopped, she learned that she “could make up stuff.” Now she loves all instruments and tries to play around with them at every opportunity. The list includes the following: piano, guitar, ukulele and the harmonica or as Paculan calls them “the easy stuff”. To push her musical abilities even more, she has started playing the violin. By starting to learn in the latter part of her career, she sometimes becomes frustrated that she isn’t perfect right of the bat. Nevertheless, her ability to teach herself new instruments is no easy task, and one that clearly shows her musical ability.

Paculan’s style is adult contemporary with elements of jazz and folk, which seems to appeal to the masses. Everyone from kids to older adults fall silent when she is on stage. She has even gained the admiration of fellow artists in the Mississauga and Toronto area from her many performances at open mic nights. Most famously is a show she hosts at local hangout, Naughty Nadz, every 1st and 3rdTuesday nights.

Her affiliation with the Mississauga Arts Council has also allowed Paculan to perform for a wider audience and showcase her own original songs. Most notably, she had the opportunity to perform her 2010 ep, “I’m Worth It,” as a headliner at the LimeLight Block Party for Mississauga’s New Year’s Celebration as well as performing it in Montreal and as far as Anaheim, California. The song is also her mantra, which she shares with audience members at all her shows via a pin collection she has created.

Paculan is also a mentor for MAC’s Limelight association, which is a youth-based organization that teaches kids how to hone their artistic talents.

“I didn’t realize how much of an impact we would have in the community, in terms of giving workshops to kids and having open mics monthly. Just having that outlet is really cool ‘cause I don’t remember having that,” said Paculan.

When it comes to her musical style, Paculan says it stems from years of listening to alternative rock from such Canadian greats as Alanis Morissette, Chantal Kreviazuk and Our Lady Peace. This might seem like a far cry from her style of music, but she was able to learn a lot from them, epically from a lyrical standpoint.

“I noticed the way they did lyrics and that’s how it started. But now the lyrics either come from experiences or experiences that I’ve heard,” said Paculan.

Other ways that she is able to show off her talents are through covers of her favorite musicians. One of my favorites is Eminiem’s “Lose Yourself”, which Paculan completely revises by putting her voice and style into it. As such, her natural ability to unearth the depths of human emotion in a light and humourous way is clearly evident in this song. It’s no wonder she is turning heads and gaining popularity throughout Mississauga.

As for that diamond ring that she promised her loving mother, well “that will come when I become internationally known,” said Paculan, as she “wants to use my music money” to buy it.

With her talent only getting better everyday, that dream might be realized sooner rather than later. If you don’t believe me, then be sure to check her out on April 7 at Naughty Nadz for the You Can Never Hold Back Spring show. It will feature a few local artists who will perform all original songs.

It’s a show you won’t want to miss, and one that you might be able to use as bragging rights when Paculan finally does take the international music scene by force. You can say you saw her perform first in Mississauga!

High school: St. Francis Xavier Secondary School
Last artist played on her iPod: Eminem, Lose Yourself
Favourite song: Superman’s Dead, Our Lady Peace
Random fact: She does not eat chocolate!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArlenePaculanMusic
Twitter: @Arlene_Paculan
Website: www.arlenepaculan.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/apaculan
“I’m Worth It” EP available on iTunes

- insauga.com

Not everyone dreams of buying a diamond ring for their mom and sings about it with the help of a little plastic guitar, but for Mississauga native Arlene Paculan, that’s always been the plan.

Paculan has been playing music since the time she could dance. Equipped with a pink guitar in hand, she started singing for anyone and everyone who would listen. Now at the age of 29, it’s clear that this is no longer a dream, but a reality that has no intention of slowing down.

Her career began at the age of six when her mother enrolled her in piano lessons. She quickly became bored with the classical aspect and soon had intentions of quitting. Her mom didn’t see things the way a young Paculan did, and as such, did not allow her to stop. If she did, she would have to give up yet another passion, figure skating.

“That was the ultimatum, and I’m really glad my mom put that on us,” said Paculan.

Though she did eventually give up the lessons, her passion for playing never faded. Once she stopped, she learned that she “could make up stuff.” Now she loves all instruments and tries to play around with them at every opportunity. The list includes the following: piano, guitar, ukulele and the harmonica or as Paculan calls them “the easy stuff”. To push her musical abilities even more, she has started playing the violin. By starting to learn in the latter part of her career, she sometimes becomes frustrated that she isn’t perfect right of the bat. Nevertheless, her ability to teach herself new instruments is no easy task, and one that clearly shows her musical ability.

Paculan’s style is adult contemporary with elements of jazz and folk, which seems to appeal to the masses. Everyone from kids to older adults fall silent when she is on stage. She has even gained the admiration of fellow artists in the Mississauga and Toronto area from her many performances at open mic nights. Most famously is a show she hosts at local hangout, Naughty Nadz, every 1st and 3rdTuesday nights.

Her affiliation with the Mississauga Arts Council has also allowed Paculan to perform for a wider audience and showcase her own original songs. Most notably, she had the opportunity to perform her 2010 ep, “I’m Worth It,” as a headliner at the LimeLight Block Party for Mississauga’s New Year’s Celebration as well as performing it in Montreal and as far as Anaheim, California. The song is also her mantra, which she shares with audience members at all her shows via a pin collection she has created.

Paculan is also a mentor for MAC’s Limelight association, which is a youth-based organization that teaches kids how to hone their artistic talents.

“I didn’t realize how much of an impact we would have in the community, in terms of giving workshops to kids and having open mics monthly. Just having that outlet is really cool ‘cause I don’t remember having that,” said Paculan.

When it comes to her musical style, Paculan says it stems from years of listening to alternative rock from such Canadian greats as Alanis Morissette, Chantal Kreviazuk and Our Lady Peace. This might seem like a far cry from her style of music, but she was able to learn a lot from them, epically from a lyrical standpoint.

“I noticed the way they did lyrics and that’s how it started. But now the lyrics either come from experiences or experiences that I’ve heard,” said Paculan.

Other ways that she is able to show off her talents are through covers of her favorite musicians. One of my favorites is Eminiem’s “Lose Yourself”, which Paculan completely revises by putting her voice and style into it. As such, her natural ability to unearth the depths of human emotion in a light and humourous way is clearly evident in this song. It’s no wonder she is turning heads and gaining popularity throughout Mississauga.

As for that diamond ring that she promised her loving mother, well “that will come when I become internationally known,” said Paculan, as she “wants to use my music money” to buy it.

With her talent only getting better everyday, that dream might be realized sooner rather than later. If you don’t believe me, then be sure to check her out on April 7 at Naughty Nadz for the You Can Never Hold Back Spring show. It will feature a few local artists who will perform all original songs.

It’s a show you won’t want to miss, and one that you might be able to use as bragging rights when Paculan finally does take the international music scene by force. You can say you saw her perform first in Mississauga!

High school: St. Francis Xavier Secondary School
Last artist played on her iPod: Eminem, Lose Yourself
Favourite song: Superman’s Dead, Our Lady Peace
Random fact: She does not eat chocolate!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArlenePaculanMusic
Twitter: @Arlene_Paculan
Website: www.arlenepaculan.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/apaculan
“I’m Worth It” EP available on iTunes

- insauga.com

Performing comes naturally to Mississauga singer Arlene Paculan.
The 29-year-old first took to the limelight as a child, when she picked up a pink plastic toy guitar and serenaded her mother with a song promising to buy her a diamond ring. The St. Francis Xavier Secondary School graduate also took piano lessons for most of her youth and taught herself how to play guitar.
Now, in her adult life, after 10 years of acting, dancing and singing, she's honing her skills as a singer/songwriter. She finished her first EP, I'm Worth It, last year and is performing at a number of venues across the Greater Toronto Area while she works on her next EP.
Paculan will be among a number of up-and-coming artists performing at the Limelight Block Party on Dec. 31 at Celebration Square. She'll also be partnering with musician Sean Sroka to emcee the New Year's Eve party, which is hosted by the Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) and the City of Mississauga.
Paculan, who graduated from Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts in Toronto and has been in several stage productions in Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto, says she's excited about what's to come in her career.
She said she's a firm believer in creating your own fortune and has been hosting open mic nights at the Naughty Nads on the first and third Tuesday of each month. She has also been producing and organizing shows that highlight herself and other independent artists through her own production company Lene, Mean and Green.
"Rather than sitting back and sending my CD to agents and waiting for them to find me, I'm sending my work to radio stations and contacting venues myself," she said. "With hard work, people are asking me to perform."
Paculan describes her sounds as a combination of folk, jazz and blues inspired by her life experiences.
"For I'm Worth It, it came from the conversation I had with a friend," she described. "It was a pep talk almost and it made me realize that the only limits you have are the ones you put on yourself and so my goal for this son was to encourage and inspire individuals, especially women."
She adds her theatre background has helped her with her songwriting as well.
"In theatre and acting you put yourself into someone else's shoes and you create another character and imagine how character's feel," she said.
Paculan will be touring Montreal in January for a number of shows. She has also set a goal of performing outside the GTA as much as she can for 2012.
For more information, visit www.arlenepaculan.com.
jle@mississauga.net - Mississauga News

by Rowan Ghazal

Watch out for these talented Mississagan artists as they step into the world of fame. Coming from different artistic backgrounds, these artists bring a new taste to the cultural life of Mississauga. Support your local talent by knowing more about them and visiting their website to follow their works:

1. Arlene Paculan: Singer/Pianist
At the age of 6, Arlene Paculan began playing the piano. Her love for the instrument helped develop her voice. With additional mentoring from specialized sopranos, Paculan began her singing career. After graduating from Randolph Academy in 2004, Paculan was part of various theatrical productions. Her dream of having her own album became a reality in 2010 with the release of the EP album "I'm Worth It". http://www.thesixtyone.com/apaculan/#/artist/apaculan/about/ - What's Up Mississauga

Friends and supporters of Louroz Mercader came out to add some muscle to his campaign for City Council Ward 7 on July 12th. Over 50 guests attended the fundraising dinner held at Bairrada Churrasqueira Grill at 33 Hillcrest Avenue. The event was chaired by local businessman, Peter Tolias, while the Master of Ceremonies' duties were carried by Campaign Manager, Anastasia Tolias. The night was fun and relaxed as guests were treated to performances by two very talented Mississauga musicians and served a mouth-watering meal. Singer Arlene Paculan performed songs from her upcoming EP and performing instrumentals on the piano and classical guitar was Georgio. They provided the soundtrack for what was a great night of laughs and community building. For 10 years, Louroz has served tirelessly for many different causes and organizations in the city. - Snap South Mississauga

TIM FORAN|
Oct 08, 2010 - 2:06 PM
Hundreds of golden-clad high schoolers occupied 17 subway stations across the city this week to collect cash for hungry students in Toronto and school board staff will take over Yonge Street today.

The eager volunteers, standing out in bright yellow Feeding Young Minds t-shirts, were participating in the TTC Take Over Days during the 4 to 6 p.m. rush hours on Tuesday, Oct. 5 and Thursday, Oct. 7. The collections were part of a week-long list of fundraising events supported by almost 100 public schools across the city and organized by the Toronto District School Board's arms-length charitable arm, the Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS).

"We know in Toronto that 41 per cent of the kids, right across the city including (in) middle class schools, are coming to school without breakfast," explained Catherine Parsonage, CEO of TFSS. "But in our less affluent communities, that number goes as a high as 68 per cent of the children. International research has shown us that hungry children are not learning as well. We know that if they have breakfast, they do better in reading, they do better in writing, we know that they behave better. Anyone that has a child knows what happens when they're hungry. So having a healthy breakfast every day sets up our children so they're ready and able to learn in a classroom."

While secondary school students raised money in the TTC, many elementary schools hosted a Quiznos luncheon during the week, from which one dollar from every lunch ordered goes to TDSB student nutrition programs at schools in need.

The TFSS is ending the week with a large celebration entitled Wrap It Up Toronto!, sponsored by Canada Bread and Maple Leaf Foods, Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Yonge and Dundas Square. Entertainment will include free performances from Miles Jones and Arlene Paculan, a local strongman will attempt to pull a large school bus across the square, and the TDSB's director Chirs Spence and the Hoops4Hope charity team will shoot for cash in a basketball challenge.

"The story of hungry children coming to school is sad," said Parsonage. "But the work that our kids are doing, students right across the system, the volunteerism, the effort, the leadership, that's a joyous thing."

The TFSS is an umbrella arm that distributes municipal and provincial funding and private donations to community-based partners that are running more than 600 breakfast, lunch and snack programs in schools, comunity centres and church basements for 107,000 students. A full 100 per cent of the money it raises for nutrition programs goes directly to feeding hungry children, says TFSS.

However, government funding only covers about half of the money needed for those food programs with parental donations covering another 20 per cent, leaving "a huge funding gap," said Parsonage.

That results in the agency's partners having to skimp on the quality of foods they can give to students. "Perhaps students don't have milk, sometimes they don't have fresh fruit," she said.

And those are the nutritious products that need to be given to students to tackle rising obesity rates among Toronto's students, she added.

"People that are in low income communities, where obesity rates are the highest cannot afford to buy healthy food," she explained. "They can't afford to spend three dollars on four apples, they can't afford to have milk, whole grain bread products, the boneless chicken breasts (which) are low fat."

The result is that poorer parents are buying inexpensive foods like macaroni and cheese or frozen french fries which are high in sodium and fat, said Parsonage. "They're buying whatever will fill up the tummies of their children."

To donate, visit www.studentsuccess.ca

. - InsideToronto.com

WHAT : “Love Letters (A Cabaret)”
WHERE : The Trane Studio
WHEN : 3rd February, 800PM


Organized by Lene, Mean, and Green Productions, ‘Love Letters (A Cabaret)’ was a fun amateur night out. The evening promised nine performers who would “serenade the audience with show tunes, top hits, and even some originals”, and all proceeds went to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.


Alvin Alba, Aristotle Domingo, Lumena Daniel, Andrea Mapili, Jamie Mason, Geoff Stevens, Holly Timpener, Adam Vaz, and singer-songwriter Arlene Paculan all performed beautiful heart-wrenching songs. Whether they strummed along with their acoustic guitar, played the keyboard, or relied simply on their vocal chords as an instrument, the evening was definitely one way to start getting in the mood for Valentine’s Day.


Unfortunately not everyone was blessed with such professional and incredible musical talents as Arlene Paculan herself, but no one seemed to mind when a note (or five) was sung out of tune. After all, the evening was meant to be light and with proceeds going to a good cause, where’s the harm in lack of talent? - Toronto Social Review

Mississauga’s own Arlene Paculan isn’t just a talented musician and singer. The enthralling Gemini, who got her first taste of music by learning the piano at age 6, is using her talents and passion for music to help inspire and empower others.
The ever-smiling Arlene is a seasoned performer and has been showcasing her talents throughout the GTA for over two decades now, with no plans on slowing down.
What’s keeping her busy? Well, quite a bit.

She launched “Wonder Women”in 2010, an avenue that started out as a showcase for female singer-songwriters across various genres and putting them in front of different audiences to exhibit their talents and help increase awareness. The added bonus is it enables funds to be raised for female-driven associations.
With each event growing in popularity, the performance, now called “WonderFest,” combines “Wonder Women and Super Men” to broaden the appeal of the event and allows more talented musicians to connect their music with the community.
These events have ballooned in popularity so much so that now they're not only about music. There are various art mediums included, such as painting, poetry, spoken word, dance, film, performance art, comedy, motivational speakers and storytellers. With such breadth and depth, Arlene’s vision is constantly growing and that’s great news for her fellow artists.

Clearly, this gal is all about giving back, which is something she’s quite humble about.Her mantra is to “showcase the talent around us. To give artists a platform and outlet and afford them an opportunity to introduce and share their passion with the world.”
She goes on to say, “these events are to inspire and encourage people to create, regardless of the medium. Creativity can be found nearly anywhere, from setting the table, to an intricate spreadsheet, to a corporate setting and a plethora of avenues in between.”
I asked what motivates her and the instant answer was “my love for music and ability to create opportunities for others.”
It wasn’t a rehearsed response. It wasn’t saying what she thought I wanted to hear.
The way she spoke, her confident tone and the excitement that surrounded our over two hour conversation was an honest representation of a selfless woman who understands the value in helping others through her success.


She launched her own event/artist promotion company in 2012, called “Let’s Make Good Productions”, with her close friend, Kat Leonard, taking the leadership role as Artistic Director. The company’s mission statement is to spread empowerment through various art forms via ongoing WonderFest events and workshops. Adding to that is a TV show they host on Rogers TV called “WonderFest TV” which gives them another outlet to promote their empowering message.
In 2016, expect to see a host of WonderFest events, in addition to her weekly solo performances and energetic live performances with her band, “Arlene Paculan & the Cool Ones”.
Somehow, she’s also found time to work on an EP of original music that’s due in the spring of 2016. Either she’s found a way to freeze time or she sleeps every other night. Either way, this Mississauga talent is motivated, driven and absolutely ambitious.



Through the course of our chat, I learned several interesting things about her, including:

She doesn’t eat chocolate. (not a typo)
She was a competitive figure skater in her younger years and still enjoys leisurely skating when time allows
She performed her first original song at age 17 at the CNE’s Rising Star competition
She was runner-up in Now Magazine’s 2015 Best Songwriter category (very impressive!)
Lime Green is her favourite color
No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom is one of her favourite albums
Our Lady Peace is her favourite band
She plays the guitar, harmonica, cajon and glockenspiel in addition to the piano
Her favourite Mississauga venue is Celebration Square
Her dream venue to perform at? Carnegie Hall in NYC

After touring in Europe earlier this autumn, Arlene’s 2016 calendar keeps getting busier with an upcoming TV show on Rogers Cable in addition to leading the “Night Time Band” for Night Time with Sam Davis’ TV show, also on Rogers Cable.

Between empowering and supporting a plethora of other musicians and artists, expansion plans for WonderFest and consistent live performances, this Randolph Academy educated super-woman still boots around in a 2004 Toyota Camry (say what you want, that car has tons of space for her gear) and is incredibly humble. She constantly deflects the attention off of her and pours it onto others, knowing that giving bears more than receiving.

With her head in the clouds, feet firmly on the ground and fingers frequently dancing upon 88 black and white keys, Mississauga’s Arlene Paculan has beautifully blossomed from a rising star to an ever-shining beacon of inspiration and empowerment, lighting the way for others. - Modern Mississauga