Malak

It may only be the end of January, but it’s never too early to dust off those festival shoes: Megaphono Music Showcase Festival & Conference is almost here! Running from February 1-3, the local festival boasts over 50 artists playing in many venues all across the region. While perfect for concertgoers, it’s also doubly beneficial for those looking to break into the music industry; Managers, A&R, Directors, as well as other major industry players are a big part of Megaphono Festival as well. Offering invaluable information to Delegate Pass holders (and 2017 performers) about different and important aspects of the business through talks and speed meetings, Megaphono is definitely one festival you don’t want to miss this year.

With all the amazing talent being showcased at so many great venues we love, it seemed almost an impossible task to single out any one artist or event. However, we did want to give you a small glimpse of what this festival has to offer, so we decided to share the line up for the show at Atomic Rooster on Thursday, February 2:

The Reverb Syndicate:

The instrumental spy/surf rock band really knows their way around a great tune and a great time (paired with some pretty unique song titles to boot), with the ability to lure you out of your seat and get you moving.

Whether fast-paced and upbeat, or switched to a slower tempo, it’s all so well timed that it’s clear they have truly mastered the art of storytelling through their music. The Reverb Syndicate will transport you back in time and make you swear you walked right into some badass movie from the 60’s. If this sounds hard to believe, you can check for yourself right here:



It’s highly entertaining, it’s refreshingly different, it’s The Reverb Syndicate!

You can also check out and purchase all of their music right here

//

The Heavy Medicine Band:

So much can be said about The Heavy Medicine Band. They touch upon quite a few genres, making it hard to completely pin them down; but even doing so would be a disservice. Every style they hit, paired with Keturah Johnson’s strong smoky vocals, contributes to the beauty of their music as a whole. Every track is absolutely hypnotizing.

Starting out with a more bluesy folk/rock feel on the track “Mountain” (think Jeff Buckley), to a darker, heavier and stunningly powerful tune “Wrecking Ball Daughter”, every piece fits together so perfectly. The Heavy Medicine Band just can’t miss.

Perfect example here:


To get the fully recommended dose of The Heavy Medicine Band, fill your prescription here.

//

Dear Blackwolf:

The breadth of Dear Blackwolf’s influences in both rock and blues really shines through in their music while they present their own incredible take on it. This just allows you to appreciate how truly amazing this duo and their sound really is.

Armed with just a guitar and some wonderfully clean vocals, this track is absolutely stunning in its simplicity:

These fantastic local blues rockers have described their sound as “Rumble”. What exactly is “Rumble”, you ask? Well, let Dear Blackwolf show you the way: https://dearblackwolfband.bandcamp.com/



Come out to the full show! 3 bands. Thursday, February 2. Atomic Rooster. Pay What You Can, or free if you have a festival pass. Doors are at 8:30.

//

So there you have it. A peek into just one of the many fantastic shows lined up for the Megaphono Showcase Festival! A list of all the great bands being showcased can be found here: http://www.megaphono.tv/artists-2017/

Partake in the music, attend some daytime talks with industry professionals (with Delegate Pass), meet like-minded festival goers, and get out there and enjoy our beautiful city! Nab your passes (Festival or Delegate) HERE. Head to the website for full details, and to plan your festival schedule: HERE. - Bytown Sound

Malak with Lucila Al Mar and Minotaurs

Megaphono showcase

When: Feb. 1, 8 p.m.

Where: Le Petit Chicago, 50 Prom. du Portage, Gatineau

Admission: $10 at the door

Megaphono schedule: megaphono.tv

Singer-songwriter Malak went to the 2016 edition of Megaphono, the Ottawa music-industry conference and showcase festival, without a lot of expectations.

A student in Carleton University’s singer-songwriter program, she had just released her first album, a five-song EP entitled Circus, and was handing it out to every music-biz type she met.

Now she’s thrilled to be one of the showcasing artists at the third annual Megaphono, which takes place Feb. 1-3 in various locations across the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

The conference portion features panels and networking events aimed at people in the music industry, while the artist showcases are open to the public. More than 50 artists are showcasing during the three-day event.

“I think I was kind of in a what-now stage,” Malak says of her situation last year. “I wasn’t completely lost, but I didn’t know what my direction was. As soon as I went to Megaphono, I was like, ‘OK, now I know what I’m going to do.’”

One of her biggest eye-openers was learning that industry reps look for artists with their own unique sound.



“They care a lot more about originality than I originally thought,” says the 21-year-old, who graduates this spring. “I thought people were looking for whatever’s playing on the radio but they’re actually looking for something that’s original. Likeable and accessible still, but original. I thought that was pretty cool.”

Indeed. When it comes to originality, no one sounds like Malak. At a recent Girls To The Front songwriters’ circle at Irene’s Pub, Malak filled the room with her incredible, multi-octave voice, accompanying herself on keyboards to a song that evoked the epic scope of Lady Gaga mixed with the artistic sensibility of Kate Bush. The emotion in her voice was spine-tingling.

Malak also showed her star power during the first installment of the Shot In the Dark video series, which captures a one-song live performance by a variety of Ottawa-area artists. More than a dozen videos by different acts have been released by producer/organizer Dean Watson and his team. Most rack up a few thousand views; Malak’s impassioned rendition of her song, Rule the World, is closing in on 90,000 hits.

For her, Megaphono is a great networking opportunity. “I want to make long-term connections,” she says. “I want to get to know the delegates and learn more about what they do. And I’m totally stoked to be showcasing.”

lsaxberg@postmedia.com - Ottawa Sun

180. Just sit on that number for a second. Ruminate. Now, how many Ottawa based albums can you name that came out over the last few years? Five? Ten? How about 180? At least that’s how many were released in 2015 with a collective of others last year. It's a growing city music scene here that shows little sign of slowing the pace. New venues are opening, new acts are emerging and new sounds are out there to discover but, according to Connecting Ottawa Music, a report presented last February, the city has lacked the infrastructure to get behind local musicians, publishers and labels.

The report was a pipe bomb that’d been lying dormant waiting for somebody to ignite the fuse. One might think that opening the always unpredictable MEGAPHONO festival last year on such a somber note might have been a bit of a downer but, in reality, it was the eye opening kick in the ass Jon Bartlett’s festival needed to give this town when it comes to promoting and supporting local talent.

Despite this, festival director Bartlett expressed then how it was “an exciting time to be working in music in Ottawa.” To him, and those who get out and dive into the diverse scene, the city is in the middle of a musical boom.

One year later, MEGAPHONO is entering into a third go round as a local fest that strives to blaze that spotlight onto the music of Ottawa, Gatineau and Eastern Ontario by not only staging multiple performances at local venues but, also, bringing in industry professionals looking for the next big band or, at the very least, hear the noise this city can make when given the right microphone.

When mentioning such a sweet cacophony, Ottawa punkers New Swears may just make the loudest crash, bash and smash in town. The glasses behind the bar are going to rattle (a few may break) when these boys hit the stage and it didn’t take long for them to be heard. The band, who put the exclamation point on MEGAPHONO 2016 in their usual brand of insanity, scored a contract with Dine Alone Records.

That’s just the success Bartlett was looking for. Each year the festival seems to extend it’s reach. The 2017 edition will see over 35 international music buyers hitting O-town from North America and Europe as well as daytime talks and skill-building workshops set to educate musicians on getting their music out to a larger audience.

Never has the music buffet of local offerings been more delectable then the first week of February. 20 venues will see 60 local and regional artists perform in genres ranging from bluegrass to chamber music.

If you’re on the fence don’t just jump off that thing. Wreck the fence! Obliterate it, smash it to splinters, make instruments out of the pieces, because the party is on the other side.

Here are some of our top picks for MEGAPHONO 2017:

Malak
Wednesday, February 1 – 9PM
Petit Chicago

US born but raised in Egypt, “one of the most powerful and beautiful voices in town” now calls Ottawa home. We’re lucky to have her as Malak has been stunning audiences with her gorgeous melding of electronic pop and orchestral music clutched within a spine-tingling vocal range. The newcomer’s voice weaves stealthily around her audience like a wisp of perfume, unseen but very much there. It’s like roses for the ears. Those roses still have thorns, however, and Malak’s sound has a bite to it that reminds you that sweet can still be so beautifully savage.

Bry Webb
Thursday, February 2 – 10:00PM
St. Alban’s

Probably best known to most as the front man to underground rockers The Constantines, Webb stripped down for his solo offerings that seem to just drift on the air, minimalist compositions that attach themselves to the room like portraits of lives never lived but, still, eerily familiar. Webb’s songs shift as life will, changing as time goes by, seconds turn to years. You may not hear the same version twice. Feist has said seeing Webb perform is “more poetry than play-by-play…and it culminates into something you feel more than think about.”

Reverb Syndicate
Thursday, February 2 – 10:45PM
Atomic Rooster

This band may very well have descended from the outer reaches of the solar system with a galactic wish to re-imagine surf rock and spy movie music into the new age. Though there’s no concrete evidence of the band’s alien nature, their second release was the space themed Sputnick A-Go-Go, a tubular rocket ship of sound. Spaghetti westerns, shades of the Ventures and battles with the evil Commodore 64 all factor somehow into this groove. If that’s not out of this world I don’t know what is!

New Swears
Thursday, February 2 – Midnight
Barrymore’s

#Garagepunk #powerpop #insaneliveshow #earbleedingawesomesauce


Old Man Grant
Friday, February 3 – 3:30PM
Elmdale Tavern

Now, I know what you are thinking, some dude with a banjo sitting on a porch rocking chair with a dying hound dog wheezing at his feet. Right? Wrong-oh! Old Man Grant is a trio that is not old, doesn’t include a hound dog dying or otherwise and perhaps at least one rocking chair somewhere in the basement! The rhymes will move you as you’re hooked on the line of emotional storytelling. Beautiful bluegrass, fantastic folk and blues bop is their trade and they bring it to you ears with a three part harmony that is a captivating slice of local musical pie.

Mike Dubue’s Chamber Feast
Friday, February 3 – 7:30PM
St. Alban’s

Mike Dubue is a musical shape shifter. I’ve seen him perform with his band the Hiltrons and I’ve seen him perform compositions for silent movie classics like Nosferatu but I ain’t never seen him change into a feast of skewered chamber music with the madman of klezmer hip hop Josh “Socalled” Dolgin. This night will feature strings, harpsichord and video projection for what may be the gem in this festival’s chest of wonderment. The Warhol Dervish string quartet will perform new music by Dubue who’s compositions are always beyond the realms of human intrigue, collapsing in on you as you wonder just what you are listening to and leaving you in a beautiful heap of sound. Pemi Paull and Thomas Annand are also on the undercard.

Her Harbour
Friday, February 3 – 10:15PM
The Gallery Recording Studio

Life could be a dream, yes, but life could also be the soothing sounds of Her Harbour. Like the ocean, what you hear can welcome calm, cool waters but these waves and ripples reflect a midnight sky. There’s a darkness to descend into. Down, down, down a moonlit staircase. Though you don’t know where you are going you are compelled to continue. It’s a walk you don’t mind taking with your eyes closed, allowing the full push of the music to cradle you in an embrace that doesn’t necessarily make you feel safe but, even so, you can imagine yourself nowhere else. The ghostly songs of Her Harbour won’t drag you into the dark. You’ll walk into it smiling. - Ottawa Life Magazine

The newcomer adjusts her microphone as a veteran of the Ottawa music scene looks on. Perhaps she is wondering to herself what this new voice will sound like. Pat Moore was there once, after all, in another era. There at the beginning of the road facing an unknown horizon ahead.

Moore has just played one of over a hundred songs she could have pulled out of her decades in music to share with the crowd gathered at Irene’s. It is now Malak Sound’s turn to perform one of a possible handful of songs in her growing repertoire. She glances once at the audience, looks down at her keyboard and begins to sing.


Julie Corrigan
This night Malak utterly stuns the crowd with an impressive array of vocal power spiked with sweetness not to mention a musicianship that would seem to be further on up that road and not there at start of it. In the few minutes between both of their songs, one has a chance to reflect upon the diversity of the women in music we have here in the capital.

The two are joined by the sultry country crooning of Julie Corrigan, host and organizer of Girls to the Front, a monthly songwriters circle taking place at Irene’s Pub. Corrigan had been involved in a few previous circles featuring only women in the past and says the connections she made there were invaluable to her own musical journey. She approached another influential woman in the Ottawa music scene, Trish Bolechowsky of Red Leaf Music and co-host of CKCU’s The Brew, about launching a series here to showcase the women in Ottawa’s vibrant music community. Bolechowsky didn’t much convincing to get on board.

Irene’s is a very fitting location to host such a series. Not only does the venue provide some of the best sound in town and an intimate setting that feels akin to joining these women in their living rooms, but the pub’s namesake was once awarded for her community service and the Irene’s has become the spiritual home to so many artists and musicians over thirty years they’ve been open.


With the perfect venue and a kick ass poster (it shows what Cruella de Vil may have looked like had she reached for a guitar instead of a fur coat) Corrigan was not at a loss to fill the series with talent. As a musician herself, she knows the difficulties faced by woman in the industry as they struggle to get their music out there. She’ll be the first to admit that she still cleans houses to make a living but the music is always on her mind.

“We don't see or hear enough women in music at festivals and on the radio. We have to work harder to be seen, heard and remembered. When I think of all the incredible songs and music that we are missing out on it makes me sad,” says Corrigan, who adds that she hopes the Girls to the Front series helps those who join her gain exposure even if it is only on a local level.

“I hope it builds musical friendships between all of the songwriters who take part in the event. I hope that it promotes and builds visibility for all of the songwriters involved. I hope that it adds to our incredible music community.”

Corrigan smiles as Malak Sound finishes her first song. The room falls silent. It’s a silence not caused by the audience’s lack of wanting to applaud but one created out of sheer breath-stopping amazement of what we have all just heard. Her voice has just weaved stealthily around the audience like a wisp of perfume, unseen but very much there. It’s like roses for the ears. Those roses still have thorns, however, and Malak’s sound has a bite to it that reminds you that sweet can still be so beautifully savage.

Moore, who began her career back in the ‘80s and has become a staple of the city’s folk/bluegrass community, can’t hide her own astonishment, visibly struck by the effect of this new sound.

Pat Moore beaks the silence with three words: “Wow, she’s great.”


Malak Sound
Born in the US but raised in Egypt, Malak was immersed in musical diversity from a child. The 21-yar-old took her youthful passion and drew from her multicultural heritage to win vocal competitions in Greece, Italy and Egypt, to name a few. Last year was a break out one for the up incoming artist as she released her debut EP Circus and stunned audiences all over town with that voice that can move from velvet to leather in a heartbeat.

In a night of songs about lost loves, broken hearts and dudes stealing ATM machines with a backhoe, Malak was elated to be asked to join the series as she believes more can be done to promote female musicians over all.

“I think there is room for improvement. While we have female artists who have gained international recognition, I feel like the current scene of internationally renowned Canadian artists, especially in the pop realm, is a bit male-dominated,” she says.

“Personally, I want to raise awareness of the strong female presence in the local music scene but also the strong musical presence in general. I think Irene's is the perfect place to host this kind of series because other than the musicians' already existing fans, Irene's is a popular bar with a lot of clientele. Strangers will be coming in and listening to your music, which then makes them into fans.”

Malak Sound will be appearing next as part of the Megaphono Festival at Le Petit Chicago on February 1. The Girls to the Front Series continues next month with Corrigan being joined by guests Jody Benjamin and Rahael Yohannes on February 20, two fantastic opportunities to hear some of the amazing female talents this city has to showcase! - Ottawa Life Magazine

After a busy spring and summer last year, Ottawa’s music stages were fairly quiet. But they’re ramping up for 2017, although there’s still no sign of the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty or Bruno Mars. Still, these musical happenings that should be on your radar in the coming months.

Megaphono

Catriona Sturton, Heavy Medicine Band, Malak, Trevor Alguire and the Lucas Haneman Express are some of the buzz-worthy Ottawa-based acts set to strut their stuff in front of music-industry delegates in town for the Megaphono conference and showcase festival, taking place Feb. 1-3 in various locations. Now in its third year, the event is the brainchild of Kelp Records’ Jon Bartlett, who’s managed to convince global players to visit Ottawa in the dead of winter. - Ottawa Citizen

Malak is set to release her debut EP Circus Saturday night January 16 at LIVE! on Elgin.

Malak may not be a household name to most readers, but she has one of the most powerful and beautiful voices in town. She is quickly establishing herself as a versatile musician in the Ottawa scene, having already performed in various high profile events. Her sound crosses and melds genres, from jazz to classical to pop and more. For a taste of it you can stream the EP at the end of the article and you can get more information on the show here.

We sat down with Malak for a quick interview ahead of the EP release show to talk about her story and her music.

YOU ARE NOT ORIGINALLY FROM OTTAWA, DO YOU MIND ELABORATING A LITTLE BIT ON THE JOURNEY THAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE NATION’S CAPITAL?
I lived in Cairo, Egypt until I was 16, and began voice lessons at age 7. For 9 years I studied with some of the country’s most renowned classical, jazz and pop vocal trainers. I won multiple national and international awards in the Middle East as well as Europe (Italy, Germany, Greece). I moved to Ottawa in 2011 in order to further my music education in Carleton University’s music program, as well as my career. Canada is bursting at the seams with opportunities, especially for artists. I am fortunate to be living somewhere where art can be freely expressed in all its forms and where the community truly supports its local artists and takes pride in them.

HOW HAS THIS BACKGROUND SHAPED YOUR ART?
Having lived in a country that experienced a lot of turmoil, especially in the revolution which began in 2011, I always took an interest in people; how they react to situations and deal with issues in their lives, and how everyone has a unique way of expressing their love towards one another. This interest in people’s individual stories inspires most of my songs. I love taking someone’s story and writing and composing as if from their perspective. It’s like writing a little autobiography for someone else.

Photo by Willow Lamoureux
Photo by Willow Lamoureux
YOU HAVE NAMED YOUR DEBUT EP “CIRCUS,” AND THIS IS CLEARLY A THEME IN YOUR ART. WHAT IS IT ABOUT CIRCUSES THAT INSPIRE YOU?
When I think of a circus, I don’t imagine the happy circus that one would take their family to. The circus that I refer to in my song and art in general is a colourful but dangerous place. It is a metaphor for the dark place that exists in all our minds. Everyone has their demons, and my imagined circus is the place that houses all of them, camouflaged in bright clown costumes and performing hypnotic acrobatics to be attractive. Circus is about someone who fights these inner demons but loses, and gives in to their temptations.

CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE PROCESS OF MAKING CIRCUS? HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN IN THE WORKS, WHERE WAS IT RECORDED, WHO HAVE YOU COLLABORATED WITH?
Circus has been around a year in the making, and it was recorded at the Gallery Recording Studio.

The beginning of the process was very experimental, deciding which of my songs should go on the album and testing out different methods for expressing each one. I was very fortunate to have Dean Watson producing this album. With every new song he and I would sit for hours orchestrating it and finding a unique sound that would effectively express it. And the result was a colourful collection of quality composed and recorded songs. I am grateful to have worked with someone with his level of skill and I am looking forward to recording my next full length album with Dean at the Gallery Recording Studio, which is already in progress.

It was also a delight and an honour to have many of Ottawa’s local talent included in the EP. “Sam Wants a Bang” was arranged by Ed Lister, who also played keys with Michel Delage on drums and JP Lapensee on bass. Raphael Weinroth-Browne of The Visit composed and performed cello for Circus – for which Mike Giamberardino of Tribe Royal recorded drums – and Mannequin. Talented pianist and songwriter, Dan Robidoux is present in all five songs on the EP. He will be appearing at the EP Release on Saturday, January 16th, as well as Justine Walker who recorded drums for Greed and will be playing drums for the show. The violin in Owe You is played by Robin Evans.

WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE EXPECT WHEN THEY ATTEND A MALAK SHOW?
A powerful and entertaining performance. I enjoy expressing a wide array of personas during in my shows. Because my songs are about people’s stories, I enjoy telling them as if they are coming from the people themselves, which allows for a playful variety of tone and mood all through the show. I perform for my audience and from the heart, and you can guarantee there is never a dull moment in a Malak show.

WHAT MAKES SATURDAY NIGHT’S SHOW EXTRA SPECIAL?
If you attend this Saturday’s EP Release at Live! On Elgin, you will be contributing to charity. All merch sale profits from the show will be going to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in collaboration with Inner Wheel Club of Ottawa, so not only will you get lots of awesome music, but you’ll also be supporting a good cause. On that note I would like to briefly mention the importance of supporting your local artist. When you go to any arts event including shows, galleries, plays, etc. not only is it an enriching experience, but you are also keeping art in your community alive. Without the audience to share the art with, artists would not exist. - Ottawa Showbox

we'll talk with budding artists Malak and Jordan King about showcasing their talent at Carleton's singer-songwriter student showcase tomorrow night. - All In A Day

Malak Ghanem – as a musician, simply known as Malak – has one of the most powerful and impressive voices I have heard in all my years of going to concerts in Ottawa. And now with the new video for her song “Mannequin,” she has some dazzling visuals to accompany it.

Much of the video is shot in the picturesque fall setting of Gatineau Park, specifically at the beautiful Carbide Willson Ruins. If you have never hiked there, I strongly recommend making the trip any time of year. It is one of the many hidden treasures of the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

As the song progresses, the video jumps from dance-inspired chase scenes as a man chases Malak throughout the ruins, to shots of Malak standing in front of ruins and waterfall belting out the song like only she can. “Mannequin” is the first song on Malak’s debut EP Circus which was released last year. Watch the video below watch to find out if Malak is caught by the person chasing her.

Be sure to go see Malak live during MEGAPHONO on Wednesday, February 1st at Le Petit Chicago (info here) and fall in love with her voice in person. - Ottawa Showbox

“Only when you stop looking for other people to tell you you’re good and just start knowing it will you start becoming successful,” says singer-songwriter Malak, expressing a wisdom that waltzes comfortably around her youth. At 21, the newcomer is well of aware of the gesso needed to prime her musical canvass giving you a sense that she’s been here for years and not just a few steps into her career.

Some of this can be attributed to how well traveled the musician is. With most people not starting their worldly adventures until after college, Malak had already experienced a delectable mix of cultures before pursuing music more professionally. Raised in Egypt, she’d venture to Greece, Italy and Germany before the eventual move to Canada collecting the music of each region like road maps in a glove compartment.

While traveling provided gateways to music she may not have otherwise been exposed to, she tells Ottawa Life that her parent’s love of virtuosic Egyptian singers, Arabic pop tunes on the radio and the internet also formed pieces she took for inspiration.

“Being simultaneously part of the internet generation and having a lot of exposure to Western culture, I was listening to a lot of English music in my youth,” she adds, saying that her six-year-old self was well immersed in Top 40 radio hits by The Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.

She was always surrounding herself with music. At seven, she'd join a kids’ choir and start piano lessons, eventually shifting into more classical vocal training in her teens. Malak has fond memories of going to karaoke with her mother and friends. The good times, however, were about to be darkened by a black cloud that had been looming above her home.


Between January and February of 2011 the Egyptian Revolution struck causing multiple violent clashes between police and protestors. 6,000 people were injured, 846 would lose their lives causing many in the country to fear for the safety of their families. Wanting to continue her education in music in a more secure political climate, Malak would bring her multicultural diversity to study at Ottwa’s Carleton University.

“I like living in a country where the freedom to express your thoughts and identity are considered a basic right, and where accepting everyone's different thoughts and identities is your duty as a Canadian. Isn't it cool that we live in a place where that is the norm? I think that's really precious.”

The musician says that transitioning into this mindset has only helped her grow as an artist while adding to the cultural mix she already had.

Eager to break out before completing her studies, Malak arduously attempted to write, perform and record while dealing with the usual pressures of studying, keeping up with classwork and maintaining a social life during school.

“I think I've only started to feel the pressure in my current year – which is my last year – at school. In my previous years my focus was usually mainly on my studies while I used all my free time for recording and performing.”

She says school has helped her get a firmer grip on her craft with inspiration coming from many different directions and at random moments during the day. She’ll often find herself hit by a lyric or melody, singing it publicly to flesh it out or retain it while attracting a few stares of concern from people on the bus.



Carleton has also provided much mentorship, including a connection to local producer/engineer and musician Dean Watson, somebody well steeped in a do-it-yourself, indie attitude. Under his guidance, one that nurtured her creative freedom to express herself in ways that merged her various backgrounds and influences together, Malak would record her first EP, Circus, in 2014.

It hardly sounds like a first time effort, however. Playful but deep, cuts like the title track, “Greed” and “Mannequin” show an artist seemingly very comfortable digging through her closet and slipping into various styles even if she’s just getting used to how they fit.

Uplifted by Watson’s belief in her music, Malak returned to the producer this year when it was time to put together her first full album. She says the coming release is going to sound completely different from the EP with her and Watson exploring her recent interest in electronic music. She also has more confidence to dive deeper into her creativity pool, getting more explorative with her music while having more control in the production of her newer tracks.

“I never knew how infinite the sonic possibilities were with recording. Creating music in the studio is just as exciting for me as performing on stage. It's like painting a picture out of sounds. You can never settle for a something that sounds close to what you're looking for but isn't quite there. You have to use all the right elements to make the final product sound like you want it to. And then when it does it's something you can be proud of.”

Managing to still pour herself into the final months of school, she says, has been a challenge but she didn’t come this far to falter so close to the finish line.

“Since September it has become a bit more challenging to balance both (music and school) because my career has become increasingly active. But I've only got a couple more months until the semester is over, and I'm frankly grateful things are getting so busy with my music.”

Busy is right!

While working on the album and performing all over the city, Malak has been raking in much acclaim usually by people who are simply blown away by the voice that rushes out of her. It's like ice on fire. That moment you first hear it is a kind of mix of elation and sadness because you realize you will never get to experience her for the first time again!

This journalist had that pleasure last month at Irene’s where her voice, I wrote, weaved stealthily around the audience like a wisp of perfume, unseen but very much there. It’s like roses for the ears. Those roses still have thorns, however, and Malak’s sound has a bite to it that reminds you that sweet can still be so beautifully savage.

Her career reached another peak this week when Malak was named as one of the acts part of this year’s Bluesfest, an opportunity she says she's already planning for knowing how such a gig can only elevate her more as an artist.

Though the climb as a new, local sensation has been a rapid one, Malak herself has remained pretty humble.

“I don't know if I would call myself a sensation,” she says with a laugh.

“Honestly, I have been noticing that people have been getting far more receptive to my music and what I'm trying to do. Truthfully it feels awesome to know that people I don't know are coming out to my shows. It's only stoking the fire.”

Given the heat of last year's flames, that fire is sure to build to an inferno sooner rather than later.

By: Andre Gagne - Ottawa Life Magazine