A show presented in collaboration with the Théâtre du cuivre

Tickets on sale : December 9th, 2022 / 9 AM

*services fees not included

As a child, Hanorah taught herself how to sing. Infatuated by the power and the indefinable authenticity of vocalists like Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder, she would often rewind little parts of a song so she could repeat a lick or a small trill. She slowly began to understand intricacies of tone and how these artists were able to use their voices to have an emotional impact.

As the years passed, Hanorah wrote songs out of pure emotional necessity. Following a sexual assault in 2012, music became a means of survival that helped her through the day. In an interview with Hanorah she shared, “hearing testimonies online from other survivors after I was assaulted really lifted the veil of denial and secrecy for me. It’s a part of why it’s in the music, because I know others need their experiences validated too.” Hanorah is most musically inspired when she connects with someone through a shared experience. This intimacy drives her creative work forward.

After reaching out for help, Hanorah began processing her assault and through this process began to seriously consider a career in music. She started assembling her team. She met her guitarist, Paul De Rita and keyboardist/backup vocalist, Christian Henegan-Comeau, on separate occasions while they were busking in the Montreal metro. As a new Soul and R&B band, they played in local bars, which soon led to media coverage, televised appearances and a record deal.

With their first jolt of success, they toured extensively throughout Canada. This is when Hanorah embraced her passion for performing. “Being on stage is something else. That is where it happens for me. That is where a song can take on new life. I’ll take a risk vocally and a new
melody will come out or a new height in my range will come out or something that I’ve never done before will happen. A song really comes to life when you play it live.” This mentality allows her to be in a state of constant development. It keeps her open to the process, willing to explore new ideas that may be strange or unknown.

After three years of touring Canada and the US (with the likes of Mavis Staples, Seratones, and Coeur de Pirate) Hanorah dove back into songwriting. Having that downtime at home after extensive touring helped inspire a more intimate perspective and tone to her sound. Hanorah is always willing to change and try something new. As long as it means she can “get into something that [she] feel[s] true about.”

When asked, “What’s that like to create something that’s true? What’s your method for getting to that place?” Hanorah responded, “Close your eyes, shut off your brain and open your mouth. Let it happen, let it come out, let it exist, cause it does already, I kind of see it like there’s this well, a bank of amorphous abstract ideas always swirling around and as you consume things like music and art and books and television and that kind of stuff. You are always adding to that and it is contributing to your subconscious, your bank of tools or your bank of information that mixes with your own essence that comes out when you let it. I’m trying to let things come out rather than force a sound.”

Hanorah has recently signed with Ensoul Records and her debut full-length album “Perennial” will be released in October.