Terra Grimard Horizons Interview

Canadian born, northern Queensland adopted Terra Grimard stood back into the limelight after 7 years with her song "Islands" in April. She's now set to release the second track from The Water Album, "Horizons". The song combines a wondrous electronic backdrop with Terra Grimard's folky pop sound.

"'Horizons" is an uplifting track about being on an open-ended journey and wondering which direction you should head next. It's about having the freedom and space in life where the possibilities are endless. You can imagine you are looking out at the big sky, in the midst of an adventure and you are wondering what destiny holds. I wrote this song on a big trip up the eastern coast of Australia and we were asking ourselves 'what comes next?''

Living in northern Queensland, spending most of the time in the ocean, Terra's heart lives in nature which has led her to donate all proceeds from "Horizons" to The Great Barrier Reef as she explains, "At this time coming out of the COVID-19, its been amazing to see the impact of less pollution in our oceans and air. This is my way of giving back to the body of water that has inspired my music."

After winning the "Women in Rock" grant in Vancouver, Canada, Terra developed her craft where she then recorded her first full length album Unconventional Shining (2009) which is mixed and mastered by Husky Huskolds (Norah Jones, Yael Naim). Her second full-length album Leopardwood (2013) was inspired by the outback of Australia. After falling in love with the land, Terra had her recording gear sent over from Canada and set up a space to track in the very rustic shearers quarters in which she lived. Leopardwood took a more acoustic, guitar driven and rootsy approach to correlate with this setting and Canadian producer Mike Ardagh added the finishing touches.

Mike Ardagh's production work on The Water Album delivers an electronic undertone, with the soundscape exploring layers of samples and synthesizers with grooves that range from punchy to withdrawn. There is a maturity in Terra's voice and a settled strength in her writing, with the new album recorded in various studios across Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Australia. Terra says "It's amazing working online and across seas and being able to create music like this. We did some vocal tracking in live Pro Tools sessions together, me in my studio, Mike in his on the other side of the world. The technology is pretty amazing".

Interview with Terra Grimard

Question: How would you describe your music?

Terra Grimard : Introspective, peaceful and spacious.


Question: Can you tell us about Horizons?

Terra Grimard : I wrote 'Horizons' when we were traveling. We were sailing from Sydney up the east coast of Australia. It was an open-ended trip and we had no plans for what we would do after. 'Horizons' is about asking what the future holds and feeling like there are a lot of possibilities.


Question: What can you tell us about Women in Rock ?

Terra Grimard : Women in Rock was a scholarship for high school students in Canada. I applied with a song I had written and recorded with my sister (The Grimard Sisters). Being from a small town I was surprised when I actually won! Part of the award was a grant which I used to record my first EP. The other part the award was playing in a showcase in Vancouver. At the showcase I met singer/songwriter Allison Crowe and I ended up opening up for her on a cross-Canada tour. The whole experience got me believing in myself and discovering what it was like to be a musician.


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Terra Grimard : I hope my music makes people feel uplifted. Life has its ups and downs; music is a great way to be going through it all. I also hope listeners can relate to my stories, so the message would be 'you are not alone in this.'


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Terra Grimard : I love recording. I get excited about creating from scratch and seeing a song develop.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform and why?

Terra Grimard : My latest single, 'Horizons', is a current favourite. I've been re-living it on acoustic guitar, the instrument I wrote it on. It has a nice groove. It makes me feel like I'm sitting by the seaside.


Question: Do you play any instruments?

Terra Grimard : I play piano / keyboard and acoustic guitar.

Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Terra Grimard : I would love to have my Mum, Dad and sister from Canada come to a show. I don't see them as often as I would like, especially now with all the travel restrictions.


Question: How would you describe your style?

Terra Grimard : Alternative-pop with floating vocals.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

Terra Grimard : I think when I was younger I thought things would happen quickly. Now I realize that making music or any art is a life-long endeavor. You just keep working at it and evolving and growing.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Terra Grimard : Consistency. I've gotten swept up into other life stuff so many times over and my focus has been ever-shifting. I'm really good at finding distractions! But I keep on coming back to what matters and what matters to me is showing up every day at my piano and writing. What works best for me is setting aside a certain time every day to write music. It becomes a ritual and when it happens daily it's no biggie to put in the time to be creative. I feel like I'm my best self then too. Everyone around me gets the benefit.


Question: What's a typical day like?
Terra Grimard : I'm an early riser and I practice yoga first thing each day. I like my coffee and then I make brekky for my kids. If kids are at school I divide my day into planning a release and working on recordings I've got in the works. On other days, I work on our house and garden that my husband and I are renovating. At night, I'm in my studio writing music.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Terra Grimard : I love songwriting. It's been the best thing to be able to create something from scratch and turn life's experiences into songs. That's the most fulfilling part.


Question: What's next, for you?

Terra Grimard : I'm excited to release The Water Album in a couple of months! It's been in the works for a long time and it means a lot to me. Otherwise I am working on a batch of singles to release next year.


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Terra Grimard : Instagram  
Facebook  
Twitter  


Interview by Gwen van Montfort