w/ Country's Hottest Trio 'The Heels'
New Single Changing Lives Worldwide
''Happy After You''
Hosted by Kim Cyr
Presented by NOW and THEN Magazine
https://www.nowandthenmagazine.com
New Single Changing Lives Worldwide
''Happy After You''
There’s a sound that isn’t heard enough on Country radio—the sound of organic, three-part female harmonies, offering stories that speak the language of modern women everywhere. Add in some good-natured brash and sassy attitude and you’ve got Canada’s pop-country queens, The Heels.
That title is now undisputed with the release of the trio’s warmly received 2018 debut album, Love, Heels, and multiple follow-up singles, alongside BCCMA Award wins. Although Bobbi Smith, Brittni Dominelli, and Kyla Rawlins have spent much of these past three years winning over audiences with a dynamic live show that showcases each of their distinctive voices and personalities, they also found time to write over 100 songs during several trips to Nashville—and at their home base in Vancouver— for the sophomore album titled “I Am”.
By incorporating influences ranging from classic country, gospel and Motown, through to powerful contemporary female artists such as Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, and Whitney Houston, The Heels’ music, although it may be categorized as country, display a unique musical vision that transcends the genre.
Bobbi, Brittni, and Kyla still get a kick whenever someone assumes they’re sisters. They know it’s not just because of their seamless “family blend” harmony, but because of the obvious personal chemistry, they share. And when that chemistry comes down to spreading positive energy, there is just no limit to how high The Heels will lift us.
''Bobbi, Brittni, and Kyla spent most of 2020 recording an isolation album for 2021 delivering positive messages of self-love and changing lives with their single 'Happy After You', says Kim Cyr, Editor in Chief for NOW and THEN Magazine and host of the International Music's Journey Podcast.'' ''It has been an incredible experience speaking with fans and women from all over the world who have been moved to change their life circumstances and beginning the journey back to self-love after hearing 'Happy After You' by the hottest country trio 'The Heels'. The song is so moving and raw that it sends chills up your spine. The lyrics leave you speechless with emotions that you simply can not ignore. It takes a lot to write a song like this. You have to be able to go to that place that most of us don't want to face or talk about. Even though we know it's hard to face and look at our own circumstances, women can feel isolated and without support when facing domestic violence or intimate partner abuse. Most abuse happens over long periods of time with other types of control and verbal abuse long before physical abuse. The lyrics and moving vocals by Bobbi, Brittni, and Kyla are incredible for this song.
''I had the pleasure of chatting with the girls once again for the release of their single 'Happy After You' and about life during this pandemic,'' says Cyr.
''The importance of the 16 tracks on our new album ''I AM'' was so healing for us as a band and as individuals,'' says Bobbi. ''We just couldn't wait to share it all with the fans. Let's face it, this has been so hard on so many for different reasons. We have spent so much time creatively writing during this time that we were ready to release our new music. We are really proud of this body of work. It means everything to us. We just hope everyone likes it as much as we do. We normally take 3-6 months between releases but this time we wanted to do it differently. We have been looking at releasing like once a month to a month and a half. It feels so good to hear and see how the songs have been received by the fans. It feels really good,'' says Bobbi.
''It was hard to choose just 16 songs for this album because we have been working really hard at writing our journeys and there are some pretty special songs in the 100 that we have written during the past 3 years,'' says Kyla. ''Some of the songs that are on the album were written a long time ago. 'High Heels On' was our first release this year and we knew it was the right one to start the year because it had that song style that fans were used to from us but a message that was so important and that was a message of self-empowerment. We had heard about something called 'The Shadow Pandemic' with our research and saw how domestic violence had risen in staggering numbers during the pandemic and it's still rising. This song was about empowerment and taking your power back and getting out of a bad situation. It was a message about standing up and loving yourself enough to leave the abusive relationship and living without domestic or intimate partner violence. It's important to recognize when something isn't good for us and not to feel held down in that and living a life where you don't lose that love for yourself. Then we released something fun and grooving like 'Dump Him' which is a personal story,'' says Kyla.
''The lyrics for Dump Him are sassy and brilliant,'' says Cyr. ''The Heels are delivering stories that speak the language of modern women everywhere. Dump Him will have you grooving with retro throwback vibes of Stevie Nicks' Dreams,'' says Cyr.
''We wanted a softer song that delivered a strong message of self-love for our third release and ''Happy After You'' was the perfect choice,'' says Brittni.
''What was it like to get the vocals right in just the right harmony for this song, Kyla?'' says Cyr.
''It's such a delicate song and a very sensitive song too,'' says Kyla. ''With every song that we write, there is a vibe that is just so clear and because the three of us have such different voices that when it blends together, it's magical. Even when we play it back and we look at each other and wonder how we did that. Sometimes we can't even tell who is singing. This song needed a delicate softer lead and we all thought of Brittni right away. She is such a gentle, soft soul and her tone just matched this song so perfectly.''
''What was it like having Anthony Liam Fiddler produce this new album,'' says Cyr.
''Amazing'', says Kyla. ''When we wrote this song with Kalsey Kulyk, she playing the acoustic guitar, and then when Anthony started to introduce the piano and the different types of drums, it became really emotional for us all. Anthony really kept that pureness to it and that vulnerability in the guitar like when Kalsey played it when we were writing. It is really special.''
''You also had the multi-award winning mixer/producer, Jeff Diesel, mixing this album for you. What was that like to hear the finished songs?'' says Cyr.
''It was great working with Jeff,'' says Kyla. ''It is so incredible to hear the songs with all the instrumental components added in and to hear everything come to life in the way he does the mastering. He is just amazing.''
''It has to feel incredible to see the fans from all over the world reacting and posting video messages to you girls thanking you all for writing these songs that are changing lives from every corner of the globe,'' says Cyr.
''Happy After You is OUT NOW on all streaming platforms! This is such a special song to The Heels, it's all about self-love and finding yourself again, putting the pieces back together into something beautiful and even stronger. They wrote this song on a rainy afternoon in Nashville with Country Artist Kalsey Kulyk.''
''There are some emotional and moving moments for me in this interview. I think you will love it too!
To hear the whole interview, trust me you do, click HERE.
The Heels "Live at the Armoury" - Happy After You
Sneak Peek At The New Single 'Catch and Release' feat. Aaron Pritchett OUT Jun 4th, 2021!
We’re so excited to officially announce our next single “Catch & Release” for 'The Heels' featuring Aaron Pritchett is out for presave NOW! Click HERE
The Heels Live at the Armoury - High Heels On
"High Heels On":
“You kept me small so that you’d feel tall always looking down on me. You pushed and pulled, tried to break my soul but I broke your hold on me. So truth or dare me. You don’t scare me.”
This is a song about stepping into power.
An anthem about speaking up and standing up.
We wrote this song as an evolution to another song once in our live show called “Blue Lights.” It was one of the first songs we ever sang together written about running and hiding from violence, abuse, manipulation and fear. Inspired by the chaos of personal past traumas and struggles we sang feeling grateful it was no longer our reality. “High Heels On” is the evolution of our survival -the rebirth and the revolution.
As we have continued to grow and create together we have learned how deeply we are affected by the lyrics and emotions of the music and the power it has to heal when it comes from a place of empowerment.
“High Heels On” is part of the healing process; a reclamation of unshakable power. This song is the anthem of survival and the manifestation of an escape.
WORLDWIDE 1⁄3 women experience domestic violence or intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
1⁄3 of women who are killed are killed by an intimate partner.
Domestic Violence Calls In Canada Almost Doubled During COVID-19 Pandemic
Home hasn't been safe for Canadians facing abuse.
Reports of abuse are also more severe, in part because abusers are "leveraging the pandemic" and finding new ways to control their partners.
From the start of the pandemic in March to December, Assaulted Women’s Helpline (AWHL) fielded more than 71,000 calls, compared to its average of 40,000 per year. In British Columbia, Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) recorded a total of 32,000 calls, in-person visits, virtual counseling, and legal advocacy appointments—about double from the year before.
Domestic Abuse Hotline Information -
Family Violence Resources In Your Area -
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/services.html
Ontario Domestic Violence Hotline Information - https://211ontario.ca/211-topics/abuse-assault/
Assaulted Women's Hotline - https://www.awhl.org/
National services and resources
ShelterSafe
ShelterSafe.ca provides information to help connect women and their children across Canada with the nearest shelter for safety and support.
The Heels Live at the Armoury - Dump Him
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