Jesse Labelle is a Country and Christian singer-songwriter. With a career spanning decades and genres, he has been the recipient of both Gold and Platinum records, and various Radio Music Awards. In June 2008, Labelle signed to Wax Records and began working on his debut album, ''Perfect Accident'', which would be released April 27, 2010.
His second album, ''Two'', was released August 7, 2013.
He is best known for his singles "Easier", "
Heartbreak Coverup", and "One Last Night". In 2015, Jesse moved to Nashville TN and become a staple and a songwriting force in Music City. He has opened for Garth Brooks on his 2019 stadium tour, and been the only independent artist ever invited to play the main stage at the Stagecoach Festival, the largest and most prestigious country music festival in the world. After a car accident, tornado, cancer, and a violent shooting which left Jesse wounded, his story of finding God has taken his life’s path in a new direction, which can be reflected and heard in his music.
Early life
Born February 12, 1982 in Toronto Canada, Labelle first learned the guitar in his pre-teens, and played in a number of rock bands throughout high school. After graduation, Labelle discovered he had a knack for "picking apart songs" and began pursuing a career as a songwriter. Through the next couple of years, he wrote for local bands in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, New York City, and
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
as well as penning material for himself.
A performance on
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television Ass ...
's ''
Speaker's Corner
A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas design ...
'' programme caught the attention of up-and-coming singer
Fefe Dobson
Felicia Lily Dobson (born February 28, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Born in Toronto, Ontario, she began performing as a teenager, during which time she received and refused an offer from Jive Records for a recording contract. Dobso ...
, who invited Labelle to write with her and perform in her band. None of these collaborations made it onto any of Dobson's studio albums, however this experience did bring Labelle into contact with songwriter/producer Jay Levine and ultimately led to a development deal with
Arista Records
Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...
. Sometime in the mid-2000s, talent scouts for Wax Records attended a showcase of Labelle's at a Toronto café, resulting in Labelle signing with the label in 2009.
2001 – 2002 : ''Identically Different (I.D)''
Identically Different, simply known as I.D, was a Canadian boyband that reached mild popularity in Canada throughout 2001. They released their self-titled debut album the same year with the lead single, "Busted" followed by "Let's Play" which both gained popularity on YTV's Hitlist and local FM radio stations. They split in 2002, as the boy band craze faded. Jesse Labelle was a member of the group alongside Gary Laranja, Joe Abbruscatto, Mark Ghezzo and Darryl Snider. They never released another album.
2014 – Present : ''Nashville''
Labelle was released from his recording commitments to Wax Records citing creative differences. Labelle had been pushing to move his musical vision south to Nashville to explore the town that he had made a second home over the years. Jesse fell into a writing circle with Casey Marshall, who had been responsible for the career development and songwriting for
Tim Hicks
Tim Hicks (born August 22, 1979) is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. Since he released his debut single "Get By" in 2012, he has charted eighteen top ten hits on the Canada Country chart. Hicks’ catalog ...
,
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in Norwood, Ontario in 1992 originally as "Groundswell" and played in various local Norwood backyard parties and area establishments before disbanding in 1995 and regrouping in 1997.
...
, and
My Darkest Days
My Darkest Days was a Canadian rock band based in Peterborough, Ontario, consisting of lead singer Matt Walst, bassist Brendan McMillan, drummer Doug Oliver, and keyboardist Reid Henry. They were discovered by Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, who sig ...
. Casey introduced Jesse to Neil Sanderson of Three Days Grace and the three began writing in Nashville. The resulting material from sessions with various co writers including
Craig Wiseman
Craig Michael Wiseman is an American Country music songwriter and producer, and the owner/founder of the Big Loud enterprise. He has been writing since the late 1980s, and his songs have been recorded by Lorrie Morgan, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, ...
,
Chris Wallin,
Phil Barton will serve as Jesses 3rd commercial release, currently titled "EP" slated for release in 2015.
Tours
Labelle participated in
MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
's 2010 SodaPop Tour alongside
Emily Osment
Emily Jordan Osment (born March 10, 1992) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Osment began her career as a child actress, appearing in numerous television shows and films, before co-starring as Gerti ...
and labelmate
Alyssa Reid
Alyssa Ashley Reid (born March 15, 1993) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her career began in 2008 on ''The Next Star''. She rose to fame in 2011, following the release of her single " Alone Again". From 2018-2020, she released music under the ...
. In 2012, Labelle toured the United Kingdom with Reid,
and also opened for
Jordan Knight
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is a singer in the boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using a falsetto style of singing influenced by ...
(of
NKOTB
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan Knight, Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on th ...
) on the Canadian leg of Knight's "Live and Unfinished" Tour. In July 2014, Jesse joined
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...
on Canadian dates of his Raise 'Em Up Tour including the memorable performance at the Scotiabank Saddledome during the Calgary Stampede.
In The Summer of 2015, Jesse will be appearing at the Boots & Hearts Music Festival in Ontario.
Discography
Studio albums
''I.D (Identically Different)''
''Solo artist''
Extended plays
Singles
Awards
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labelle, Jesse
1982 births
Living people
21st-century Canadian male singers
Canadian male singer-songwriters
Canadian singer-songwriters
Canadian pop singers
Musicians from Toronto