Selina Martin (born 1967) is a singer-songwriter from

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 ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, currently based in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Her music is a fusion of pop, art-rock, and cabaret. It been described as “sneaky beautiful” and “sharp-as-shards.” She has been compared to

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

, and

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

History

Martin is from Pakenham,

. She moved to Toronto in the 1990s to study drama at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. After graduation, along with playwright Adam Nashman, poet Stan Rogal and actor

Lisa Ryder Lisa Ryder (born 26 October 1970) is a Canadian actress, who portrayed the role of Beka Valentine on the science fiction television series '' Andromeda''. Life and career Ryder was born in Edmonton, Alberta and attended the University of Tor ...

, she formed Bald Ego Theatre, which produced plays in Toronto in the 1990s. She also began performing music during that time, joining

Bob Wiseman Robert Neil "Bob" Wiseman (born 1962) is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former ...

’s band playing guitar, bass, accordion, theremin, wine glasses, and found objects, from 1995 to 1999. She also began performing and recording her own music, releasing her first record, ''Space Woman'', in 1998, and touring across Canada and Europe. Martin has released four additional albums: ''Life Drawing Without Instruction'' (2004), ''Disaster Fantasies'' (2010), ''i’ve been picking caruso’s brain; i think i have the information we need to make a new world'' (2016), and ''Time Spent Swimming'' (2022). She has also collaborated with

Dave Bidini Dave Bidini (born September 11, 1963) is a Canadian musician and writer. Originally from Etobicoke, Ontario, he was a founding member of the rock band Rheostatics, and currently performs with Bidiniband. In addition, he has published several b ...

and

Martin Tielli Martin Tielli is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was a member of the Rheostatics, and has also released material as a solo artist and with the side project Nick Buzz. As well, he has appeared as a guest musician on albums by Barenaked Ladies, ...

to write and record the music for the animated short film '' Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica'' (2009). She is an occasional member of the experimental electronic music and visuals group The Faceless Forces of Bigness with

Justin Stephenson Justin may refer to: People * Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin * Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire * Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...

, Chris Stringer,

Kurt Swinghammer Kurt Swinghammer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and visual artist based in Toronto."Canadian pop finds its own way to rock". ''Toronto Star'', 30 June 1989. He has released 13 full-length albums of original songs and as a session musician appea ...

, and Michael-Phillip Wojewoda, and she has collaborated with the

Rheostatics Rheostatics are a Canadian indie rock band. They were formed in 1978, and actively performed from 1980 until disbanding in 2007. After a number of reunion performances at special events, Rheostatics reformed in late 2016, introducing new songs a ...

, Martin Tielli, Bidiniband,

NQ Arbuckle NQ Arbuckle is a Canadian alternative country band based in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of Montreal-born Neville Quinlan (the NQ of the band's name), Mark Kesper, Peter Kesper, John Dinsmore and Jason Sniderman. History NQ Arbuckle was formed i ...

Veda Hille Veda Hille (born August 11, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, keyboardist and tenor guitar player from Vancouver, British Columbia. She writes songs about love and tragedy, as well as about topical British Columbia subjects.< ...

Justin Rutledge Justin Rutledge (born January 3, 1979) is a Toronto-based Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter signed to Outside Music. Rutledge's musical style is often compared to that of American alt-country singer Ryan Adams. His influences, both ...

, and Amelia Curran. She has also composed music for film, television, and theatre, including co-writing the score for the documentary

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with Bidini, Tielli, and

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...

. In recent years, she has toured extensively in Europe and in Canada with

Tom Holliston Tom Holliston (born April 21, 1960) is a Canadian punk rock musician."Down time good time for Holliston solo tour". ''Calgary Herald'', September 18, 2013. Primarily associated with the bands Nomeansno and The Hanson Brothers, he also leads ...

Nomeansno Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia and later relocated to Vancouver. They issued 11 albums, including a collaborative album with Jello Biafra, a ...

Discography

Albums

* ''Space Woman'' (Festival Music Distribution, 1998) * ''Life Drawing Without Instruction'' (Outside Music Distribution, 2005) * ''Disaster Fantasies'' (Outside Music Distribution, 2010) * ''I’ve Been Picking Caruso’s Brain; I Think I Have the Information We Need to Make a New World'' (2016) * ''Time Spent Swimming'' (2022)

Singles

* The Hottest Day (2010) * Wish List (2015) * Hawaii (2016)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Selina Canadian women pop singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Musicians from Toronto Living people 1967 births