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Brea Lawrenson

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hey!! just released my third album!! "Somewhere to Go"
Play'n Ottawa BluesFest 2012!!
Yeeehawww!!

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Hometown	Carleton Place, Canada
Genres	Alternative Country, Acoustic
Band Members	Various talented musicians
Achievements
Upcoming Shows	None

Contact Information:
# Years Experience Performing Live:	8
Performing Rights Society:	BMI

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About the Artist

Brea Lawrenson Biography

Bio

Brea is a young Canadian artist whose body of work reflects her personal search for meaning. She just released her third album, produced by Juno Award Winner Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster) in May 2012 and is scheduled to play...

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Achievements

Reached 14th in Best of Pop chart in 2011. In the top 20 for 1 week.

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Press Coverage

Young area singer's musical DVD pays tribute to Canadian soldiers by Jeff Maguire
EMC Entertainment - Breanne Lawrenson recorded her first album when she was just 15 and she has been working hard to build a career in the music business ever since. Recently the Carleton Place area resident, with major assistance from Algonquin College in Ottawa, released a DVD of a popular song as a tribute to Canadian troops and in particular those serving in Afghanistan. Lawrenson (she prefers to be called "Brea") is not seeking to capitalize on the wave of patriotism surrounding Canada's mission in the war-torn Asian nation which has sparked a number of musical tributes from musicians across the country. Her tribute is a very personal one! My cousin Matthew Bradley served with the Canadian Army in Afghanistan," Lawrenson says. Bradley, 28, hails from Brantford, Ontario, the hometown of hockey great Wayne Gretzky. Until relatively recently the cousins had only met once. I met Matt at my grandma's funeral when I was very young," the now 23-year-old singer/songwriter/musician explains. We hadn't been close because we really didn't know each other," she says. Incredibly it was the Internet that re-acquainted the family members a couple of years ago. We found each other again on MySpace (the social networking website)," Lawrenson says, flashing a wide smile. Bradley, now a soldier in the Canadian Army, had come across some of his cousin's music while surfing the web. In his first tentative message to Lawrenson on MySpace, Bradley said, "I think we are cousins?" That computer contact opened the door. The cousins have since become close! In fact when Bradley's unit departed from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in September 2008, Lawrenson and her mother Cheryl were among family and friends who bade him an emotional farewell. Fortunately he safely completed his tour of duty, returning home in May of this year. More than 130 of his fellow soldiers have not been as fortunate. They have been killed while on duty in the country since the Canadian mission there first began in 2002. Matt was married in Brantford in August of this year. Brea Lawrenson was among those who attended the happy occasion. The rekindled relationship with her cousin is what moved the entertainer to pay tribute to all of Canada's troops. She thought her 2007 hit song 'If I'm Not Here Tomorrow' was a perfect fit for the project. Through a professor friend at Algonquin College she was directed to the Television and Broadcasting Department, part of the media studies section at Ottawa's community college. DVD FILMED Tess Porter, who taught Lawrenson during her tenure in the Police Foundation Program at the college, was convinced broadcast staff and students would be interested in the DVD plan. She was right! Christine Tannis, a student in the department, headed up the DVD project. Filming was done on the grounds of the Royal Military College in Kingston this past May. The video was released during the United Way of Ottawa kick-off breakfast held at Algonquin College's Woodroffe Campus on Sept. 29. Lawrenson beams when she says the music video prompted "a standing ovation" from the 500 people in attendance. Since the release at the United Way we were contacted by CFRT (Canadian Forces Radio and Television) who requested permission to air the video on Remembrance Day." If I'm Not Here Tomorrow was broadcast Nov. 11 across the entire CFRT network, including to troops stationed at Kandahar Air Base (the Canadian headquarters) in southern Afghanistan. General Rick Hillier (the recently retired commander of all Canadian Forces) also saw the video," Lawrenson notes. "He has expressed an interest in showing it at upcoming speaking engagements - whenever he feels it is appropriate." Hillier is currently promoting a book on his life in the Canadian Armed Forces. The DVD proved to be a personal triumph for student producer Tannis. She won the award as "Producer of the Year" at the school for her work on the video project. As for the song itself, If I'm Not Here Tomorrow was named 'Best Song of the Month' by world-recognized Songwriter Universe Magazine in November 2007. I'm really excited and pleased about the recognition," Lawrenson told the EMC in an interview done at that time. The song was released as part of her third album, a 16-song compact disc (CD) entitled 'No Regrets' which Lawrenson released independently in June 2007. The CD quickly sold more than 2,000 units and gave the young singer's career a major shot in the arm. It (If I'm Not Here Tomorrow) got a lot of radio airplay. That is still a big objective for me - getting radio airplay. It is very important," Lawrenson said in an interview two weeks ago. Songwriter Universe Magazine described the song as "a heartfelt, graceful ballad, which has a beautiful pop/AC melody. This recording provides a terrific showcase for Lawrenson's clear, passionate vocals," the magazine writer stated. Obviously Lawrenson herself was very pleased with that praise. She is also gratified with the additional exposure the DVD has provided. But the project, which was filmed free courtesy of the Algonquin program, is not a money marker. It is available free of charge! Lawrenson says her aim was to highlight the often unheralded efforts of Canadian troops and particularly those, like her cousin Matt, who are or have served during the controversial and dangerous Afghan mission. She is acutely aware of the personal sacrifice involved which is underlined by the deaths of so many Canadians during the war in Afghanistan. It was nice to be able to highlight the work and the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers," she says. VIDEO AVAILABLE As mentioned the video 'If I'm Not Here Tomorrow' is free and is available from the singer/songwriter's website: www.brealawrenson.com It can also be found on the Internet through YouTube under the search name 'Brea Lawrenson'. People can contact us through the website to request hard copies of the DVD for shipping and handling charges only," she notes. Lawrenson, who began taking singing lessons at age eight and signed with a talent agency at the tender age of 12, is continuing her attempt to build a career in the music industry. She has written songs for many years but more recently has, through the patience and commitment of her musician brother Sean Lawrenson, learned to play the guitar. She says that becoming a musician has made her much more versatile and enables her to perform solo on the eastern Ontario pub circuit, something she does regularly to supplement her income. Before I learned to play the guitar I was just a vocalist." Lawrenson is currently employed by the Musicians' Association (musicians' union) in the Ottawa office. She says the association "has been very good to me." They give her the leeway necessary to continue working in the music business. She is currently recording her fourth album. That project, an anti-bullying program she (and a friend) are the spokespersons for and her career in general will be highlighted in an upcoming feature in the EMC. Watch for it early in the New Year! Lawrenson admits she is still looking for "my big break" although she is philosophical about that - realistic in fact. I'm not worrying about it, although obviously I would like that. The one thing I have realized is that no matter what happens music will always be something I will do."

Making Music For The Troops by Cheryl Stornelli
Matthew Bradley knew there was a reason he discovered his long-lost cousin a few years ago. Surfing the Internet in his Brantford home, Bradley discovered a MySpace friend invitation from Breanne Lawrenson, a now 23-year-old musician living in the Carlton Place area of Ottawa. Recognizing the familiar name, Bradley didn’t hesitate to respond to the request with a message. “I sent her a message saying that I thought we were cousins,” Bradley said. “A couple of weeks later, she replied and we realized that we in fact were. We hadn’t seen each other in about 12 to 15 years.” Shortly after the cousins reconnected, Lawrenson was offered the opportunity to film a music video for her song If I’m Not Here Tomorrow. Knowing the lyrics were fitting to a situation where someone leaves loved ones behind, she outlined a theme for the video based on Bradley, who was preparing to leave for Afghanistan with the Canadian Armed Forces. In the military for 12 years as a part-time reservist, Bradley had been waiting for his opportunity to go overseas. He served in Afghanistan from September 2008 to May 2009. After seeing Bradley off from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Lawrenson used the emotional goodbye as inspiration to tell a story familiar to military families across the country. Filmed in Kingston, the video includes scenes of army equipment and troops training for combat. “It was a big experience to see Matt off and it was really emotional,” Lawrenson said. “I thought it was a good idea to tell that story because it was life altering for me and made the war a lot more personal.” Since she finished the music video, some army officials in Petawawa have been showing it during public speaking engagements. Bradley hopes the video will bring good things to Lawrenson. “I hope something good comes out of it for her,” Bradley said. “She’s a great musician and a great person. I think I did something good by going overseas and giving back to Canada. I’m sure Breanne wanted to give back as well in her own way.” Lawrenson said she hopes the video helps open up an opportunity to someday perform overseas. She is currently employed by the Musician’s Association of Ottawa, where she is pursuing a career in music. “It would be scary to perform in Afghanistan, but I want to do more for the military,” Lawrenson said. “They’ve given me a lot of support. It would be a good experience.”

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Brea Lawrenson

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