I showed up to Brooklyn Blue’s cute downtown apartment on an especially cold Sunday morning. A few brief Instagram DMs and voila! There I was, standing outside her door with an almond Chai Latte.
There is no space more important than where we live and create. So, when you welcome me into your home, expect me to judge it (read: expect me to find everything cute). Having followed Brooklyn on social media for a while, I already knew what I was walking into.
Trinkets.
Everywhere!
I did notice a bit of country flare with a painted animal skull and some western inspired artwork, so I had to ask, “What’s with CowgirlBrooklyn? You don’t do country.”
“HAHA! I don’t do country! Do you see how it’s crept into my life, though? All the cowgirl aesthetic,” she says as she points out some art around her bedroom, which she calls her Ikea Palace. “So, it was just a funny joke. Everyone’s like ‘you’re from Alberta, why don’t you do country music?’ and I’m like, ‘I prefer folk and alternative music,’ and then I started playing a little bit more country music in my sets and they were like ‘oh, Cowgirl Brooklyn!’, so I thought I should make it my instagram handle. I thought it was kind of funny.”
Her debut album, Blue Girl, was released in November of 2021. The melodies walk you through stories of love, loss, and a young woman looking for freedom. The perspective throughout the entire album feels spiritual and mature, and she was literally a teenager when she wrote all of them. The standout for me is the opening track, Angel From a Wasteland.
“Thank you for asking about this song. It’s one of my songs with the most meaning. Every few lines is a reference of a song on a playlist that an ex boyfriend made for me. I wrote it right after we broke up. It’s a love song to him.” Suddenly it all makes sense, the song is so warm and familiar to me, yet hard to put a finger on. The most obvious reference is Hozier’s Wasteland, Baby!
I loved hearing references to Edmonton in songs like 82nd Avenue, and we talked about the nightmare that is being creative (read: vulnerable) in the same city you went to high school in. “I had people make fun of my music so hard in high school and I never quit, but I got close a few times.”
Kids are mean! I left my hometown long before I figured out that life can be led by imagination. I can’t confidently say that I’d have the courage to be creative around so many expectant eyes. It probably helps that she’s been singing for her whole life, starting lessons at just 5 years old. Some of her first performances were at The Winspear and The Jubilee and she’s had mentors along the way.
She got her first guitar at 10 and was quick to let me know that she “should” be better. And maybe she’s humble, or maybe it’s a good reminder that even people who write and release full albums can sometimes feel like inadequate musicians. Nowadays, you’re more likely to see her sharing the stage with a full band but she says, “when it’s just me and my guitar, it’s so special.”
“Now I’m 20 and I’ve built this incredible community of musicians. If I ever need a bass player, I have like 10 people I can call and honestly I feel so blessed. I can just pick up the phone and have a full band instantly. They’re all so supportive.” Edmonton has proven to be such an incredible place to shoot for the stars. You might never know it until you start asking questions and realize your weird neighbour is actually the most incredible guitarist and self-taught producer in his basement studio. “Do you know how many basement studios I’ve been in? Like wow, some of these people belong on a huge stage!”
You can look forward to at least 2 new songs coming from Brooklyn Blue this year. The first is a collaboration with her best friend Tanjeryne, set to be released within the next month or so. “She wrote this song and she just asked me one day randomly if I wanted to come to the studio with her to try something out. I wrote all these harmonies for it and I got a verse!” It’s got more of a house/alternative vibe, which is suited to Tanjeryne’s vibe. I’m excited to hear it.
The second is a collaboration with The Steadies frontman, Earl. “I actually wrote the song with him. We just finished it yesterday but we will probably release that one in the summer because it is a summer tune. It’s called Summer Love.”
And there you have it. My first Dollhouse interview. I love Edmonton.
Bye Dollies!