Joie Bratz

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JOIE BRATZ, as she puts it, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and rebelled in Vancouver, British Columbia. Being the child of an artistic family, Joie learned early on what she wanted to be when she grew up. "It just hit me one day! I was singing along to a record and I realized that I wanted to be a singer. I practiced everyday and eventually I got up enough nerve to perform at a local jam. I eventually got over my extreme case of stage fright and began to enjoy entertaining. I went from being a shy, naive girl to a strong, confident performer. Now instead of getting stage fright before a show I'm like a horse out of the gate, full of energy and raring to go!"

It wasn't long after that Joie started experimenting with writing. She asked her mom for a guitar and she wasted no time in developing her song writing skills. "I was so proud of the first song I ever wrote I guess because I actually did it. It was a pretty silly song but it fueled many more to come. I’m quite hard on myself so I'm always trying to get better and better at what I do. I think once you believe you are the best you can be, that's when you lose your edge." It's hard to imagine that Joie has ever written anything silly judging by the songs she's penned and recorded so far. But it's typical of someone with her ambition to want to raise her game.

Having siblings so far apart in age, Joie had many musical influences growing up. "The 80's were a huge influence on me. All of it! Rock, Pop, Dance, Punk and even Country music. My mom use to play Boney M. every Christmas so I guess even that vibe made its way into the mix. You can hear a lot of different genes of music in my songs. It's like I've taken all of these influences, mixed them up in a martini shaker and it just works." And works it does! Bratz music is a fresh new sound full of a playful energy that makes it impossible to sit still. She has the ability to bottle youthful enthusiasm into tidy, infectious songs. Not just by contributing her clever lyrics and contagious melodies, but by also being involved in all aspects of recording and mixing. "I love all aspects of the recording process. I find it fascinating that a raw little song relies so deeply on the production around it to be able to live up to it's full potential. Every little nuance plays such an important role in the finished process."

JB at one time was a Shania Twain tribute artist. When asked how she got into it she said. "It just sort of happened. I had total strangers commenting that I kinda look like Shania Twain and that I sound a lot like her when I sing her songs. One night when I was singing a Shania song at a local jam, I was asked if I would be interested in performing as a Shania Twain tribute artist. I didn’t even know what a tribute artist was but after some research, I realized it was a great opportunity to fine tune my skills as an entertainer and to see if there was a market out there for my original music. So I incorporated my original songs into my Shania sets and the response was overwhelming. So I decided to go for it! I’m glad I had that opportunity. All that touring and performing made me into the strong entertainer I am today. And I even got to meet Elvis! (She laughs)

Joie has aired on Fox TV and has been featured on CMT in a special documentary with Rich Little. She has been interviewed by countless newspapers and magazines including The Wall Street Journal, MacLean's, In Flight Magazine and Stuff Magazine. She just released her music video for “I’m In Love” and is creating quite a buzz for herself. I’m quite sure we will be seeing and hearing a lot more of Joie Bratz in the near future.