For Winnipeg-based artist Andrina Turenne, there didn't seem to be a choice when it came to selecting a career path.
Her passion for music was sparked when she was a child, solidified by her family's support and a rich heritage where music is central to day-to-day life.
Turenne performs Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Ponoka United Church as part of the Home Routes concert series. Tickets are available at the church office from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, or by calling 403-783-4087.
In 2023, the Juno award-winning Franco-Manitoban/Red River Métis artist released her first solo record, Bold as Logs.
It was followed with Je suis un arbre, a francophone EP released last year.
"Music is one of the things I remember really gravitating to in my life," she said.
"My mom is a former singer, and my dad was the director of a music festival here - Festival du Voyageur. So they were connected to a large group of close friends who were all musicians. And a lot of the parties after the festival, and throughout the year, happened at our house.
"There were always people jamming, and I was being brought to community gatherings where this whole crew of musicians would be. I was really lucky to have incredible musicians and mentors from a young age. As soon as they saw my interest, I was welcomed into all of those circles.
"Sometimes I would literally hide behind the furniture at my parents' house when their friends were over, just so I could hear the music past my bedtime," she added with a laugh. "It was just like I had this deep desire to be there.
"Music is just a way that our community has always celebrated things - there is always the music."
During those formative years, she also learned plenty about harmonizing, as she would sing harmonies to all of the traditional tunes.
"(My parents) were really big fans of the Eagles, The Travelling Wilburys and a bunch of material that is just laden with harmonies," she said.
"So that is where my love of music, and my first forays into actually doing it, began.
"I'm also so fortunate, because I still get to play music with these people. They are my elders now, and I love them all so much. So several times each year, we still play together."
Turenne recalled her mom signing her up for organ lessons, and that where her gift of playing by ear really started to shine through.
"I loved the organ up until the point where my teachers found out I was asking them to play a song, and I was remembering it by ear. I was less interested in learning theory. When they found that out, they started not playing songs for me anymore to force me into the theory end of things!
"That's when it started to be less fun for me, because I just wanted to play. But I am happy I was forced down the path to learn some theory, which I still have today."
She also took some singing lessons, and it was during this time she was discovering the fabulous likes of such legends as Billie Holiday and Aretha and Franklin.
"So that classical repertoire that I was in wasn't as exciting to me."
But it was also during this time that her own striking originality as an artist - and a gifted songwriter - truly began to crystallize.
"I always knew I wanted to do music, but I don't know that I fully considered it as a career opportunity until I was in my later teens," she said.
Also, having been surrounded by such a circle of musicians during her growing up years had its own way of opening doors to new creative vistas.
"Coming from a small, minority Francophone community, you don't sometimes know what your opportunities are. But I think just being at festivals every year growing up allowed me to dream that I could be onstage, too."
Turenne soon got busy, starting bands in her teens.
This trend continued through high school. Upon graduation, she headed to university but found it increasingly challenging to balance her course load with a busy touring schedule.
"After my first year of university, I switched over to music full time and it's been that way ever since!"
As for performing, she's pretty much always felt comfortable onstage. She loves connecting with audiences, sharing her heartfelt tunes that connect so much with her experiences and growth as an exemplary artist and as a woman of strong convictions.
"It can be such a healing place. Music is such a comfortable friend," she explained. "And that human connection we have through music is so powerful. It has enriched my life in so many ways.
"As difficult as it can be, and as unprepared as we are to make ourselves vulnerable onstage at times, it's such a blessing to be able to do it," she added.
"And to also have it as a comfort and a safety net when you fall."
