SaskMusic

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• www.facebook.com/ReginaSongwriters
• www.instagram.com/reginasongwriters/

SaskMusic x Regina Songwriters Meetup: Personifying Nature with Émi Lebel
Sunday, April 19, 7:00-9:00 pm
In person at The Club (The Exchange - 2431 8th Ave) and via Zoom.
Free to attend, and songwriters of all skill levels and styles welcome!

We encourage you to register in advance, but drop-ins are also welcome.
Register to attend In Person HERE
Register to attend over Zoom HERE
This month, we’ll be joined by guest speaker Émi Lebel, who will talk about her experiences as a
bilingual writer, collaborating with other artists and how she finds inspiration in nature.

Workshop description:
In 2019, I went on a wildflower walk with the Meewasin Valley Authority and everytime the tour guide mentioned anything about a plant or animal or phenomenon, I was able to relate to it. The plant that started it all was Blue Gramma, a very resilient type of prairie grass shaped like eyelashes. I immediately started thinking about a grandma (cause I also misheard the tour guide gramma ≠ grandma). I imagined her having lived a very hard life and compared it to our resilience towards the extreme prairie weather and nature's resilience towards global warming. In 2020, I started working with Marie-Clo from Ontario on a bilingual project, Beau Nectar, this inspiration deeply inspired my bandmate and the rest is history. As a bilingual duo project, we not only collaborate, often remotely, but we also write in both French and English. I will be sharing my experiences as a bilingual writer, I will share tips on collaborating with other artists and hopefully inspire a whole new method of research-based art. - Émi Lebel

Following the discussion, we'll have a song share - bring a song you’re working on, or test drive a fresh song that you’d like to get feedback on (maybe you’re struggling with a chorus, a bridge, etc.). You can share this song with the group, and other songwriters can provide feedback. (More details below.)

WHAT TO BRING
Bring your pen/paper, writing devices, and your guitar or main instrument if you wish to participate in the song share portion. We will have a vocal mic, and a small PA system available for use if needed.

ÉMI LEBEL BIO
éemi (pronounced emmy) is a bilingual singer-songwriter from Saskatchewan. The Fransaskoise musician sets herself apart with her rich and powerful voice, minimalist lyricism and electro-folk tone. Her lyrics, though poetic and dark, play in contrast with her sense of humour on stage.

éemi released her first EP ‘Honey’ in April 2020 with her solo project, and is now working on her new duo project Beau Nectar with artist Marie-Clo. The duo delivers intimate, vibrant and surreal synth pop with ecofeminist lyrics that spark their fans’ empathy towards nature. They’ve had a whirlwind couple of years, doing residencies at the National Arts Centre, the Banff Arts Centre and a market-adaptation residency with Christian Bordarier in the south of France.

Though éemi is focusing on Beau Nectar, she still loves to perform intimate solo concerts and collaborate with other artists when she can!

SONG SHARE
The song share is an opportunity for you to share works-in-progress or test drive fresh songs and receive feedback from peers in a supportive environment. Whether you're refining lyrics, reworking structure, or exploring new ideas, this is a space to ask questions, gain perspective, and support each other’s creative process.

This is not an open mic; the focus is not on performance or rehearsing for a show, it's on songwriting support.

We encourage all song share participants to provide the lyrics for the song you plan to share with us so we can display them during the event. This will help others to provide more specific comments. If you'll be attending in person, please upload your lyrics during registration. If you'll be joining via Zoom, kindly email your lyrics to songwriters@saskmusic.org. As best practice, please be sure to add your copyright notice (song title, songwriter(s), year) eg “It’s a Life,” Copyright John Smith 2025 on any lyrics you share. We will delete any lyrics we receive, post-event.

WHAT TO EXPECT
As a participant:

• Share your work in progress: You might play it live, read lyrics, or present it in whatever way feels most helpful for feedback. You can also ask for general feedback on a completed song if you think it could be improved. (If you’ve shared your lyrics with us ahead of time, we’ll have them displayed so others can follow along more easily and offer more detailed feedback.)
• Ask for specific input: If you’re stuck on something (like a chorus, structure, lyrics, or point of view), you’re encouraged to let the group know what kind of feedback you’re looking for.
• Receive constructive feedback: Other songwriters may have some respectful insights aimed at helping you move your song forward.
• You aren’t obligated to use any feedback received, nor credit anyone for their input.

As a listener:

• Listen with intention: Give your full attention to each song, focusing on lyrics, structure, and overall impact.
• Offer constructive feedback: Share thoughtful, respectful insights that help the songwriter develop the song further.
• Be specific and supportive: Highlight what’s working as well as areas that could be developed.
• Respect the writer’s goals: Respond to the kind of feedback the songwriter is asking for.
• Help create a safe space: Encourage openness, curiosity, and creativity by keeping feedback positive and collaborative.
• Understand that any comments or contributions you make for the song in this particular setting will not entitle you to any songwriting credit.

Keep in mind, since we’re in a room full of songwriters, the feedback is intended to be songwriting-based, rather than feedback on the quality of performance.

REGINA SONGWRITERS GROUP
The Regina Songwriters Group exists to develop the craft of songwriting and provide a peer network of songwriters, lyricists, composers and beatmakers. Meetings are generally held once a month with additional songwriting exercises, resources and information shared on socials.