Canadian artist Ember Swift is an internationally touring musician and songwriter, and founder of the independent label Few’ll Ignite Sound. Originally from Toronto, she has spent the past fifteen years making her home base in the magnetic city of Beijing, China. Still touring in Canada, the US, and throughout Asia, as of 2017 Ember has included biannual touring of Europe in several countries including the UK, France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Ember Swift has released 13 albums and 1 DVD project since 1996. Her newest album, “Mid-March Meltdown” was released in March 2021 and is essentially a pop album, though with a few nods to reggae and jazz and folk for good measure. Linking it all together is, of course, Ember’s unmistakable jazz-smooth vocals and sociopolitical wit.
She is currently working on new material with Tim Rideout, producer and musician from Montreal, slotted for staggered singles releases in the fall of 2024 and early 2025. Tim Rideout was the producer on Ember's 2009 release (Lentic) and the two are once again working together from opposite sides of the globe to build fusion electronic/pop/jazz/folk creations. Already, the results are very exciting and Ember can't wait to present a few of the tracks this summer, live with her 4-piece band. The band features Gabriel Beaudoin (electric guitar), Adam Bowman (drums) and Steve Lucas (bass), as well as Ember (of course) on acoustic guitar and voice.
Living in Beijing, speaking Mandarin Chinese, and being immersed in Chinese culture has definitely influenced Ember’s work. She now sings several songs in Chinese, includes musical elements indicative of Asia (such as having a traditional Chinese instrument called an erhu featured in her full band), and her music embodies the strong message that cultural bridges have never been more essential between East and West. In an increasingly global world, our vastly different cultures are increasingly in contact politically and economically, fueling an accelerated need for mutual understanding, harmony and acceptance. Ember Swift is an artist whose work and person bridges these gaps.
