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Rebekah Higgs: Haligonian Pixie
By Jillianne Hamilton
(07/05/09)

(I was digging through some of my articles I wrote for a website I created in 2007 [and closed in 2008] and found this Q-and-A with Haligonian pixie Rebekah Higgs, originally published September 20, 2007. Since then, she and her electro counterpart, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, have exploded. So, I thought I would update and reuse the article.)

Rebekah Higgs has garnered buckets of attention and praise. She's been nominated for Best Female Artist and Best New Artist at the ECMAs. And she's got a voice as smooth and soothing as a glass of chocolate milk.

You’re well-known in the underground music scene of Halifax. How does it make you feel, being known for something you love to do?
It’s always nice to be recognized for something you put a lot of heart and work into. Halifax has an amazing music community and because of the support of people coming out to my shows and buying my records, I am just so thankful I can play music for a living and not have to do a 9-5.

Your debut album was released in 2006. What’s the recording process like?
I’m a free spirit when it comes to recording. I don’t like to over-prepare and I love to write and record at the same time. Luckily Thomas Ryder Payne, who I worked with on the record, seemed to catch onto my style of working very quickly, and always had every instrument ready to be played and recorded. It was such a fun and liberating artistic experience. I love to work that way. In October [2007, I re-released] my album on OUTSIDE Music in Toronto, with two new bonus tracks. I recorded those tracks [during the summer of 2007] when I was traveling through Toronto. Now every time I am back in T.O., I try to find a way to get into the studio. It’s always a blast recording with Thomas.

You toured all over Canada, promoting your album. What was that like?
Touring Canada was amazing. It was my first time driving completely across the country. We traveled over 15,000 km in total and I was lucky enough to do it with my best friends and band mates. We had some amazing shows, opening for Mates Of State in Calgary, at Sled Island Festival, and playing NXNE with The Wooden Stars, but also played in some dives along the way. It became a balance of playing the shows that paid, so we could put gas in our tank, and playing with amazing bands to great music fans and barely scraping by. It was a lot of fun and extremely exhausting. I slept on a lot of floors and couches and I am pretty sure it aged me 10 years.

What was your first live gig like?
I opened for The Meligrove Band at the Pavilion. I remember going out to visit them in the parking lot where they were drinking fire ball in their van. I played and unfortunately couldn’t stick around for their set. I have no idea why it was I had to take off, but what a fool I was. When it comes to The Meligrove Band, the rest of the world can just hang on for an hour.

Choose five random words to describe your musical style.
Layered, looping, noisy, heart-wrenching and playful.

You’ve received rave reviews from all over the place! How does this make you feel?
It’s shocking to hear lovely compliments from someone who doesn’t have any personal investment in me. When you hear earnest compliments, it gives you reason to keep going. The band and I got a great review from NXNE and I was blown away. I was so nervous and shy the whole set. I felt like my crowd banter was lacking and I was messing up all the little things. Situations like that make you realize you are your own worst critic.

What’s your favorite (and least favorite) thing about the music biz?
Favorite things [are] playing shows and recording. I love the process of making art. Recording for me is just like playing a song with all your heart in front of a crowd. I also love meeting other musicians and always having lots of great new Canadian albums to listen to. [My] least favorite, is doing all the hard work before you get to the stage. Mostly involved with finding shows.

What artists did you grow up listening to?
I was a true 80’s child. New Kids On The Block, Paula Abdul, Tiffany, Whitney Houston… but my dad broke most of our records and made us listen to The Beatles and Billy Joel… The soundtrack to our family vacations was ABBA Gold… It’s pretty embarrassing though when you walk into a bar and “Dancing Queen” is playing and you know all the lyrics.

You also sing with Ruby Jean & the Thoughtful Bees. Would you prefer to be known as a member of a band or as a solo artist?
I love singing in Ruby Jean, but it’s so freeing to do your own thing as well. When you work with a band you have to answer to 4 other people with their own ideas and preconceptions as to how things should play out. When I work on my solo album I can follow whatever creative urges I have, no questions asked. Don’t get me wrong though, accountability is great, especially when you are working with people who are masters of their craft.

Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with young women who want to be musicians?
If you’ve got talent, hard work will go along way. No one is going to make a music career happen for you. You have to be willing to do all the dirty work yourself. And there is a lot of grubby stuff out there.

(Photo by Cliff Pratt. Courtesy of Rebekah Higgs' official site.)

Related links:
+ Rebekah Higgs (website)
+ Rebekah Higgs (MySpace)
+ Ruby Jean and the Thoughful Bees (MySpace)
+ Follow Rebekah on Twitter
+ YouTube: Rebekah Higgs - Parables

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Jillianne Hamilton is a writer, blogger and a lover of indie music, funny movies, artsy things and the color red. She is studying Journalism at Holland College, had an internship at the Truro Daily News and blogs for various college and pop culture websites. To contact Jill, visit her website.