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Women of Rock: Montreal Singer-Songwriter Mirabelle Bows to Her Female Influences

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Montreal-based Mirabelle – the snappy, sultry pseudonym of singer-songwriter Laurence Hélie – is channelling her inner badass and making her voice heard loud and clear with a dream-pop bent. Late Bloomer, Laurence’s debut record under the Mirabelle moniker, just dropped at the end of May via Simone Records, and it struts Mirabelle onto the scene with crushing pizzazz – fuelled by the effortlessly-kick-ass  “Betty,” a tune about accepting which Archie lead you really are.

As a mature, feminine powerhouse, Mirabelle joins us for a Women of Rock session to graciously thank the rockin’ ladies that came before her – as well as one contemporary. The always-necessary shout out to your roots and community comes with a bundle of attitude and trailblazing courage this time around, so follow Hélie as she bows to the women who have inspired her career all the way to the making of Late Bloomer. 

1. Fiona Apple

“I was probably 15 when I first heard of Fiona Apple. Although her music was different than what I was into at the time, I was totally blown away by her badass attitude. I wanted to be just like her. I was amazed by her songwriting skills; the words, the melodies, the arrangements, her voice, her playing. Yep.”

2. Courtney Love

“I was raised in a very feminist environment, but I guess that when you are a teenager, your parents are not your first source of inspiration. Listening to Hole’s “Live Through This” really was the spark. It’s what ultimately gave me that “I can do whatever the hell I want” attitude (at least, in my mind- as I was a pretty shy and not exactly a super confident teenager!).”

3. Sinead O’Connor

“Listening to Sinead O’Connor made me realize that you don’t have to scream to prove your point. The dynamics in her music are so poignant. She is a powerhouse even when she whispers.”

4. Phoebe Bridgers

“I discovered her music in the spring of 2017 (I believe) when only the first 3 tracks of her album Stranger In The Alps were available, and that’s all I could listen to for MONTHS! It had been a really long time since I’d connected to new music, and I was totally mesmerized by her attitude, her lyrics, her delivery, her style. I became a real stan, haha!”

5. Kim Gordon

“An icon. She rocks. Sonic Youth’s Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star was my record of choice in high school. She was magnetic. Her, playing bass in that band, was such an eye-opener for me. When all your life, what you see are guys in bands, guys in sports, guys who are the boss… it’s so depressing. There were so few examples of female musicians. As a young girl, you want to find your place. You want to believe you do have a place. That’s what these women did and still do. They show the way.”

Artwork for ‘Late Bloomer’ by Mirabelle

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