BEGONIA STOKES THE FIREPLACE WITH NEW HOLIDAY SINGLE
LISTEN AND SHARE “IT WON’T BE CHRISTMAS (TILL YOU’RE HERE)”
PURCHASE / STREAM “IT WON’T BE CHRISTMAS (TILL YOU’RE HERE)”
CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN JANUARY 19 INCLUDING WINTERRUPTION FESTIVAL APPEARANCES IN SASKATCHEWAN AND THE LONGEST ROAD SHOW WITH TERRA LIGHTFOOT AND LINDI ORTEGA THROUGHOUT ONTARIO
“...searing and dignified” - NPR Music
"...a complex, powerhouse synth-soul that hangs on one of Canada’s most extraordinary voices." - Line Of Best Fit
“The woman has, you would say, presence to spare. When she opens her mouth to sing it's like, ‘What just happened?’” - Exclaim!
"an audacious adventure in modern soul, with gospel inspirations and updated takes on finger-snapping Motown pop and late 20th-century R&B." - Globe & Mail
“With her showstopping voice, Dirks blends acoustics and synths for her own brand of gospel.” - CBC Music
This holiday season, Begonia (Alexa Dirks) invites you share the warmth of the fire, the glad tidings, and all the other cliches of December in the new single “It Won’t Be Christmas (Till You’re Here)”. Written together with Wes Marksell and Jason Crouse of the Darcys at a SOCAN songwriting retreat on Pender Island, B.C., the song was inspired by community and the cold.
“Wes and Jason’s production room was in this beautiful cabin overlooking the ocean BUT IT HAD NO HEAT,” says Dirks. “We were drawing a blank on where to start that day but we were freezing cold so we let that inspire us and decided to write a Christmas song! We basically used every holiday related word we could think of: mistletoe, snow, fire, gifts, reindeer, stockings...CHRISTMAS FIVE MILLION TIMES!. We finished the song and showed the songwriting group at the end of the day and a few people laughed while others said that it was kind of annoying and that they couldn't get the chorus out of their heads. The holidays to me are about finding comfort in your community and also partying. I think this song reflects both our experience at the retreat, and the spirit of the holidays!”
“It Won’t Be Christmas (Till You’re Here)” will also be included on UK Website The Line of Best Fit's Ho! Ho! Ho! Canada holiday compilation series, which releases its 10th Edition on December 16th.
PURCHASE / STREAM “IT WON’T BE CHRISTMAS (TILL YOU’RE HERE)”
Begonia’s Alexa Dirks has never been able to fit into the box of being a "conventional woman". “I’m loud, I’m awkward and I’ve always taken up space. I've done things my whole life that some people would tell me weren't appropriate 'for a girl'.” That narrative that once tore Dirks down is now what empowers her to take charge of her own story, in her own way.
Recently, Begonia released “The Light”, her first new single of 2018. “The Light”, co-produced by Dirks with Marcus Paquin (Stars, The National), Matt Schellenberg (Royal Canoe), and Matt Peters (Royal Canoe), leads the way for more new music from Begonia due out in the near future.
“PURCHASE / STREAM “THE LIGHT” HERE
Winnipeg-based Dirks is a JUNO Award winner with her former group, Chic Gamine. As Begonia, Dirks is bold, brazen with her florid, surprising pop that is tempered with sensitivity and wisdom. Dirks' first solo output, Lady in Mind, was listed on NPR’s 10 Artists You Need To Know in 2017 and “Juniper” reached #1 on the CBC Music Top 20. Noisey wrote that, “Begonia has one of Canada’s most extraordinary voices, and thankfully she uses it to obliterate the misery from this world one live performance at a time.” NPR claimed that Begonia is “the place where where synth-pop meets old soul and scrappy meets sexy."
Begonia will head back out on the road beginning January 19 including Winterupption Festival dates in Saskatchewan and The Longest Road Show Tour with Terra Lightfoot and Lindi Ortega throughout Ontario in February. All tour dates are listed below.
Photo Credit : Leeor Wild // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
BEGONIA ON TOUR
January 19 - Brandon MB - Westman Manitoba Centennial Auditorium *
January 24 - Saskatoon SK - Winterruption @ Louis ^
January 25 - Saskatoon SK - Winterruption @ Amigos
January 26 - Regina SK - Winterruption @ Revival Music Room @
February 5 - Kitchener ON - Centre In The Square #
February 6 - Ottawa ON - Algonquin Commons #
February 7 - Hamilton ON - New Vision Church #
February 8 - London ON - London Music Hall #
February 9 - Toronto ON - Phoenix #
March 21 - St Catharines ON - FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre %
March 22 - Burnstown ON - Neat Cafe
* with Roman Clarke
@ with Natural Sympathies, Eekwol, T-Rhyme
^ with Bob The Drag Queen
# with The Longest Road Show w Terra Lightfoot, Linda Ortega
% with Danny Michel