WATCH / SHARE “HELIUM” HERE
JILL BARBER’S NEW LP, HOMEMAKER, OUT TODAY VIA OUTSIDE MUSIC
BUY / STREAM HOMEMAKER HERE
CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN THIS SPRING
“Throughout Homemaker, Barber reminds us that our lives — exactly as they are — are unfathomably rich, nuanced, epic.” - No Depression
“A gorgeous album, with a somber folk backdrop and close harmonies that feel like an update on early Simon & Garfunkel.” - BrooklynVegan
“Anyone who loves the layered storytelling of John Prine and Nanci Griffith or novelists like Anne Tyler will immediately warm to Homemaker.” - Holler (7.5/10)
“Homemaker is a jubilant piece of musical matriarchy and cooperation, plain and simple.” - KUTX
“Homemaker brims with stripped-bare emotion and homespun instrumentation.” - American Songwriter
“‘Beautiful Life’ is carried by gentle fingerpicked guitar and sweet sun-lit melodies, coloring Barber’s vocals with a warm early-morning glow, one that is bolstered even further by her charming lyricism.” - Under The Radar
Photo Credit : Jessica Jacobson // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
“One day I was headlining Massey Hall, and the next day I was sweeping a messy hall,” jokes JUNO Award-nominated songwriter Jill Barber about the origins of her brand new album Homemaker. The reality is, having spent the last 20 years playing nearly every folk and jazz festival in Canada—and captivating audiences across the globe in Japan, Europe, Australia, Mexico, South America, the USA, and the Middle East—Barber recently began feeling an increasing disparity between her public image as “Canada’s Sweetheart” and the reality of her domestic life as an overwhelmed wife and mother. But, as strong, smart women like Barber tend to do, she took her life and her story back into her own hands. “I needed to write this album in order to reconcile these two versions of myself and feel okay about all aspects of who I am,” she says of this collection of songs which tell the story of what happens to the young romantic when she reaches “middle age.” Much to the delight of fans and critics alike, Barber has recast “The Homemaker” as the hero of her own story, reclaiming its power for herself and others.
Today, Barber also released a stunning music video for Homemaker’s penultimate track, “Helium”. Directed by Montreal-based artist Yang Shi, “Helium” was choreographed and performed by Winnie Ho. “The song ‘Helium’ evokes our ability to let go of our problems, just as we let go of helium balloons. I pictured this story of a dancer navigating through her problems—represented by the helium balloons—and trying to get free of them,” says Shi. “[The subject] is constantly attached to a single balloon, representing how we are tethered to and learn to work with some lingering thoughts and Winnie Ho's dance is expressive; both fluid and deliberate.” Fans can watch the “Helium” video at this link.
WATCH / SHARE “HELIUM” HERE
MORE ABOUT HOMEMAKER
With Homemaker, Barber delivers ten quietly profound songs about the complexities of motherhood, marriage, and the struggle to feel at home in one’s own identity. It was over the past few years that Jill began to feel an increasing disparity between her public image as “Canada’s Sweetheart” and the reality of her domestic life as an overwhelmed wife and mother. “One day I was headlining Massey Hall, and the next day I was sweeping a messy hall” she quips. “I was afraid to break the spell of the more romantic version of myself that I put out there in the world and which helped define my career, but I eventually reached a breaking point where I needed to write this album in order to reconcile these two versions of myself and feel okay about all aspects of who I am.” These songs tell the story of what happens to the young romantic when she reaches “middle age,” with Jill recasting “The Homemaker” as the hero of her own story, reclaiming its power for herself and others.
WATCH / SHARE “INSTANT CASH FOR GOLD” HERE
Written and recorded in Barber’s adopted hometown of Vancouver where she lives with her husband and two children, Homemaker is the first record that sees Jill in the role of a producer, co-producing with Erik Nielsen (City and Colour), and featuring some of Vancouver’s top session players like Paul Rigby (Neko Case), and Geoff Hicks (Colin James). “These songs are so damn personal, and such a deep reflection of my soul, that I felt an almost maternal instinct to both protect them and produce them for myself,” says Barber. “I really feel like I stepped into my own power as a producer on this record, with a lot of generous assistance from engineer/producer Erik Nielsen, who really championed my abilities in the studio.”
Homemaker is a return to Jill’s folk roots. Whereas her most recent albums have been bathed in lush string arrangements, Homemaker sees emotions laid bare, with a stripped-down production style reminiscent of her acclaimed debut Oh Heart and double JUNO Award-nominated follow-up, For All Time. But mostly, Homemaker is a statement about the humility and strength that it takes to do the meaningful work of creating a home for others, while still holding space for your own dreams.
BUY / STREAM HOMEMAKER HERE
MORE ABOUT JILL BARBER
Jill Barber is a three-time JUNO Award nominated singer-songwriter with an unforgettable voice once heard, never forgotten. Her critically acclaimed repertoire spans a transformative spectrum from folk, to vocal jazz, to pop, and includes songs in both French and English.
Her 2018 album Metaphora featured the #1 hit song “Girl’s Gotta Do” and her breakthrough jazz album Chances was certified Gold for 40,000 copies sold in Canada. Jill’s work has earned her awards, such as the Sirius XM Jazz Artist of the Year and the East Coast Music Award for Album of the Year, and scores of fans, including Blue Rodeo, Ron Sexsmith, and Kris Kristofferson, who called Jill “a real songwriter, and a damn good songwriter.” Her evocative and timeless songs have been featured in film and TV, scoring shows such as Orange Is The New Black, The L Word, Working Moms, and Heartland, and powering a global advertising campaign for Chrysler with the track “Never Quit Loving You”.
An unforgettable, enchanting performer, Jill has headlined iconic venues such as Toronto’s Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre, Dubai’s 2020 World Expo, and Tokyo’s Blue Note and Cotton Club.
WATCH / SHARE “JOINT ACCOUNT” HERE
TOUR DATES
Apr 5 - Whitehorse, YT - Yukon Arts Centre
Apr 14 - Winfield, BC - Creekside Theatre
Apr 15 - Vancouver, BC - York Theatre
Apr 17 - Sidney, BC - Charlie White Theatre - Mary Winspear Centre
May 9 - Paris, ON - Dominion Telegraph Event Centre
May 10 - Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall
May 12 - Ottawa, ON - Babs Asper Theatre
May 13 - Smiths Falls, ON - Station Theatre
May 14 - Kingston, ON - The Isabel Bader Centre
For ticket information, please visit jillbarber.com/shows
HOMEMAKER TRACKLIST
01 Instant Cash For Gold
02 Beautiful Life
03 Homemaker
04 Joint Account
05 Woman Of My Own Dreams
06 Hell No
07 My Mother’s Hand
08 Big Eyes
09 Helium
10 Still In Love