Canadian artist Alex Whorms is a prolific singer-songwriter and professional screen composer who has scored multiple television and film soundtracks throughout her career. The artists’ two EP’s have received national recognition for their piano-driven, genre-bending, original style and sound, and have been featured on CBC Radio One’s Fresh Air and In The Key of C. With a rapidly growing fanbase and recognition across Canada and the US prior to the slowdown of the pandemic, the 2019 recipient of the Hamilton Arts Award for Emerging Artist in Music toured across Ontario and has been a featured performer on local and regional television. From sold out shows in the Hamilton region and accolades from some of the top music reviewers in the country, Alex Whorms’ unparalleled creativity has engaged audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The Humber College of Music graduate received national attention for her cover of Jann Arden’s hit single “Insensitive”, which received high praise from Tinnitist’s Darryl Sterdan who called the track “a piece of pure piano-based heartbreak”. With an eclectic group of musical influences that range from classical composers Chopin and Beethoven to Sarah Bareilles, Regina Spektor and Canadian artists Sarah Slean and Laila Biali, Alex’s style is an expertly crafted mix of cinematic singer-songwriter with elements of Jazz and Pop. With her skillful ability to craft words and music that captivate audiences with honesty, imagery, and authenticity, Alex has just released a brand new, nostalgic, holiday single dedicated to her family titled “Christmas Morning” on Tuesday, November 1 2022.
Joining the incredibly small group of approximately 2.1% of female producers in the industry today, Alex wrote both music and lyrics for “Christmas Morning” as well as co-produced the track alongside Mark Lalama (Dizzy & Fay, Susan Aglukark). The song was mixed by Grammy Award winning engineer Harry Hess (Barenaked Ladies, Billy Talent).
About “Christmas Morning”:
A captivatingly warm, heartfelt Disney soundtrack-like Christmas song, Alex began writing “Christmas Morning” as she recalled all the things she was looking forward to doing with her family as they geared up to reunite for the holidays. Inspired by the moment Alex looked down at the sweater she was wearing while working at the piano, the talented singer-songwriter noticed she had on an old sweater from her younger brother – something he outgrew and passed along to her. Described by friends as a love letter to her family, Alex’s “Christmas Morning” is piano-ballad ode to the cherished memories and anticipation of future moments to be created with loved ones during the holiday season. The heartfelt, comforting song was written in late 2020 – a time when many families knew they wouldn’t be able to see one another that year, making Alex even more grateful to know she would be able to be with hers. With a focus that steers away from the materialistic, stressful aspects of Christmas, Alex reminds listeners about what she was reminded of during that time – the importance of being around those you love. With orchestral strings and a delicate piano melody, “Christmas Morning” is a song that sounds as cozy as the memories that inspired it. As the rest of the instruments slowly build around the warmth of Alex’s voice, the song comes to life with drums, violin, and cello, and the skilled songwriter’s expertise in scoring has listeners reminiscing about their own comforting memories as she recalls her own.
Teaming up with legendary Canadian artist Drew Jurecka (Dua Lipa, Alvvays) and his incredible Venuti String quartet, “Christmas Morning” listeners can almost hear the warm glow of the fireplace and Christmas lights, brought to life by the musicians on the song. With Davide Direnzo (Holly Cole, Alanis Morisette) on drums, and Rich Moore (The Tenors) on bass, “Christmas Morning” was recorded while Alex was a student at Humber College.
Quote:
“Christmas Morning” is full of my childhood memories of holiday magic and the heartwarming feelings I still get every year when we come home to celebrate together. – Alex Whorms
Shows:
November 4 – Hamilton, Ontario – Hamilton Public Library – Free Event
November 26 – Toronto, Ontario – Tranzac Club Toronto – Southern Cross Songwriters Showcase
Biography:
While some artists work to master their chosen genre and others may even manage to define one, Whorms crafts music that is essentially a genre unto itself. Seated at her beloved keyboard, the young vocalist and composer flows freely and flawlessly between styles and sounds, gracefully blending classic singer-songwriter pop, jazz, soul, rock, classical, folk and almost anything else that strikes her fancy — while investing everything with honest tales and authentic emotions drawn from her own life and experiences. Even she has trouble assigning it a name. “I’ve struggled to explain my sound to people for a long time,” she laughs. “The ideas I have are all over the place. I’m inspired by so many different styles.”
A self-described “classical music kid” who became a “musical theatre nerd” in high school, Whorms went from practising piano five hours a day to reading charts in pit bands and conducting choirs while still in her teens. She loved the dramatic melodies, the lyrics that told stories and became a fan of composers which include Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Rodgers and Hammerstein.
One day, the wheel landed on a Sarah Slean song, and Whorms’ world widened. “I found her music incredible because it was dramatic, and her lyrics are poetry. It was sensitive and beautiful. I could relate.” Slean led her to Regina Spektor and Tori Amos, Fiona Apple and Sarah Bareilles, Julia Michaels and Laila Biali — and before long, Whorms had found a new passion. She began studying the craft of songwriting, honing her skills as a performer and bandleader, sharpening her pen as a lyricist. “My daily journal entries turned into poems, then song lyrics. Writing helped me figure things out,” she says. “I like songs to be real and moving. Not overpolished and not oversimplified. Because life is so full of curveballs; it isn’t simple.”
After releasing her 2017 EP Our Lives and 2019’s Burgundy, Whorms’ won the 2019 Hamilton Arts Award for Emerging Artist in Music, earning praise for her “beautifully crafted pop songs” from Graham Rockingham of The Hamilton Spectator. She toured across Ontario, hitting Canadian Music Week in Toronto (2019), Hamilton’s Festival of Friends (2018, 2021) and New York City’s Sidewalk Cafe (2017). She performed on CHCH TV’s Morning Live, and the Cable 14 programs Ensemble! and Marz Garage. Tracks from Burgundy were played on CBC Radio’s Fresh Air and In the Key of C, with host Adam Carter praising the track Sunset for its “real, honest purity.” Her Burgundy release concert at Hamilton’s beloved Jillard Guitars sold out.
Then the pandemic hit, putting Whorms’ tour abruptly on pause. She began working remotely as a screen composer, creating instrumental soundtracks for film and television. During this time, she also released “quietly beautiful and moving” solo renditions of Bing Crosby’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and Jann Arden’s hit single “Insensitive”, which Darryl Sterdan of Tinnitist calls “a piece of pure piano-based heartbreak”. “As I adjusted to pandemic life, I wrote several albums’ worth of new songs, finding bits of meaning in our shared lockdown challenges.” The first of these new compositions, a holiday song called “Christmas Morning”, will debut on Nov 1. Dedicated to Whorms’ family, the track features Drew Jurecka (Dua Lipa, Alvvays) on violin, Davide Direnzo (Holly Cole, Alanis Morisette) on drums and production by Mark Lalama (Dizzy & Fay, Susan Aglukark).
Having also been reunited with her band and listeners in person, Whorms returned to the stage in September of 2022 with a sold-out show at Hamilton’s LIVELab. “Playing live again and having new songs to share is invigorating,’ says Whorms, who will be splitting her time between Ontario recording studios and stages this fall. “I’m finally back where I belong.”
Connect with Alex:
Website – https://www.alexwhorms.com/
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5hx0m…
Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ale…
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/alexwhorms/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@alexwhorms?la…
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AlexWhorms/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexWhorms
Twitter – https://twitter.com/alexwhorms
