Following a tough breakup with her romantic partner, Toronto-based musician Andrea Ramolo went through a period of depression where she didn't leave her bed much for a few months.
Because music has always been therapeutic for her, Ramolo started writing songs to get her through her angst.
The result is her new album, Nuda, and its companion version, Da Sola, which features the same songs, but without the backup band.
Sudburians get a chance to hear some of Ramolo's new tunes Feb. 18, when she opens for Ben Sures at Fromagerie Elgin as part of a show organized by Northern Lights Festival Boréal.
“I'm really excited to share these new songs,” she said. “It's a dark album, but it has glimpses of hope in it.”
You might know of Ramolo as one half of the duo Scarlett Jane. She and bandmate Cindy Doire — a Timmins native — are currently focusing on solo projects.
While Nuda was produced by Michael Timmins of the Cowbody Junkies, Da Sola has some Sudbury flavour in that it was produced by Ramolo's good friend, Sudbury native Faye Blais.
“I had so much faith and trust in her,” Ramolo said. “It was so nice to work with somebody I'm such close, dear friends with. She helped carry me along in that journey, and she was very sensitive and supportive.”
This marks Blais' first attempt at producing.
“It kind of started as songwriting together and her hearing what I was working on and wanting to work together on some of her new material,” Blais said.
“It was a really beautiful way of getting me into that producer zone. It was a huge learning curve — something I really wanted to learn and take on, so it was a great opportunity and a great amount of pressure to get things right.”
Tickets to the show, which starts at 8 p.m., are $25 and can be purchased at Fromagerie Elgin, at the NLFB office, or online at nlfb.ca/BenSures.
