Short Bio
Carrie Day is an Edmonton, Alberta based folk/roots singer-songwriter, musician and storyteller who has gained a reputation for her breathy vocals, poetic lyrics and skilled arrangements that channel raw emotion straight to the listener’s heart.
Carrie Day’s songs reflect her calling to create beauty, and understand the world around her, resulting in a unique sound that speaks to universal human experiences of love, loss, joy and sadness.
A sense of wonder permeates Day’s songs, which enhance the listener’s own reflections on life and what it is to be human.
Detailed Bio
Carrie Day is an Edmonton, Alberta based folk/roots singer-songwriter who has gained a reputation for her breathy vocals, poetic lyrics and skilled arrangements that channel raw emotion straight to the listener’s heart.
Carrie discovered her love for music at age 10, when she taught herself to play and read music on a second-hand organ and some tattered music books that her mom picked up at a garage sale. When she was 13, her dad – who had never been much of a fan for the lotto – won just enough money on a lottery ticket to purchase Carrie’s first piano, and that is when her musical studies took off.
Day studied classical piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music, then continued her studies at the University of Alberta where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music. Upon graduating, Day taught herself to play guitar, and in 2000-2001 studied with a tabla master while traveling in India. Songwriting soon followed, and Day’s talents began to shine in Edmonton’s indie folk/roots scene.
With a style of her own, Carrie Day’s sound may be described as a cross between Joni Mitchell and Cat Power. She is an emotionally charged artist with an exuberant stage presence, and a keen ability to capture listeners and warm their hearts. An introvert and shy by nature, Carrie’s songs showcase both her musical talents and her gift of reflection. There is also a light-hearted, happy side to Day’s writing, and many of her songs touch on subjects such as spontaneous road trips and trading in a day of work for a day of fun.
Citing musical influences including Sarah Harmer, Feist, Joni Mitchell and Regina Spektor, Day also takes her inspiration from her daughter, who is featured on some of her recordings. Day’s songs reflect her calling to create beauty, and understand the world around her, resulting in a unique sound that speaks to universal human experiences of love, loss, joy and sadness. A sense of wonder permeates Day’s songs, which enhance the listener’s own reflections on life and what it is to be human.
Day has been featured in local, national and international print (including the Edmonton Journal, CBC and Performing Songwriter Magazine), and is receiving airplay on CKUA, CBC, CJSR, Sirius XM, Now!Radio, and international stations as far away as Australia.
“A Glimpse of Heaven”, Day’s first music video, was nominated for a 2012 Alberta Film and Television Award. Day has recently been nominated for the 2014 Edmonton Music Awards Female Artist of the Year.
Her self-produced debut album, Pieces of Me, engineered by Nik Kozub, marked the arrival of a serious new talent to watch. Performing Songwriter Magazine noted Carrie Day’s second album, Finding Grace, produced by Day and engineered by Kozub, brought to mind Sarah McLachlan in her Surfacing days. Day’s third album, Immaculate Night (Sound Extractor Studio), was one of CKUA’s top 100 for 2010. Her latest album, Life is Like This, debuted in CKUA’s top ten in November of 2012.
When she isn’t performing or writing music, Carrie focuses her creativity on home renovations, cooking, gardening, reading, painting and doing yoga.
Notes from the soul
I’m a songwriter and a musician. I’m a mom. I love poetry, drawing, reading, my family, my pets and nature walks. I love being in my garden and roaming the green spaces in my city. I’m an introvert but I love people. Sometimes I forget that and loneliness comes for a visit. When that happens, I often head to a nearby coffee shop to coo at babies and make small talk with adults. That makes everything all better.
When I was a little girl, I fell in love with the sound of the piano. It was those Frank Mills T.V. commercials that did it. Yup. Music Box Dancer was my 3 year-old self’s muse. We didn’t have a piano then, but I dreamed that one day I would play. And, one day I did. I didn’t stop until I wore myself out attaining a Bachelor of Music in Classical piano. The piano is certainly my first love. If I miss a few days of playing, things don’t feel quite right.
After earning my Bachelor of Music in Classical piano, I picked up the guitar out of a need for a new challenge. I was immediately fascinated with the asymmetry of the instrument, and that it lacked the visual clarity of the piano’s nicely laid out keys. I got lost trying to find my way around those six strings. It was both wonderful and frustrating. Long before I could smoothly navigate from one chord to another, I started writing songs.
I have released four full-length albums to-date, plus two others in my early days. Those early albums of original songs released under my former name of Carrie Hryniw. (“Hryniw” is my true last name, but it’s such a pain in the butt to say and spell. I changed it to “Day” in 2010, simply because carrieday.com was an available domain and “Day” is – well – easy to say and spell.) You can probably find my first two albums on the ol’ web. They aren’t very good. (You have been warned!) I’ve grown since those albums. I’ve even grown since my more recent studio albums. But, that’s what creativity and life are all about, right? Learning, growing, evolving.
As of 2017, I’ve been learning to record music in my small basement studio. In 2019, I released my first full-length home studio album, Something To Believe In, which has garnered a forever home at Capital City Records. That feels like such a special accomplishment.
When the pandemic hit, and the world as we’d known it closed up shop, I kind of closed up shop too—in a creative sense. I lost sight of where my art and music fit in. Honestly, everything felt so strange… I was still processing it all when things opened back up again.
In the spring of 2024, I was hit with a sudden illness and found myself in the hospital fighting to regain my health and vitality. That experience deepened my relationship with creativity. It became my companion, reminding me of the power of music and art in recovery and healing.
Now, at the end of 2024, while finding my way back to health, I’m also finding my way back to creative living. It feels like home.
One of the first great things to return to my life as a musician was the Edmonton International Airport’s YEG Music Program. It relaunched, stronger than ever, in 2023. I’m so grateful to be a regular performer in the program.
I often am hired to play at a variety of different events: house concerts, weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, celebrations of life… I love adding to, and being a part of, your special event.
When I put on a public concert, my main goal is for everyone to have a good time. I love telling stories, and I love sharing in a good laugh. I love when there is a palpable feeling of togetherness in the room, and we all feel like one big happy family, singing together and having a good laugh. Gosh, I sure do love all that.
These days, I mostly perform as a soloist. But if the event calls for it, I can easily put together a duo, trio or four piece band. (I have had the immense pleasure of having worked with a lot of fantastic musicians.)
Let’s see…what else can I tell you? I am a freelancer in audio/video editing and website content management, which I do from home. As much as I love the option to work in my pajamas, working from home sometimes gets lonely. Which brings me back to mad dashes to coffee shops and cooing at babies. It also brings me to this: I really appreciate you being here.
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