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The music video for Joelle Rose’s winning song “Birdhouse” will come out in 2026. [Photo Credit: Jack Peresin]<\/p>\n The music video for Joelle Rose’s winning song “Birdhouse” will come out in 2026. [Photo Credit: Jack Peresin]<\/p>\n
For 23-year-old singer-songwriter Joelle Rose, winning a song of the year contest in the city where she grew up for her heartfelt composition \u201cBirdhouse\u201d was the encouragement she needed to take her music career to the next level.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joelle was born and raised in the Mississauga music scene. She started piano lessons at four years old, sang with the Mississauga Children\u2019s Choir until high school, and then taught there for six years. She graduated from the Regional Arts Program for voice at Cawthra Park Secondary School, and six years later, ended up collaborating with four fellow alumni in producing her song.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I owe my whole musical upbringing to Mississauga,\u201d she said. \u201cWhich is why I think it felt very full-circle to win song of the year with Mississauga.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many artists, Joelle is always brainstorming new music, jotting down lyrics in a notebook or on her phone. It\u2019s not surprising, then, that the inspiration for her winning song \u201cBirdhouse\u201d came to her on the bus home from hanging out with friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joelle knew almost instantly that this was one of her favourite songs she\u2019d ever written, but she \u201cwasn\u2019t ever planning to do anything with it.\u201d She and co-composer Miles Rawlin would perform the song for friends and family, and it wasn\u2019t until Joelle noticed people connecting with her lyrics that she realized there was something special about this song.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s always the most rewarding part of songwriting for me is if I write something and other people can see themselves in it, or it makes them think of something in their own life, and they connect to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She came across Sauga\u2019s Song of the Year Contest online one day, decided to submit her song, and the rest is history.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Joelle\u2019s tender ballad about platonic love, friendship, and community features ethereal harmonies propelled by a driving guitar rhythm, layered with rich violin and piano accompaniment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just feeling like I wanted to make something that was for my friends because I think they\u2019re such an important part of my life and what shaped me as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n
She captures these emotions in the chorus lyric, \u201cIf family\u2019s a tree, you\u2019re a birdhouse,\u201d which Joelle said, \u201creflects how people we love become like family, even if not connected by blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since winning the contest, Joelle has performed for Mississauga\u2019s city council and at last year\u2019s Folk Canada conference in Ottawa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis dream of writing my own stuff and collaborating with other artists and performing is something that I kind of didn\u2019t think was in the cards,\u201d said Joelle. \u201cI feel like everything that\u2019s happened lately has encouraged me to keep going with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joelle is currently completing a Master of Health Sciences in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto and is simultaneously embracing the chance to explore her musical path. She recently joined AKILA & The Wonder Machine, a Toronto rock fusion band that performed their debut show at The Drake Underground on Dec. 13.<\/p>\n
\u201cI dreamed about doing stuff like this and putting out my own songs when I was younger,\u201d she said, \u201cso it\u2019s like a tribute to younger me finally putting out her singing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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