The Icelandic Canadian - 01.10.2002, Blaðsíða 37

Vol. 57 #2
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
79
Rachelle Gislason
by Mattie Clegg
Rachelle Lynne Gislason has made a
name for herself in the music world. It was
at the MacPherson Playhouse in Victoria
where Rachelle got the break any aspiring
young singer/songwriter/musician would
love to have. Last April, at the age of 15,
she was chosen by Nelly Furtado to open
the sold-out show. It was the first show
Furtado had given in her home town after
winning four Juno awards. The act that was
slated to open the show for Nelly was
unable to make it, so she decided to enlist
some local talent for her Premiere. The
contest was sponsored by a local radio sta-
tion - "Plot 103". More than 50 demos
were submitted and sent to Nelly and her
management team. Nelly chose Rachelle
for her originality and unique sound.
The day before the concert, Rachelle
received a phone call telling her that she
had been chosen! Within hours the media
was at the Gislason home - television cam-
eras, newspaper columnists and news radio
reporters arrived to interview her. She only
had one day to get ready for the show and
to decide what to play and sing. This would
have been unnerving for even the most sea-
soned performer. Nelly took time to visit
with Rachelle back stage before the perfor-
mance, and in her friendly and positive way
gave Rachelle confidence and encourage-
ment. Last July Rachelle’s first CD, Live at
the Mac, was released. It is the recording of
the actual concert.
For twenty-five minutes, Rachelle
took the stage, spoke to the very receptive
audience, sang three of her own composi-
tions and "Somewhere over the Rainbow"
while accompanying herself on the piano.
The audience of over 800 sang along,
clapped to keep time with one of the num-
bers and gave her a standing ovation. It was
a tremendous evening for Rachelle, and she
carried it right through like a trooper to her
final bows.
The piano is the very extension of her
soul. One day when she was about six
years old, she came in from school and, as
usual, went straight to the piano. I heard
her playing and asked where she had
learned that tune. She told me that when
she heard something she liked, she would
think about it, and think about it and then
find it on the piano. She has been "finding"
and composing her own music from that
early age.
Rachelle spends many hours a week
playing, writing and revising her music.
Usually the melody is created first, but on
occasion, the lyrics are completed first. She
constantly makes note of her music to keep
the theme flowing, and continually works
on new sounds and tones and techniques.
The subject matter of her songs is
unique for someone so young - she reaches
out and encourages others to seek out and
recognize their own self worth and to pur-
sue their own goals. This is very evident in
"Chameleon" and "Porcelain China Doll."
"Hello" was written after she had made eye
contact with a young girl who was sitting
on the street in downtown Victoria, beg-
ging. Rachelle’s heart went out to her and
without hesitation, she gave the girl her
lunch that she had just bought at a Take-
Away. The girl ran across the street to
share the lunch with another girl. As
Rachelle left them, they both called to her -
"Thank you, thank you, God bless you."
This experience inspired Rachelle to
write a song questioning why these young
girls were without a home. Did they want
to go back? Did they have a choice? She
says: "It is about, no matter how alone you
feel or how lost you are, God will always
be there for you.”
Rachelle wrote her first song when she
was eight years old. She called it "A Little