Bree Whitworth is a classically trained pianist and started playing piano when she was three-years-old. She reached grade ten with the Royal Conservatory of Music. And in her teens she started to experiment with writing her own music. She had secretly written a number of songs but was afraid to share her music with anyone.
She has always been obsessed with music. From a young age, she would sneak out of her bedroom at night to put on her favourite records and headphones. Her parents would always find her fast asleep, curled up in her rocking chair, next to the record player. Her dad and stepmom were huge influences on her musically as they both loved all music from classical to classic rock, and everything in-between. They had a love for musical theatre and took her to see many shows.
She developed quite an obsession for every show they would see and she would quickly memorise the words to every song. She dreamt of one day being on Broadway, performing onstage herself. But when she realised that she also had a knack for writing great songs and lyrics, she decided that she would instead seek out her own stage and perform her original songs which has been so fulfilling and rewarding. She loves sharing her own stories through songs with hopes that they connect with her listeners and their own experiences.
Bree Whitworth has a diverse list of musical influences that range through all genres. “I am inspired by so many powerhouse female artists from the likes of Robyn, Paloma Faith, Bishop Briggs, Lissie, Beth Ditto and so many more,” she comments. These have been some of her mainstays for a number of years but there are also so many great young up and coming artists that are talented and creative. It helps to inspire her own sound and to push the boundaries of her musical style and writing. She gravitates to other artists that write honestly and passionately about love and heartbreak as that features predominantly in her songwriting as well.
In her late 20s, she met her first producer Matthew Mei, and he helped her to develop her confidence and bring a collection of partial songs to light. From there, she formed her first band ‘The Madman’s Gospel’. They produced an EP together and performed a number of shows around Vancouver, and even had one of their songs on a TV show. The band and herself were together for many years before they went their separate ways.
In 2018, Bree Whitworth decided to pursue a solo music career and began to work with producer Winston Hauschild. Together, they released her solo EP, Siren Songs, and a number of singles.
Last year, she met producer Zach Wolf through Instagram. They had released three singles this year together. It has been fun for her to work with different producers to create and evolve her sound which started out as adult contemporary but has really moved into pop and electronic genres over the last couple of years.
Bree Whitworth’s brand-new single ‘Better Off Alone’ is a pop release has an anthemic, empowering, and heartbreak flavour to it showcasing her passion. The production features gripping instrumentation from bass, drum machines, guitar, piano, and synths, accompanied by her beautiful vocals that will draw the listener in from the first note.
Fueled from being told by her ex that maybe she would be ‘better off alone’, she notes that the song wrote itself after that. She worked with her producer Zach Wolf first by sending him some samples of other songs as inspiration. And then she wrote the lyrics once she had the music knowing that it would be based around that sentence. She wanted to tell the story of her hurt from that sentence but also to empower herself to take ownership of it and say 'yes I am better off alone, or at least without you!’
“‘Better Off Alone’ is about an ex telling me I'd be 'better off alone' and turning that hurt from his words into something empowering to own that sentence and create an anthem for women to know that no matter what, it's better to be alone than to be with someone who isn't right for you,” Bree Whitworth comments on the track.
“Our breakup was definitely the event that inspired this song. I wanted to take his words though and reshape them into my own narrative. Instead of just singing about my hurt, I wanted to sing about how being ‘better off alone’ could be empowering. It allowed me freedom to learn from the experience and find the strength to move on, stronger than I was before.”
Bree Whitworth writes sad love songs, with a twist. She would describe her music as pop with a definite 80s inspiration. “I love some good synths and I enjoy creating a straight-up pop song but then adding an unexpected layer or sound that really helps build the melody while taking the listeners on an unpredicted journey,” she comments.
A musical highlight for Bree Whitworth has to be when she had a song featured on the premiere episode of TLC’s Breaking Amish. “I didn’t actually know it had been placed in the show. I first found out through some followers tweeting to me that they loved it.” She watched the episode with some family and friends, and it was cool hearing it air during the show. “I am always actively seeking for other placement opportunities and have been added into a number of music libraries. There’s always hope that it could happen again. It’s just a great way to reach new listeners outside of the traditional radio and streaming platforms.
Bree Whitworth’s mission as a music artist is to write songs that she feels listeners can really connect with. “I want to write lyrics that tell a story and resonate with their own personal experiences. I know that there are certain songs by other artists that have gotten me through my own experiences of heartbreak and how much that meant to me. If I can do the same for even one person with one song, that inspires me.”