Mo Kenney

Mo Kenney

Mo Kenney performing at East Coast Music Week in 2013.
Background information
Birth name Morgan Kenney
Born June 5, 1990
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Occupation(s) songwriter, performer, recording artist
Instruments Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums
Years active 2010-present
Labels New Scotland Records, Pheromone Recordings
Associated acts Joel Plaskett, Ron Sexsmith, Gordie Sampson, Rachel Sermanni
Website
Mo Kenney (Waves Vienna 2014)

Mo Kenney (born 1990) is a Canadian singer/songwriter based in Waverley, Nova Scotia.[1] Catching the ear of noted Canadian rocker Joel Plaskett while still in school, Kenney released her first album in 2012, which Plaskett produced.[2] Kenney is known for her strong singing voice and engaging stage presence.[3] Called "Nova Scotia's rising star" by The Scene magazine, she has toured with Plaskett as well as with Ron Sexsmith.[4]

Background

Kenney began playing guitar when she was 11. She became interested in music via classic rock; among her favorite artists in her early teens were Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Ozzy Osbourne.[5] When she found herself grounded for two months by her parents at age 16, she began writing songs in earnest and listening to singer/songwriters such as Elliott Smith.[6] Smith in particular inspired Kenney to learn finger-picking. At around the same age, she also began to draw inspiration from the indie rock world, thanks to exposure to the films of Wes Anderson, and the adventurous soundtracks he favors.[5]

Career

Kenney first began recording her songs at a small recording studio housed at the Shambhala School in Halifax, when she was 17. Joel Plaskett visited the school one day to talk about playing and recording music, and listened to what she had recorded. Two years later, Plaskett's manager called Kenney with the news that he was recommending her to be invited to Gordie Sampson's Songcamp in Cape Breton. Kenney later began working on her first recording with Plaskett, starting in April 2011.[6][7]

Although hampered by severe stage fright when first beginning to perform, Kenney now impresses critics with her at-ease and affable stage presence.[3][4][8] Among her notable international performances to date, Kenney played at the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival in October 2012[9] and at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton in May 2013.[10]

Her debut album, entitled Mo Kenney, was produced by Plaskett and recorded at his studio in Dartmouth. The album was released in September 2012 by New Scotland Records and Pheromone Recordings.[11] Plaskett co-wrote two of the album's songs with Kenney. The two of them are the only musicians who play on the album.[1][5]

In March 2013, the album received an East Coast Music Award nomination for Rising Star Recording of the Year.[12]

In June 2013, Kenney's song "Sucker" was named a finalist for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize for the best song by an independent Canadian musician, sponsored by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.[13] She was named the winner of the award on July 10, 2013.[14] Also in 2013, Kenney won three Music Nova Scotia awards: pop recording of the year, female artist of the year, and new artist recording of the year. She received a similar designation, new/emerging artist of the year, at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.[15][16]

Discography

albums

singles

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cooke, Stephen (October 19, 2012). "Standing out means less is Mo". thechronicleherald.ca. Halifax, Nova Scotia: The Chronicle Herald.
  2. ↑ "Mo Kenney". exclaim.ca. Exclaim! Magazine. November 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Powell, W. Andrew (March 23, 2013). "Wildlife, PS I Love You, Mad Ones & Mo Kenney at Canadian Music Fest". The Gate Entertainment Magazine. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mikhaylova, Sofia (March 23, 2013). "CMW Live Review - Mo Kenney". The Scene Magazine. TheSceneMagazine.ca. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Mo Kenney - Biography". CD Baby. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dahn, Jessica. "The Welcoming Storyteller". Soupe Kitchen. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Hot Soupe. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ Briggins, Jonathan (May 23, 2012). "New Scotland Records singles: Mo Kenney, Jeremy Fisher and Joel Plaskett". The Broken Speaker. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
  8. ↑ O'Neil, Meghan (January 22, 2013). "Mo Kenney: Plaskett Approved". The Aquinian. Fredericton, New Brunswick: St. Thomas University.
  9. ↑ "Mo Kenney - News". mokenney.com. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Scene of the Crime by Mo Kenney, shot at the Great Escape Festival". youtube.com. San Bruno, California: YouTube, LLC. May 27, 2013.
  11. ↑ Cook, Glenn (March 20, 2013). "Surreal times for Mo Kenney". St. Albert Leader. St. Albert, Alberta: RJ Lolly Media Ltd.
  12. ↑ "Award Winners & Nominees". East Coast Music Association. Halifax, Nova Scotia: East Coast Music Association. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  13. ↑ Alex Hudson (June 3, 2013). "SOCAN Songwriting Prize Announces 2013 Nominees: Maylee Todd, Whitehorse, Purity Ring, the Weather Station, Mo Kenney". Exclaim.ca. Toronto, Ontario.
  14. ↑ "Mo Kenney claims SOCAN songwriting prize". CBC News, July 10, 2013.
  15. ↑ Wheeler, Brad (November 13, 2013). "Kenney's awards haul stretches across the country". The Globe and Mail. p. L7.
  16. ↑ Lisa Stitt (November 10, 2013). "Music Nova Scotia Music & Industry Award Winners 2013". Music Nova Scotia. Halifax Nova Scotia.

External links