Leah Daniels

Mark Hoult

Community Press

Havelock — Uxbridge singer and songwriter Leah Daniels believed appearing on stage at the Havelock Country Jamboree was beyond her reach.

She was proved wrong Saturday after winning first place at the eighth annual Ontario Country Showdown, earning a spot in the lineup of the 2010 jamboree.

"Today it just happened," Daniels said in an interview Saturday night following the wrap-up of a day that saw 20 performers from across Ontario take the stage to entertain the audience and judges at the Havelock Community Centre.
Judges picked Daniels as the top performer out of six finalists. The band Corduroy Road, from Guelph, took second place and will appear at the 2010 Marmora Jamboree. Brittany Jordan Wade, of Trenton, took third place in the country showdown, an event launched in 2003 to spotlight and promote talented, but often unheralded country performers.

Daniels said she was overwhelmed when she heard emcee Graham Edge name her as top performer of the day.

"I'm so excited. I didn't have any idea who would win, because the competition was so great, and everybody was awesome. I was just inspired the whole night by everyone, so I'm just honoured and grateful."

Daniels, who received classical vocal training and started her first band in high school, performed at the country showdown with guitarist Ryan Boiselle. But at the jamboree she will perform with a full band behind her.

"There will be a lot more action on stage," she said. "But acoustic is awesome, because I really get to showcase my vocals a lot more, because it's just the two of us."

Daniels said she can't remember a time when she wasn't interested in music and performing. But it was during an audition as a young girl for the role of Annie that she realized that she loved music enough to make it her life. Leanne Rimes, Celine Dion and Shania Twain are among the artists that inspired her as she was growing up. And now she is recording her first album to showcase her particular brand of what she calls "pop-infused" country-rock.
"It seems like everything is coming together," Daniels said. "It takes awhile to just find the right people to work with and to find your place in music."

Local music legend Dan Ireland, who shared emcee duties with Graham Hart and performed with sons Charles and Ray, said he was "honoured to play on the same stage" as the musical artists who took part in the 2010 country showdown.

Ireland, who emceed his last showdown, said he would not have wanted to be one of the judges who had to pick three winners from among the 20 performers.

"The talent here today was outstanding," he said. "It's sad for me to walk away from this, but at 82, I feel I would like to sit back and listen."

Hart, who is well known in the area as the news anchor for CHEX TV in Peterborough, said "the wonderful talent" that appeared at the showdown this year "is a testament" to the work and dedication of the event's organizers.

"It's a big, big job, and it's wonderful to see you people out showing your appreciation," he told the audience. "The hospitality of this community is second to none; it's a great community."

Country music showdown chairwoman Christina Deline said she was disappointed by a decline in attendance this year.

"But the performers were amazing," she said. "Every year they just keep getting better and better, so I was really pleased."

Deline said the six finalists were all within six points of each other.

"So it was really, really close, so the judges actually counted their stuff about three times to make sure it was accurate. The talent was just amazing."

Proceeds from the Ontario Country Music showdown go to the SickKids Foundation, the Five Counties Children's Centre and local charities and sports organizations.

Article ID# 2714972 - The Community Press

Mark Hoult

Community Press

Havelock — Uxbridge singer and songwriter Leah Daniels believed appearing on stage at the Havelock Country Jamboree was beyond her reach.

She was proved wrong Saturday after winning first place at the eighth annual Ontario Country Showdown, earning a spot in the lineup of the 2010 jamboree.

"Today it just happened," Daniels said in an interview Saturday night following the wrap-up of a day that saw 20 performers from across Ontario take the stage to entertain the audience and judges at the Havelock Community Centre.
Judges picked Daniels as the top performer out of six finalists. The band Corduroy Road, from Guelph, took second place and will appear at the 2010 Marmora Jamboree. Brittany Jordan Wade, of Trenton, took third place in the country showdown, an event launched in 2003 to spotlight and promote talented, but often unheralded country performers.

Daniels said she was overwhelmed when she heard emcee Graham Edge name her as top performer of the day.

"I'm so excited. I didn't have any idea who would win, because the competition was so great, and everybody was awesome. I was just inspired the whole night by everyone, so I'm just honoured and grateful."

Daniels, who received classical vocal training and started her first band in high school, performed at the country showdown with guitarist Ryan Boiselle. But at the jamboree she will perform with a full band behind her.

"There will be a lot more action on stage," she said. "But acoustic is awesome, because I really get to showcase my vocals a lot more, because it's just the two of us."

Daniels said she can't remember a time when she wasn't interested in music and performing. But it was during an audition as a young girl for the role of Annie that she realized that she loved music enough to make it her life. Leanne Rimes, Celine Dion and Shania Twain are among the artists that inspired her as she was growing up. And now she is recording her first album to showcase her particular brand of what she calls "pop-infused" country-rock.
"It seems like everything is coming together," Daniels said. "It takes awhile to just find the right people to work with and to find your place in music."

Local music legend Dan Ireland, who shared emcee duties with Graham Hart and performed with sons Charles and Ray, said he was "honoured to play on the same stage" as the musical artists who took part in the 2010 country showdown.

Ireland, who emceed his last showdown, said he would not have wanted to be one of the judges who had to pick three winners from among the 20 performers.

"The talent here today was outstanding," he said. "It's sad for me to walk away from this, but at 82, I feel I would like to sit back and listen."

Hart, who is well known in the area as the news anchor for CHEX TV in Peterborough, said "the wonderful talent" that appeared at the showdown this year "is a testament" to the work and dedication of the event's organizers.

"It's a big, big job, and it's wonderful to see you people out showing your appreciation," he told the audience. "The hospitality of this community is second to none; it's a great community."

Country music showdown chairwoman Christina Deline said she was disappointed by a decline in attendance this year.

"But the performers were amazing," she said. "Every year they just keep getting better and better, so I was really pleased."

Deline said the six finalists were all within six points of each other.

"So it was really, really close, so the judges actually counted their stuff about three times to make sure it was accurate. The talent was just amazing."

Proceeds from the Ontario Country Music showdown go to the SickKids Foundation, the Five Counties Children's Centre and local charities and sports organizations.

Article ID# 2714972 - The Community Press

Posted Aug 19, 2010
BY BILL FREEMAN
EMC Entertainment - "Making people happier every day with my music" is Leah Daniels' goal and the elegant singer-songwriter from Uxbridge proved that Saturday night with a masterful performance that captured top spot at the eighth annual Ontario Country Music Showdown in Havelock.

It was a golden day for the event despite lower-than-expected attendance with Guelph's Corduroy Road placing second and Trenton's Brittany Jordan Wade in third. Charming finalist Dallas Daisy Arney of Flinton won the fan favourite award with her exquisite performance. In all, 20 performers took to the stage with six finalists wowing the audience during a brilliant evening showdown..

But it was Leah, accompanied by guitarist Ryan Broisselle, who won over the judges in a close contest with just six points separating all six performers.

"It's overwhelming, I'm so excited," Leah, who is also one of eight young singers selected to perform at the new artists showcase at this year's Canadian Country Music Week in Edmonton, said afterwards. "I had no idea who would win because the competition was so great. I was inspired the whole night by everyone."

With the title Leah wins a Sunday gig at the 21st annual Havelock Country Jamboree, a reality she finds stunning.

"That was something a couple of years ago I would have thought was out of reach," the former Humber College contemporary music student said.

She first held a microphone when she was two and made her live stage debut at the CNE's country music contest when she was nine.

"Ever since I can remember I sang."

Still, Leah can't remember a "certain moment" when she realized music could be a career but was constantly involved in musicals and studied classical voice earning her Grade 9 at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

But she thinks an audition for the musical Annie which she didn't get was a turning point.

"That's when my first love started."

Growing up she listened to a lot of Leanne Rimes, Celine Dion and Shania Twain but savours all types of music.

"I just love a great song with good lyrics, a story and message."

At next week's Jamboree she'll return with a band but Leah is entirely comfortable as an acoustic solo artist.

"Acoustic is awesome because I get to showcase my vocals a lot more."

She started her first band when she was in high school and never looked back.

"That's when I really started to do original stuff. I spend a lot of time writing with different people."

A recent trip to Nashville, where she met people in the business, helped.

"I just take the time to find the right songs."

With the Havelock triumph and a first CD to be released this fall, Leah is easily on a musical Cloud 9.

"It just seems like everything is coming together. It takes a while to find the right people to work with and find your place in music. I love performing live, that's why I do this." - Northeast EMC

Thu Feb 28, 2008
By Jeff Hayward

UXBRIDGE -- Move over Britney, there's a new Speers on the radar.
That's Leah Speers -- not Spears -- to clarify, although Uxbridge's Ms. Speers, 20, admits the famous pop princess is one of her musical influences. She also named Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion and The Beatles in helping her shape her sound.

Ms. Speers is gearing up for the release party of her first demo CD, entitled 'No Escape'. The concert is scheduled to hit the Uxbridge Legion, 109 Franklin St., on Saturday, March 1, at 8 p.m. And although the demo album, which took about five months to produce, is new, she is no stranger to music.

Ms. Speers studied music at Sheridan and Humber colleges, and has been singing since she can remember. "On my first birthday I was picking up a microphone," she said with a smile, adding she started playing piano at age seven. By 12, she had composed her first song. She writes all her own music, added the well-spoken young performer, following a soulful performance in her home on Tuesday.

She has four professional musicians and two other singers to back her up, she noted.

The album was produced with the help of a Mississauga studio, said Ms. Speers, noting the three songs on the CD were recorded one instrument at a time. She said she chose the studio route because she wanted the experience of a producer to polish the songs, but acknowledged modern technology makes it easy for musicians to record at home. "A lot of good stuff is produced in a basement," she said. She added she hopes to be discovered but is not against signing with an independent label. "Right now you can do a lot on an independent label," she said. "Everyone is on an equal playing ground because of the Internet."

She explained now is the right time for her to make a go of the music business. "I think with this industry you have to do it when you're young and you have a lot of energy," she said, adding there is a lot of work involved. "I've had my down moments... but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Previous to her March 1 show, Ms. Speers has also performed at Canada's Wonderland and was crowned the first Uxbridge Idol in 2004. "I love to perform live," she said, adding viewers can expect lots of energy at the Legion party.

When she's not performing, she's instructing others how to perform. "I teach piano and voice," she said. "It helps me keep my skills fresh."

Tickets to the March 1 show, also featuring 'Cullen Live', are available in advance for $10 at Brockstreet Music in Uxbridge. Those who buy in advance get a free CD, otherwise the album is $5 on its own.

For more information on Leah Speers, visit www.heyleah.com. - Uxbridge Times Journal (Metroland Media Group)

Wandering the Cosmos
Column by Conrad Boyce

"I thought of it last Saturday as I watched and listened to the very youngest of them, Leah Speers, launch her first demo CD at the Legion, backed on her own music by a bunch of professional singers and musicians, and sounding every bit as strong and powerful as any of the other pop divas I hear about on TV.

She didn't sound to much like the seven-year-old girl I auditioned for the Uxbridge Youth Choir in the fall of 1995, only a few weeks after arriving in Ontario, the little girl who blew me away with her rendition of "Colours of the Wind" which sounded mature way beyond her years. She didn't even sound like the teenager who played her first speaking role for me as Rattie in "Wind in the Willows", or showed her power as both singer and actress as Anita in USS's "West Side Story". She's been on a heck of a musical journey since then, graduating as the first Uxbridge Idol, and studying in the demanding programs at both Sheridan and Humber Colleges. And now she's chasing the dream of making her own music, and seeing if the world likes it." - The Uxbridge Cosmos

Review of March 24, 2010 Wed Goes Pop Series at The SuperMarket, Toronto, ON

March 25, 2010
I am always into finding new music, and listening to new bands and artists and last night was the perfect opportunity for that!

After Theos Tams performance, I got the chance to see Leah Daniels. She's got some serious potential. I don't know much about her, but I do know that she is one to look out for!

Shes is freaken adorable and has a great stage presence. I really enjoyed watching her, and I think with some more practice, she could have a very successful career!

Leah sang a song last night, I think it was called "Still" and I thought it was Fantastic! I also really loved her cover of Elvis..she totally made it her own song.

Keep an eye out for this girl and check her out at the links! - Zebra Print Sky