Ivy James: Toronto's Best Young Indie Songwriter

16-year-old Oakville singer-songwriter Ivy James won Best Young Songwriter at the Toronto Independent Music Awards (TIMA) on Oct. 6, 2012. The emerging indie-rock songstress was honored for “Thunder” and “Your Escape (Nate's Song),” the first two tracks from her debut, self-titled EP. Released in June 2012, Ivy's EP is currently on New Canadian Music's Emerging Artists chart in the company of acts including Lights and the Arkells.

Known for her thought-provoking lyrics and strong, unique vocals, Ivy has been involved in the Oakville/GTA music scene for many years, including numerous shows in support of local charities.

"Thunder and Your Escape (Nate's Song) will always be important to me because the writing process helped me through a tough situation and they were the first step towards my EP, which I had been thinking about for a long time," said Ivy James.

"The best songs are always the hardest to write because you have to tap into emotions that you don't necessarily understand yourself. As the writer, the song may mean one thing to me and something completely different to someone else. I think that's why people connect so well with music; you take what you want from it."

TIMA nominees and winners were selected by a Grand Jury panel of industry veterans including multi-platinum selling artist Bif Naked, multi-award winning singer-songwriter Jully Black, Eric Alper, Director of Media Relations and Label Acquisitions for eOne Music, Katie Clark, owner of Underground Operations Records & Management, and EMI Music Publishing executive Barbara Sedun.

Ivy continues to perform live in support of her EP. On Oct. 15, 2012, she took the stage at Toronto's Hard Rock Cafe to compete in the Great Canadian Song Search. Ivy is also playing upcoming shows at the Rockpile in Etobicoke on Nov. 2, 2012, the Animals Beyond Borders fundraiser with Phil Demers at Toronto's Bloor Street United Church on Nov. 3, 2012, and at Hugh's Room with Juno-nominated artist Micah Barnes on Dec. 11, 2012.

Earlier this year, Ivy played the 10th annual JuneFest at Toronto's Mel Lastman Squarefor Deaf-Blind Awareness Month. She also performed at Oakville's YouthFest and KOI Music Festival 2012 in Kitchener, which included bands such as illScarlett, GOB, Silverstein,  Abandon All Ships and more.

Ivy's EP is available on iTunes and through HMV Canada.

Source and Images Courtesy: Ivy James