Dawn Pemberton (BC)

Vancouver vocal dynamo Dawn Pemberton has a deep musical foundation rooted in tradition. Those roots take her powerful voice from gospel and soul to jazz, funk, and world music. Heavily influenced by rhythm, she’s drawn to the percolating undercurrent of soul-jazz and funk which infuses everything she does: “I’ve got a rhythmic stream running through me at all times. It’s all about the groove for me.”

Dawn got that groove early on. She spent her formative years surrounded by a family of multi-instrumentalists, developing a true love of music as a young girl – getting an educated background in jazz voice and piano. She went on to become a staple of the Vancouver music scene and beyond, the secret weapon of funk and soul groups all over Western Canada, often found tearin’ it up as a vocalist, arranger, and ‘go-to’ for live performances and studio sessions. But in addition to regularly supporting and collaborating on the projects of her peers, Dawn is a talented and passionate songwriter in her own right.

That creative voice has been bubbling to the surface for the better part of a decade. “I enjoyed helping others bring their projects to life and after a while I wanted to experience the process for myself…[to express] my personality and vibe.” Her “Say Somethin’”, is about having the courage to be vulnerable, about opening up what’s in our hearts and on our minds.

Vibrant, genuine, and soulful, Dawn brings it with a sense of adventure, quirkiness, and some of that serious groove – and shapes it into her own unique and dynamic package. Tight, expressive and bold, Dawn will hit you where it counts, funk you up and make you say “go ‘head!”.

You might want to strap on a seat belt, folks – you’re in for an thrillin’ ride!