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What is it that connects us to each other--and why do we long for connection? What does it mean to live in the moment--and what do we miss when we don't? Pondering this questions is what generated such wide-spread buzz and great reviews for Canadian-born singer-songwriter Jill Paquette's debut album, Jill Paquette (Reunion Records), including Dove nominations, a JUNO Award (Canadian equivalent to the Grammy's), three VIBE awards (Canadian People's Choice Awards) and two Western Canadian Awards. Classically-trained Paquette has shared the stage with CCM greats like Rebecca St James, Shaun Groves and Jill Phillips, and she's traveled the US and Canada, performing in large venues (Franklin Graham Crusade, Spirit West Coast, Freedom Fest, GMA Seminar in the Rockies), coffee houses, concert halls, churches and local clubs. Jill has been featured in publications like Christianity Today, CCM Magazine, and CBA Marketplace; Christian Music Todaydubbed her one of the Best New Artists and Radio & Recordsnamed her one of radio's Top 10 New Artists. It all started when she performed an impromptu set at a local coffee house in Northern Canada--not because she wanted to, but because of the relentless insistence of her friends. She met Matt Brouwer (who would later sign to a major label) that day and became a part of his band. There she learned how to serve the music" and to connect in a meaningful way to her audience. Jill believes this is when, in actuality, music discovered her. Serendipity has been the hallmark of Jill's career: While others had been aware of her talent for years, Jill is surprised by the path her life has taken. At the request of a producer, she sat down with her guitar to record her first demo. It found its way to Nashville and she received a surprise call from a major label interested in signing her. Three years later, Jill inked her first record deal. Her whole journey has been this way: a string of events that seemed to divinely happen of their own. Jill didn't grow up dreaming of stardom, and when you mention the accolades, she looks uncomfortable. "It's like this," she begins. "I always wanted a horse when I was younger. I knew I'd be great with horses because I just loved them so much . they're amazing. "Finally, I got one when I was 13. My horse was my best teacher in a lot of ways, but she also had needs." She heaves an exaggerated sigh. "She had to be fed, she had a clock and she wanted ME to do things for her. If I didn't exercise her, she'd get cranky, and if she was around the wrong horses, she'd pick up bad manners." She pauses thoughtfully, her voice ironic, "It's quite like taking care of a child, and at 13, I wasn't ready for a child." The moral of the story? "Be careful what you wish for," Jill says dryly, then smiles. "There's a downside to even the greatest opportunities. You know, it was flattering and exciting to win the awards, but a record deal . that felt like pressure to besomething and that was scary. But I believe it was my path, and I'm grateful." Perhaps it's her remote, northern-Canadian upbringing and her Native-American roots that have contributed to her down-to-earth, unassuming personality. Jill's love for music goes back to childhood where, as the youngest of seven in a musical family, she began playing the piano when she was three years old. She studied classical music, and she spent her time soaking up Beethoven in lieu of MTV. To Jill, songwriting is her meditation--an outlet for her musings, her exploration of her experiences: raw, bold, and deeply honest. Dubbed the "female equivalent of the thinking man's songwriter" by Christian Music Today, she explores life's complexity, considers her shortcomings, and confesses her most private fears. Her lyrics reveal the honest travail of a person struggling with her own contradictions: longing for the richness and beauty of the moment, yet uncomfortable in her own skin. Honesty is Jill's renown: she Jill makes a believer out of the listener, awakening a sense of the divinity in their lives that perhaps they haven't experienced. "I want people to experience their own defining moment with the music" Jill reveals. "I want to awaken their curiosity about the intricate, divine moments that color our journeys."
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