Theresa Sokyrka

Theresa Sokyrka's decision to become rootless has been the prime factor in her recent music. After making it to the final episode of her season of Canadian Idol and recording a successful album of standards, Theresa's put out a second album: Something is Expected, consisting entirely of original music. Dodging the pop star route that seemed to be laid out for her, the 2007 release showed that Theresa's years away from her hometown of Saskatoon had formed her sound into a mature, reflective songwriting style, equal parts classic and innovative. She enlisted the help of producers John Collins (New Pornographers, The Evaporators), David Carswell (The Evaporators) and Mike Timmins (The Cowboy Junkies) to provide the musical backdrop that would allow her songs to come through. Rich, pure, sometimes angry, but often sweetly humourous, Something is Expected did fulfill expectations, and allowed Theresa to move on with both her life and her music.
That meant moving. Lots of moving. For the past ten years, Theresa has been criss-crossing Canada, never staying in one place for long. In fact, the only constant has been songwriting and performance. "Sometimes I feel that the only reason I move around so much is because I'm afraid that getting comfortable would create a monumental writer's block," she says. "I've always been someone who craves excitement. And there's nothing more exciting than moving to a new Canadian city. I think Montreal might have me by the short and curlies for a while, but Halifax may be the next city to conquer."



Theresa's two upcoming releases show that she refuses to stick to the patterns that her past releases might suggest: a traditional Ukrainian folk release is up next, followed by the natural successor to Something is Expected, an all-original record of songs to be recorded within the musical community she's formed in her new hometown of Montreal.



The Trans-Canada highway will link these ambitious projects as Theresa takes to the road next summer. "I'm looking forward to going on tour, if only to convince my loved ones that I'm doing the work that keeps me sane." Theresa's plan is to tour Ukrainian Festivals after the album is complete, but if the last ten years have taught Theresa anything, it's that her music plots its own course. Her shows range from intimate to expansive and crowd-rousing. In the recording studio and on the stage, Theresa Sokyrka continues to dodge the obvious, and the sonic result is not to be missed.