Nancy Dutra is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter of Americana music. Her debut album Time Will Tell was produced by Les Cooper and has been listed on the Euro Americana chart. She has co-written with Ron Sexsmith and Kevin Welch.
1. What are we interrupting (i.e. what music-related activity are we taking you away from to write this)?
Right now (Friday, May 24), I'm finishing several songs that I started writing while in Austin, Texas. This material is new territory for me both lyrically and musically, which is exciting and challenging. I just returned from a two and a half month stay in Austin during which time I played a lot of shows, wrote a lot of songs and made some new friends. There are so many fantastic songwriters and musicians in Austin who I found really inspiring. The same can be said for my hometown of Toronto, which I missed even more than I thought I would. Next week, I'm back on the road, playing a series of shows in and around Oklahoma City.
2. What, if anything, are you most looking forward to as an audience member between now and September 7?
I'm performing at a couple of festivals in Azores, Portugal in late June and I'm really looking forward to discovering some new artists there. As a Portuguese-Canadian, I've always felt a strong connection to my roots but I've only recently made a connection with the Portuguese artistic community and it's been a lot of fun. I'm also really looking forward to a lot of the music festivals happening at home!
3. How about as a music maker/player?
I can hardly wait to fine-tune and finish the songs I've been writing, many of which I plan to demo in the fall. I'm also looking to collaborate more with different writers and players. Collaboration is still relatively new to me but I like it. Co-writing exposes me to new musical ideas and challenges me to express myself more clearly.
4. What are you already preparing for musically beyond the summer? And (how) do your summer plans tie in with these longer term plans?
I want to demo my new songs in the fall in preparation for recording a full length album to follow my debut Time Will Tell, which was released in October 2012. So, in addition to taking in a lot of live music, I am really focused on making my new songs as strong as possible. I love writing and I always feel so fortunate when I am as inspired as I am now.
