Biography
Erin Costelo, a soulful Canadian singer and songwriter, first drew notice in the mid-2000s through her emotionally resonant pop that blended R&B and folk elements. Broader attention arrived with her third album, the 2016 release Down Below the Status Quo, which collected multiple honors in her home province of Nova Scotia, including the ECMA award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.
Born in Nova Scotia, Costelo began piano lessons at age four. Repeated family relocations throughout her youth frequently left her on her own, so she passed long hours at the keyboard interpreting works by Bach, Mozart, the Beatles, Elton John, and additional artists. Jazz soon became another focus, leading her to reject a classical scholarship and instead attend St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. After graduation she moved to Winnipeg, where she gained experience through live performances and work as a sideman and accompanist. Seeking further development, she enrolled in composition studies at the University of North Texas. Over the following four years she widened her musical scope by experimenting with electronic music and writing classical chamber pieces as well as multimedia compositions. She also fronted a jazz trio, performed in country bands, and began creating original songs. A role as music production coordinator returned her to Canada and placed her in Toronto, where she kept performing and writing her own material. She eventually settled back in Halifax.
There she issued her debut EP, The Trouble and the Truth, in 2007. Tours ensued, among them shared bills with Catherine MacLellan, Rose Cousins, and the Great Lake Swimmers. Her first full-length album, Fire & Fuss, appeared in 2009 and was followed by We Can Get Over in 2012. She earned further acclaim in 2016 with her third album, Down Below the Status Quo, which took Solo Recording of the Year at the Music Nova Scotia awards and received the East Coast Music Association Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year. The record was also shortlisted for the Folk Music Ontario ACTRA RACS Recording of the Year Award. In 2018 she released her fifth solo album, Sweet Marie.
Born in Nova Scotia, Costelo began piano lessons at age four. Repeated family relocations throughout her youth frequently left her on her own, so she passed long hours at the keyboard interpreting works by Bach, Mozart, the Beatles, Elton John, and additional artists. Jazz soon became another focus, leading her to reject a classical scholarship and instead attend St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. After graduation she moved to Winnipeg, where she gained experience through live performances and work as a sideman and accompanist. Seeking further development, she enrolled in composition studies at the University of North Texas. Over the following four years she widened her musical scope by experimenting with electronic music and writing classical chamber pieces as well as multimedia compositions. She also fronted a jazz trio, performed in country bands, and began creating original songs. A role as music production coordinator returned her to Canada and placed her in Toronto, where she kept performing and writing her own material. She eventually settled back in Halifax.
There she issued her debut EP, The Trouble and the Truth, in 2007. Tours ensued, among them shared bills with Catherine MacLellan, Rose Cousins, and the Great Lake Swimmers. Her first full-length album, Fire & Fuss, appeared in 2009 and was followed by We Can Get Over in 2012. She earned further acclaim in 2016 with her third album, Down Below the Status Quo, which took Solo Recording of the Year at the Music Nova Scotia awards and received the East Coast Music Association Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year. The record was also shortlisted for the Folk Music Ontario ACTRA RACS Recording of the Year Award. In 2018 she released her fifth solo album, Sweet Marie.
Albums
Singles
