Desiree Dorion is a JUNO Award nominated singer-songwriter whose music has topped the Indigenous Music Countdown, and five of her songs entered into the top 100 Country Music Charts in Canada. The 2017 “Songwriter of the Year” award recipient at Manitoba’s Country Music Awards recently hosted the Achimotak Series, meaning “let’s talk about it” with the Canadian Country Music Association – a conversation between Indigenous artists about their experience in the industry.
Desiree has just released her first single of 2021 – a fun, upbeat and unapologetic track about letting your hair down and having fun. The incredibly catchy tune “Sometimes I Drink” is due out on Monday, June 28th, and was written with one of Desiree’s musical heroes, JUNO Award winner Crystal Shawanda.
A celebrated singer-songwriter, Desiree Dorion seamlessly blends her lyrics with melodies that perfectly fit the meaning of her songs. With a passion for music since she was little, a young Desiree would sneak into the Dauphin Country Fest campgrounds during the offseason and perform to an empty amphitheatre, not knowing that one day she would perform on that stage herself.
Calling her upcoming single “Sometimes I Drink” the song that was meant to be, Desiree took her chances and reached out to her musical idol, JUNO Award winning artist, Crystal Shawanda, to see if they could collaborate on a song while Desiree was in New Orleans for Folk Alliance International. Noting that Crystal was one of the few artists she ever saw who looked like her and had massive career success, Crystal not only agreed to write the song with Desiree, but extended an invitation for them to work together at Crystal’s home in Nashville. Taking only three hours to write, “Sometimes I Drink” is a female focused, energetic, and straightforward song filled with what Desiree refers to as “ear candy”. From the acapella opening of the song to the talking sections, and having the bass solo inspired by the bass section in Miranda Lambert’s “Little Red Wagon” played by that same bassist, “Sometimes I Drink” takes the notion of women getting together to have fun turning into the need for a man’s attention head on. The perfect anthem for a girls night out, or in, “Sometimes I Drink” is an unapologetically honest, incredibly catchy and uplifting song made for women and their friends by two talented female singer-songwriters who feel the exact same way.
Sometimes I Drink is an anthem for women who unapologetically take time for themselves to let loose and have some fun.”
Biography
Desiree Dorion grew up a mile and a half from the grounds of Dauphin Country Fest, one of the biggest outdoor music festivals in Canada. As a little girl she would ride her bike there when the festival wasn’t on, climb up on the stage, and pretend to play to the thousands of fans that come to watch big country music acts. In 2014 her dream of playing the mainstage came true when she shared the stage with The Band Perry.
The JUNO Nominee is one of the most celebrated female artists in country music in Manitoba. She has had five songs chart in the top 100 on the Canadian country music charts (TRAX), along with several reaching the top spot on the Indigenous Music Countdown. Her songwriting partner on her most recent album, Break the Chain is producer/songwriter Chris Burke-Gaffney. They enjoyed a successful collaboration previously with the hit “Whiskey Knows” In 2017, Desiree took home the award for Songwriter of the Year at the Manitoba Country Music Awards for co-writing “Whiskey Knows” with Chris Burke-Gaffney. “Whiskey Knows” was also a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition.
Desiree’s most recent release, “Sometimes I Drink,” was co-written with JUNO Award winner, Crystal Shawanda at her home in Nashville and produced by Chris Burke-Gaffney. It showcases her lighter side and serves as an anthem for women who want to let loose and shake off the day.
The JUNO nominee is a proud member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. She recently hosted the Achimotak series with the Canadian Country Music Association and is an artist ambassador with the Downie Wenjack Foundation.
Desiree has toured from coast to coast in Canada as well as performed in Las Vegas and Nashville.
