Sheena Grobb's emotionally grounding performance style along with an impressive repertoire of original songs continually test the limits of her musicality as a singer/songwriter, pianist, guitarist, and literary performer. With a brilliant Mezzo Soprano voice, Sheena's songs are underscored by a soothing presence and the sophistication of a classical influence. Sheena weaves poetic subtleties together with honest and simple truths, often recognized most by those who experience music on a transcendent level. The profound kinship that Sheena shares with her dedicated following is a reflection of her universal appeal as a quiet recorder of the human condition.
Raised in Treherne, Manitoba by her mother, a school music teacher, and her father, a grain farmer, Sheena’s musical background was nurtured from the tender age of two years old with a passion ingrained in her small town roots. Sheena wrote her first song at ten years old and recorded a nine-song demo at the age of sixteen after winning a talent competition in her community. But Sheena wasn’t always convinced she would get a chance to make music her life. It was only after completing her second university degree in the Faculty of Education and winning the Truesdale Medal and Prize for most promising student teacher that Sheena knew she could no longer put her music on hold. She was looking to teach and inspire the world in a different way - not through textbooks, but with songs. Sheena was searching through lessons of life and love, stories of hardships and emotional growth - not math or chemistry.
With an independent team of support that knew this was a voice that needed to be heard, Sheena poured herself into her music in 2006. What evolved was a collection of songs that could be listened to over and over again. Fanning the fire of the project was an invitation to play the main stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival (2006). Getting a taste of the big stage, Sheena performed a solo set between The Wailin' Jennys and Bedouin Soundclash. Forgoing the notion to play-it-safe, Sheena won over the adoring crowd by unleashing a knock out song that she had only written three days before - Bull Dog. Since, Sheena gets a reaction every time she exclaims: "You know I adore you. Disregard my hands wrapped around your neck. I hope by now you know I'd never squeeze. The playfully feisty track appears on Sheena's album "Grow" (release date: April 2010).
Sheena went on to make an unforgettable impact on the Canadian music scene in 2007, when the virtually unknown artist was nominated for Outstanding Pop Recording at the Western Canadian Music Awards for her debut EP Safe Guarded Space. That same year, Sheena was recognized by the Los Angeles Music Awards with a nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, and she was a semi-finalist at the 4th Annual Williamsburg Live Songwriters Competition in New York. CROCS Shoes took Sheena's music to an even wider American audience by adding her song Back Row to their promotional CD and distributed to 50,000 women across the USA. Back home, Sheena was recently nominated by the Winnipeg Folk Festival for the 2009 Winnipeg Arts Council Awards in the category of "On The Rise", and was chosen to be included on the 2010 Manitoba Music Compilation CD. A seasoned performer with over 275 tour dates under her belt, Sheena has performed to crowds as large as 17 000, and as intimate as a ten-person house concert. Sheena's touring allows her to make numerous stops at schools, sharing her musical and life experiences along the way, and hosting expressive songwriting workshops with youth.
Through the context of her career, Sheena has developed a voice for human rights activism. To kick off Women's History Month in October 2008, the honorable MP Nancy Allen recognized and honored Sheena and other female leaders in front of hundreds of Government officials, delegates, and media for their contribution and commitment to Human Rights - in particular, Women's Issues. Sheena's most notable song Character", written about her Grandmother's struggle with breast cancer, has been used in campaigns for World Aids Day, Walk 4 Darfur, and breast cancer awareness. In 2009, Sheena was a keynote presenter and performer at the EYE Summit on Poverty. In 2010, Sheena took an active role in Eve's Studios "Just As I Am" project, addressing the stigmas that society carries around beauty and the natural human body. As a former volunteer and member of both the University of Manitoba's Womyn's Centre and Peer Advisors, Sheena attributes her awareness of human rights issues to the time spent in these programs, and the sensitivity that was nurtured through her experiences.
After two years in and out of the studio, her enchanting follow-up album Grow is set to be released this Spring. A labour of love, the album was co-produced by Sheena and 11-time Juno Award nominated producer Dan Donahue, who claims that from start to finish, this is one of the best albums he’s ever been part of. The music featured on the album is centered around several years of questioning and emotional exploration following an early divorce at 22 and a series of shifts and growth spurts that occurred thereafter. Sheena is quoted saying It's nice that people might enjoy hearing me sing. But I'd rather the focus be on the process of the listener. I'd like to be part of helping people in transformation... those looking to connect with a deeper part of themselves. If the music I create can help someone else feel just a little more human... just a little closer to who they really are, then the gift is returned to me. The featured track off the upcoming album is entitled Getting Warmer - a sign of things to come.