Some people are really good at life, says Ladies of the Canyon singer Senja Sargeant — while the rest of us just struggle through it.
“I’ve met people who have a positive outlook,” said the country/rock singer who performs with her four-woman group on Thursday at The Hideout, south of Red Deer.
“They’re grateful. They live in the now. They’re not dwelling on the past or wishing for the future.”
She doesn’t put herself in this category.
Sargeant considers herself more of a work in progress — constantly searching for internal peace and contentment. And that journey is described in her upbeat song Follow Me Down, with its repeat lyric of “Let’s find something to believe in.”
The song, off the group’s debut album Haunted Woman, was inspired by a dark time Sargeant went through a few years ago, when she was dwelling on her losses and drinking too much.
“I had demons. Nobody died, but I lost people in my life — not just that, but sometimes you lose yourself. That’s more what it’s about.”
There was no light bulb that suddenly turned on for her, or divine hand that helped pull her out of the abyss. When asked how she broke free of her “demons,” Sargeant said, “I’m still working on it.”
But the songwriting process helped immensely, added the singer, who performs with three other Montreal-based singer/musicians, Jasmine Bleile, Maia Davies and Anna Ruddick.
“Writing music, for me, is the most healing, therapeutic process ever. You can mesh time and experience in your life and express yourself — to yourself.”
Another tune born from personal experience is the bittersweet Poet.
Sargeant said the song was inspired by Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel No. 2, which offers an unglossy look at a male-female relationship. The poem struck Sargeant deeply because “there’s no illusion.”
She remembers dancing late into the night to Chelsea Hotel No. 2 with her former flame, whom she described as “my first love, maybe my only love.”
Poet was written to reflect on the emotions and experiences she felt at the time.
“I never want to forget it, because it was an era that was very important to me.”
Somehow her song has become important to many fans. “I get a lot of feedback on it,” admitted the 27-year-old, who strives to make a connection with listeners.
“Somehow you feel you’re meeting people on a certain level. (Music) causes you to transcend yourself.”
For more information about the Ladies of the Canyon concert, call The Hideout at 403-348-5309.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com