“I saw Marissa perform on the main stage at the Big Valley Jamboree and was really impressed with her composure and talent. I think it’s great when a young artist performs original material and does it so well!” Chris Scheetz—Program Director Cisn Country 103.9
Marissa entered the world at the tender age of zero on the sixth of May, 1987. The second child of entrepreneurial parents, she grew up in Westlock with two sisters and one brother.
Determined to learn how to sing and play at the sa...
“I saw Marissa perform on the main stage at the Big Valley Jamboree and was really impressed with her composure and talent. I think it’s great when a young artist performs original material and does it so well!” Chris Scheetz—Program Director Cisn Country 103.9
Marissa entered the world at the tender age of zero on the sixth of May, 1987. The second child of entrepreneurial parents, she grew up in Westlock with two sisters and one brother.
Determined to learn how to sing and play at the same time, she started taking guitar lessons from a buddy at eighteen. In 2006 she began taking vocal technique at a local
college, as well as
continuing her guitar lessons there, developing a flair for singing and playing country music.
Deciding on a song to sing is a dilemna for any singer. How do you make it sound like you while still sounding like the original song? Marissa tackled this problem sensibly: write your own songs, sing them your own way. She started noting down ideas and teamed up with a pro for songwriting sessions in 2008. Since then she’s truly found her voice.
In spring 2008, she received a mark of gold in the sacred category and silver in country at Futures Fest, and was a finalist for St Albert Idol with her original song, "Boy Vacation", an ode to the single life. In 2009, she was a finalist in Futures Fest with her song "You Deserve Better Than That", a warning ballad to any girl whose man just isn’t that into her. "Boy Vacation" also took her to the top 10 of radio station 91.7 The Bounce’s "Bounce to the Junos" competition, and to Big Valley Jamboree 2009 where she had the opportunity to sing it twice, opening for Johnny Reid, and missing out on the opportunity to open for Tim McGraw after the festival was cancelled.
Marissa’s hard work has started to pay off in 2010; her application for a demo grant from FACTOR was received with great enthusiam, landing her a coveted demo grant. To top that off, she swept Futures Fest again, winning golds and landing in the finals.
While music is Marissa’s dream and greatest talent, she still has time for other activities, including graphic design, web design, chilling with her best buds, her two cats, and watching hockey. "Reality TV Girls Night" is a Wednesday tradition involving serious commentary about the television, trading song ideas, and gossiping about life in general—which often turns into more song ideas.
With her family and best friends as her biggest word-of-mouth promoters, many people expect the declarations of her talent to be somewhat exaggerated.
These people are quickly silenced after just a few notes of any of Marissa’s songs.
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