Rising star

Chelsea Nisbett received two ECMA nominations for her debut CD, New Beginnings.

Dalhousie student Chelsea Nisbett stands in the midst of a whirlwind: she’s launching a music career, finishing her bachelor’s degree and working part-time in the Registrar’s Office all at the same time.

How does she keep it all straight? “I’m learning a lot about time management, you might say,” she says with a hearty laugh.

Last month, the singer-songwriter received word of two East Coast Music Award nominations in the categories of African-Canadian Recording of the Year and Gospel Recording of the Year. The recognition topped off a fantastic year for the 21-year-old university student, who released her debut album in the spring. In November, she was named an up-and-comer by the African Nova Scotian Music Association and won Inspirational Artist/Recording of the Year at the 2007 Music Nova Scotia Awards. She also got an honourable mention on the Chronicle Herald’s 2007 Honor Roll.

She’s very excited about the upcoming ECMAs, which take place in Fredericton next month.

“When I heard about the nominations, oh, I danced around my room,” she says. “When the CD first came out, I had no idea it would have this much of a good reaction.”

New Beginnings is available at HMV on Spring Garden Rd., CD Plus in Halifax Shopping Centre, and online from iTunes. (You can also hear songs on her website, www.chelseanisbett.com and www.myspace.com/chelseanisbett.) Her songs have been getting radio play in pockets across the country, including CJLU in Halifax, CKBW in Bridgewater, and other Christian music stations in Lethbridge, Winnipeg and even Denver, Colo.

With influences such as Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Natasha Bedingfield, Ms. Nesbitt has supple voice and an R ‘n’ B sound. She writes her own songs, drawing inspiration from her relationships and her faith. When the muse calls, she has a little beige journal handy to jot down snippets of lyrics.

She’s gained confidence performing live by getting up in front of the congregation at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Lower Sackville. But she’s getting experience elsewhere, too, in downtown clubs and university coffeehouses. (An upcoming gig is set for Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Garrison Brewery.) Other members of her band include Charles Marcelli, on drums and back-up vocals, Daryl Bourque, bass guitar, Chad Lucas, back-up vocals and keyboards, Macio Dorrington, electric guitar.

“I perform my songs in a church and I’ll do the exact same set in a bar. It works. I don’t have to change myself or the music, and that feels right to me.”

Although music has always been a part of her life, she started to dedicate more and more of her time to it after a trip to Brazil the summer after her first year of university.

“The people didn’t have too much, but when they got together to make music, you could see the joy in their faces. They just lit up.

“That was a turning point for me … It made me realize my passion for music.  When I sing, I feel very alive.”

Eventually, she’d like to be a French teacher, but once school wraps, she’ll test drive her music career fulltime. A tour of central and eastern Canada is planned.