Vote For Aza - Local Musician in CBC Searchlight Competition

Performing is nothing new to Aza Deschamps. Six years ago, when she was ten, she competed in a BC wide vocal contest. She was the youngest competitor there, and she came in second place. Now a Grade 11 student at Revelstoke Secondary School, Aza is about to drop her first album, has a single on spotify, music videos in post production, and has entered her original song Strangers into the Annual CBC Searchlight competition.

The competition has several stages of voting. Votes for the first round, in which the top 100 musicians will move on to the next round, must be cast before February 14. A direct link to Aza’s voting page can be found at the bottom of this article.

Aza is well known around town. She can frequently be found performing in pubs, shows and markets. She has been heading to the lower mainland with increasing frequency for larger performances and to work with her record label, Jump Attack! Records.

“I had a different experience to most musicians when it came to signing with a label,” Aza explains. “I’ve worked with Blue Light Studios since I was eleven or twelve, and I kept in touch and have been recording regularly since I was thirteen. The label branched off into Jump Attack! Records, and my signing onto the label just kind of happened.”

The team Aza works with has known her since she was a little kid, and that support has never wavered. “It’s cool because we are all really good friends. It’s business but it’s also kind of like family,” she says. “Nobody has tried to change anything about me. People can make suggestions, and I can turn it down if I don’t want to use it.”

Aza is confident her climb upwards in the industry isn’t going to change her values or herself. Her family has dedicated the time to help her follow her passion and keep her grounded.

“Music is a lifelong thing for me,” she says.

Aza is a gifted dancer. When asked if she might pursue musical theatre in post secondary, she thinks instead that exploring the real world of music will be more helpful for her. “I’ve never really been a school person,” she says.

She does have a desire to create and be inspired in unexpected ways that will likely help her in the music industry. “I think what makes a good artist is thinking outside the box. I don’t picture myself studying music in school because I think, honestly, it would make me hate it,” she says. She is, however, considering arts and graphic design schooling in Vancouver after graduation.

As for her new music, the album is entirely original. “I worked with a close friend, Cole Blakely, and we co-wrote a lot of the songs and I wrote a lot myself.”

Aza’s style runs more pop alternative, a little deeper and darker than mainstream pop. “It’s just what comes up when I’m writing,” she says.

On the same note, she listens to a variety of music genres and artists, and while the singles so far released are on the chiller side, Aza assures that there is variety and more upbeat tunes on the album.

Her second original song, Ordinary, will be dropping February 15th on all platforms. Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for her new work, and follow the link to vote for Aza in the CBC competition. Let’s show Aza Revelstoke is ready to see her through to the finals!

aza’s voting page