Artist of the Day | SHANNON DOOKS
ARTIST OF THE DAY
19.08.2021
SHANNON DOOKS
LOCATION
Toronto, ON, Canada
GENRE
Indie/Singer Songwriter
CURRENT MEMBERS
Shannon Dooks
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
I was in the city I love, Toronto. It has been so sad to see it all shut down, empty and quiet. For someone who went to open mic nights every week it has felt so distancing and silent.
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
It's been a strange year to release music, without performing said music. I released a single in February 2021 and as exciting as that is, it's been a strange shift to have your music career come primarily from a laptop instead of being surrounded by an audience to celebrate. I make music to perform music and it's not the same doing it just on online.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
For a couple months all I wanted and needed to do was sleep and watch some shows and movies. I love to watch film and I challenged myself to watch a whole bunch of movies I had never seen before. Being an artist on top of holding a couple jobs is busy work so having a break for awhile was just the ticket to do a deep recharge. I eventually started to gain a little more energy and started to do some work on myself, journalling every morning and making attainable lists of goals everyday. For the month of November I challenged myself to write a little portion of a song every day and that was a fun exercise to do when I really had the time to immerse myself in it.
As things are reopening & restrictions are lifting have you booked any new gigs? Tours? Etc? If your region is still under restriction, how are dealing with the Covid third wave?
Yes! And I am so excited about it! I have a show coming up on July 17 in a laneway in the East End as well as a show up in Manitoulin at Huron Island Time. It's been kind of fun to figure out unique and appropriate spaces during COVID. I plan to do many outdoor shows this summer.
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
Hang in there! The horizon is getting brighter and brighter! I have some exciting projects releasing this summer including a collab with Daniel Caesar. You can follow me on social media, links below!
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