www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, April 24, 2013 | 16 Anjulie wins Juno Award for dance recording of the year by Dominik Kurek Oakville Beaver Staff Artscene "Connected to your Community" Oakville born and raised Anjulie Persaud, who goes by the stage name Anjulie, won the Juno Award for the dance recording of the year this past weekend. She won the Juno for her single, You and I. "I don't pay too much attention to awards shows. (But) it's exciting to get nominated of course. Once I actually won it, that's when I realized I wanted to win it," the pop singer said Monday from Regina, Sask. where the Junos were held. She was nominated for the same award a year earlier for her song, Brand New Chick. Persaud grew up in Oakville, attending St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Secondary School. While in school, she fronted a punk band. Musically, she said, she was influenced by early pop, by such musicians as Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson. "I've loved music. I've loved the whole performance aspect of it. From there, I got a guitar and started learning," she said. Anjulie Persaud is pictured at the 2013 Juno Awards ceremony in Regina, Sask. where she won the recording of the year award. Submitted photo While still in high school, she began interning at nearby recording studios. "That gave me a taste of recording and studio experience. From there, I started writing songs. I wrote a song for the Philosopher Kings and then I got a publishing deal with Sony," she said. Persaud moved to New York City and a year later to Los Angeles, where she now lives. Her music career began by writing music for such artists as Kreesha Turner, Fefe Dobson and other Canadian musicians. Then, she began writing music for such big name artists as Nicki Minaj, Cher Lloyd, Chris Brown. She also started writing her own music and her career took off from there. "That's how I started. I felt it was a good thing because it gave me a taste of what it's like to work with artists and I got to dabble in different genres from hip hop to rock to dance. It got me into figuring out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to express myself and the genres I want to explore," Persaud said. In 2009, she released her self-titled, independent album. The song Boom hit number 1 on the US Dance charts. Since that album, she has released four more singles, one of which was certified platinum in Canada. She said she's moving slowly on her second album, working on it for the past two years with highly respected producers and songwriters. "I had an amazing opportunity to work with these amazing people and that made me be a bit careful because I wanted to handpick the songs and make sure they felt really special. "Although I make pop music, what I really always want to do is make them emotional songs. I never like to do anything that's throwaway or do anything about party, party, party, shot, shot, shot." She said she's influenced by dance and electronic music and the clashing of genres such as hip hop and rock. "I also really want to make sure my songs have a message and real emotion attached to them. That's what I grew up on." Persaud still considers Oakville her hometown and spends time here regularly. Former Oakville resident Tom Cochrane received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at the Junos. Sheridan's music theatre students celebrate sounds of Canada by Jon D. Clarke Special to the Beaver For two nights only, students from Sheridan College's Music Theatre Performance program will take to the stage for a show that should hit closer to home than ever before. Today and tomorrow (April 24 and 25) at 8 p.m., True North: A Celebration of Canadian Music will come to McDonald-Heaslip Hall at Sheridan College's Trafalgar Campus, 1430 Trafalgar Rd. It will feature the music of David Foster, Great Big Sea, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Shania Twain, Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber, Céline Dion, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Cochrane, Bryan Adams, K.D. Lang, Young presents Artists For Haiti, Serena Ryder, Lenny Kravitz, Nikki Yanofsky and Shane Koyczan. "In a very selfish way," says Music Theatre Performance professor Greg Andrews, "I write a show I'd love to play." So, a Canadian musicthemed concert has been a long time coming. For the past decade, each class of second year Music Theatre Performance students have put on a different end-of-year gig; such as tributes to `70s Motown, The Beatles and Glee. This time around, however, the performers have literally come from all across Canada -- from Vancouver to Orangetown to Cape Breton -- and Andrews feels they've got all the right stuff to pull off an all Canadian music show. Luke Trottier and Shane Gramlich have "great comedic chemistry" for the Barenaked ENTERTAINING SHORTS Three short plays Honey I'm Home! a 10-minute play Minced by Peter Gruner Directed by Tom Mackan Cait is a cantankerous woman who wants to pass on the secret family recipe for minced meat pie before she dies. Fiona is her guilt-ridden daughter, who wants to mend her relationship with her mother. Add past hurts and an uncertain future. Sprinkle in some tears and laughter. And you get the makings of Minced! The Funeral Dance by George Marciniak Minced a one-act play Sheridan College's Music Theatre Performance second year students practice their version of Bonnie Raitt's Something to Talk About, complete with choreographic dance. From left: Melissa Torelli, Chris Mayo, Daniel Bower, Rachel Delduch, Kabir Mahjoori, Laura Harding, Mackenzie Saihany, Lauren Olmstead, Aisha Jarvis and J.J. Gerber. photo by Jon D. Clarke Special to the Beaver Directed by George Marciniak The Funeral Dance a 10-minute play Could you handle learning about your husband's secret life at his funeral? At the funeral home, Sandra greets a friend whom she hasn't seen since college. Gail, it would appear, knows quite a bit about husband, Bob. A brief exchange ensues and the dialogue leads to a humourous punch line! Made possible with a grant from Honey I'm Home by George Marciniak Directed by George Marciniak Debbie is astonished to fi nd her dearly departed husband is back home for lunch!!! He is fi lling in time before he boards the bus to take him to the afterlife. He is curious to discover if and why his wife killed him. Complications and laughter ensue in this comedy on relationships. Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre Black Box Studio 2302 Bridge Road, Oakville Friday June 7 1:30 pm and 7:00 pm Saturday June 8 1:30 pm and 7:00 pm Sunday June 9 2:00 pm $15 / $10 for groups of 10 or more Advance tickets available at www.botg.ca or at the door (cash or cheque only at the door) Bonus Receive a $2 voucher for a cookie/coffee at the lobby cafe! Ladies classic, If I Had a Million Dollars. Jessica Gallant, who will be performing in Anne of Green Gables The Musical in P .E.I. in July is also lending her talents to more than one Canadian cover for the show, with songs by Joni Mitchell and Shania Twain. But it's a lot of work to write, rehearse and get the band together for any show as big as this one. Andrews has enlisting the talents of four mu- sicians to provide background music. Among them is guitar player Kim Ratcliffe, a faculty member for Mohawk College's Jazz program. Andrews will play electric bass. Andrews is also collaborating with fellow Sheridan professor Mary-Lu Zahalan, a Canadian rocker, Oakville native and the first person to receive a PhD in The Beatles. Tickets cost $25. For tickets, call 905-8154049 or visit tickets.sheridancollege.ca.