She's been hailed as pop's newest post-punk princess, the latest offspring in an esteemed lineage of female rock upstarts whose bleached and bountiful roots have sprouted icons from Pat Benatar to Debbie Harry, from Gwen Stefani to Pink. But to those about to taste-test the audacious debut of 16 year old Canadian native Shiloh in the form of her inaugural U.S. album, Picture Imperfect, get ready for a firebrand delivery from an alpha-female powerhouse whose stylish swagger and knockout vocals blaze a formidable swath of original rock/pop wilderness all her own.
Her breakout stats north of the border have already established her as the debut star to watch in 2009. Her kick-off single, "Operator (A Girl Like Me)" reigned for months as a top selling Canadian single, gracing the platinum-plus MuchDance compilation, and propelling her to the top of Canada's Billboard Emerging Artist Chart with an eye-popping video inspiring dozens of fan-tributes as a youtube favorite (and recently crossing the one million-views milestone). It's the unique sense of 'self' that Shiloh preserves on her empowering signature song and the other 12 nuggets on her U.S. debut, Picture Imperfect, that separates her from the sound-alike sirens currently posing as interchangeable parts on the pop assembly line. "People like to point out how ‘Operator’ is about being yourself," she muses. "But the entire album is about being true to you. That's why I call the album 'Picture Imperfect,' - be comfortable being who 'you' are, warts and all. That even means don't imitate me. We all have our problems, our struggles and conflicts - kids and adults. I'm writing and singing out there to that kid growing up like me who only needs a little more confidence to set their own path."
The evocative Shiloh has definitively authored the soundtrack for such a journey. Hailed by the Canadian media as a 'pop-punk spitfire,' the new album sizzles and skews - fueled by an electrifying presence and a heightened sense of pop dynamics - it churns and challenges as it charts a course straight into the heart of what kids are texting about today. There's the piano-tinged power ballad "It's Not Me," which rejects the change-to-fit-in model forced on teenagers by peers and the media; the mesmerizing, heartfelt plea of "Ruin Me," one of the first songs Shiloh ever wrote, which one Canadian observer notes will resonate with the listener - aged 13 or 30 - purely on 'it's emotive power alone.' Then there's the Shiloh who likes to shock 'em as she rocks 'em - as on the plucky "Goodbye, You Suck," - an affable anthem epitomizing the daring of a self-actualized teen more than ready to turn the tables on all comers.
No need to even mention she's co-written the lions share of songs on her kick-off effort, the irrepressible Shiloh is embedded deep in the grain of every track, stepping up to the mic with a colorful array of producers/collaborators in tow, such as Rob Wells (Nick Lachey, Backstreet Boys), Rupert Gayle, Justin Forsley, and the Vancouver production team Hipjoint (Kelly Rowland, Kreesha Turner), who were first to score Shiloh's studio entrees. The impressive production roster reflects her take-charge attitude and her wide-lens range of influences, with all collaborators vouching that the young singer/songwriter packs a textured and tenacious artistic sensibility. More than a few critics have weighed in too, pointing to Shiloh's 'musical sixth-sense' that harkens all the way back to her early appreciation of her dad's classic record collection (he was a DJ) she used to rifle through when she was just a toddler. "I may have grown up on Van Halen, AC/DC, and Metallica, but that was just my starting point to get to here," she says. "I began exploring all kinds of music by the time I was in school and I never looked back."
She went on to form a nomadic bond with multiple styles and genres over the years, including one of her favorite female singers, Canadian icon Celine Dion. "I love the power of her voice. I also thrive on getting inspiration from artists you might not associate with me. There is so much great music out there, I believe kids should also be open minded when it comes to what they listen to. Sure, I love current rock, but I've also been known to be inspired by a group like Rascal Flatts. I'll get an idea after being inspired, and then I'll put my own weird twist to it. It could even be some blues or maybe a Frank Sinatra song," she laughs.
A quick sample of the debut album's brisk roundhouse of musical styles confirms Shiloh's embrace of the sonically infinite. "She has a wikipedic knowledge of music past and present," confirms one Canadian music executive. A self-confessed master of the iTunes shuffle - the multi-influenced, multi-tasking Shiloh is quick to proclaim she ain't your mother's pop idol. (Her mom, by the way, affirms that the precocious Shiloh was turning heads at 3, singing in the cart at the local supermarket aisle in rural Saskatchewan, where a tree falling may go un-noticed, but not a child singing prodigy).
Living many of her formative years in rural Saskatchewan (she now lives in Toronto), she was raised to grow her own vegetables and take long walks and enjoy nature, but it must have been the solitude that sparked the more adventurous component of Shiloh's personality. Her determination to compete on the wider playing field when it came to growing her own talent is already the stuff of Canadian musical legend: She entered and won a number of local musical contests, towering over the field at influential Canadian radio station BOUNCE 91.7's Showdown contest in 2006, which garnered her national notoriety (judges couldn't believe that sound was really coming out of such a young voice). Winning the contest afforded her the opportunity to work with noted Canadian music producers in Vancouver which would eventually lead to her current managers, followed by publishing and record deals, and ultimately, her debut offering, Picture Imperfect, with Universal Republic Records in 2009.
How does the charismatic singer/songwriter think American audiences will 'take' to her musical gift. "I'm excited. I'm hopeful they'll 'get' that what comes out on the record is all me," she says. "In the end, the real path to any kind of success is 'don't try to be something you are not.' My message is don't ever let anyone tell you you're not cool enough, pretty enough, or smart enough. I'm proud that the whole album speaks to that."
