As Hurricane Ernesto kicks up the surf in Atlantic Canada, Christina Martin is making her own waves with her most recent album, Storm.
I’ve built this dream show to celebrate and honour the collaborations, musicians, music, and the meaning behind the songs. – Christina Martin
The Nova Scotia singer-songwriter’s latest recording has not only caught on with her fans but also caught the attention of the East Coast Music Association with a 2024 East Coast Music Award nomination for solo recording of the year.
Now, following a busy touring schedule that has taken her to Europe and beyond, the pop-rock-folk artist is back in The Maritimes with a series of concerts centred around the album, including a stop at Dartmouth’s Alderney Landing on September 6, nearly a year following the album’s release.
“I’ve built this dream show to celebrate and honour the collaborations, musicians, music, and the meaning behind the songs,” says Martin.
Accompanied by her band and a string quartet, Martin will play the album live for the first time for local audiences and film the proceedings for a future video release. “We’re not playing [Storm] front to back, but have chronologically ordered the songs that hit pivotal moments in my life,” says Martin.
Those pivotal moments are at the heart of Storm, a personal collection of songs that serve as a musical diary of Martin’s struggles and triumphs over the years, whether it’s Still In LA, which speaks to a transformative time in her life, Inside The Mirror, which delves into childhood trauma, or the album’s closing track, Healed, which encapsulates Martin’s overarching theme: the ongoing journey of healing rather than a definitive resolution. “I don’t think we’re ever fully healed,” she says. “But I like the idea of being on a healing journey, embracing that process.”
While Martin did not initially conceive Storm as an album, the title track became the creative spark for the eleven-track recording. “I knew when I had this song finished that this would be an anchor song for a potential album,” says Martin. “It was a starting place and a chance to grow as a performer who likes to build connections with my audiences.”
Martin’s upcoming concerts will be enhanced with projection and lighting design by local artist MacKenzie Cornfield. The design incorporates the album imagery by Nicole Aline Legault, an artist she has worked with since 2016. “Nicole has been instrumental in bringing my vision to life,” says Martin. “We worked together to ensure that the artwork was not only beautiful but also resonated with the album’s themes of strength and vulnerability. It was a long, collaborative process, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out.”
Martin will go one step further in the concert performance as she delves deeper into the music with an audience Q&A as part of a live edition of the Mike & Kristen podcast.
As Martin prepares for her Maritimes tour, she is already looking beyond her work as a musician and songwriter. She is exploring new creative avenues, such as potential symphony performances of her songs and experimenting more with sensory-friendly experiences.
Christina Martin performs from her newest album, Storm, at the Alderney Landing Theatre (2 Ochterloney St, Dartmouth) on September 6. Visit alderneylanding.com for tickets and information. Martin will also perform at three locations in New Brunswick this October. Find out more at christinamartin.net.