Rising Star: The Journey of a Young Musician from St. Albert

“Music has always been in my life,” Grace Forestier says. “Around my house, whether it's after school or making dinner—there's always music playing.”

But it wasn’t until COVID hit that Forestier started making music of her own: stuck at home, she asked her father to teach her a few guitar chords, “and I just fell in love after that,” she says.

Since then, Forestier’s gone from learning songs she likes to writing her own originals, performing in local youth showcases, busking at the St Albert Farmers’ Market and taking part in Big Valley Jamboree’s Horizon Youth Talent Showcase. And now, at 16 years old, she’s been recognized by the city—Forestier’s one of the winners of this year’s Young Artist award at the Mayor’s Celebration for the Arts.

“It’s such an honor,” Forestier says. “To be recognized by the city that I grew up in is just really cool.”

She notes her creative growth has been supported by local opportunities like Amplify, which has spent more than a decade giving young artists the chance to deepen their skills and express their creativity. Forestier has a song on Amplify’s 10th anniversary album which was released last year—an opportunity which inspired her to record something herself.

“Being on the Amplify 10 year album gave me confidence to record my own,” she notes. Her five-song self-titled EP, now streaming, shows her growing command of softly driven acoustic folk.

The support of the community, Forestier notes, has been invaluable in helping her hone her craft: having places to play, support from the city, and, importantly, just being seen as an artist, has all helped her find her voice.

“It's definitely different, going from playing in my room alone to performing for people and seeing that people actually like to listen,” she says. “As a young person, I didn't really feel confident that I could ever be recognized as an artist. And especially receiving the Mayor's Award reinforced the fact that other people enjoy my music, and that my creativity means something.”

Grace Forestier will be performing as a part of A Samplify of Amplify, in the Arden Plaza Series on August 29th.

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