Christina Maria

Singer-songwriter Christina Maria hails from Surrey, BC (a suburb of Vancouver), but don't try to pin her music to any one place; while she was born and raised in Canada, her eclectic folk pop sound reflects her diverse experiences touring and traveling throughout the world.

She began songwriting at the age of 15, and within a year, she was already a well-versed performer, winning Surrey's Creative Contributions Award. After graduating from school, she studied music at college, and later spent a stint as a full-time busker. “Busking is hard work,” she observes. “It takes a lot of mental energy because so many people are walking past, and performing leaves one pretty open to other people’s energy.”

Seeking adventure, she traveled and toured around the globe, studying gamelan percussion in Bali and Hindustani vocals in India. These techniques and experiences helped to inspire the songs on her first album, Stars & Satellites, released in 2008.

The followup, Straight Line, was recorded in 2009 with a number of producers across Canada, including Ryan Dahle (Limblifter, Hot Hot Heat), Ryan Guldemond (Mother Mother, Hannah Georgas) and Russell Broom (Jann Arden, Sam Roberts). Ranging from the Eastern-inflected "It Is What You Make It" to the silky after-hours jazz lilt of the title track, the album's lush array of sounds and styles hints at its unique genesis.

Since the album's release in February, 2010, Christina Maria has spent time living in Berlin, Germany, and Zurich, Switzerland. This has meant even more musical growth for the songwriter. Of her time in Berlin, she explains, "They just have a different outlook on what music should be. I was hanging out with singer-songwriters who are using saws and random things like typewriters."

Having earned a spot in Vancouver's prestigious Peak Performance Project competition, audiences can expect plenty more musical growth from Christina Maria. After all, as she says simply, "It's what I have to do."

Alex Hudson