For her 28th birthday, a Nanaimo jazz vocalist won’t let the world hide from her debut single.
You Just Can’t Hide is Vancouver Island University music program alum Teighan Couch’s first single – the first of many original compositions planned for release this year.
“The song, and a few songs from that album, were reflecting on a time in my life that was quite difficult for me,” the singer said. “I recently got into recovery from drug and alcohol use which was a pretty big theme in my life from the time I was 14 until I was 25 … And during that time, I went through a difficult breakup and was struggling to get back up on my feet.”
You Just Can’t Hide, which released on Sunday, April 28, and can be accessed on the music streaming service Spotify, is one of the singer’s takes on accountability. While initially written and aimed at her ex-boyfriend, Couch said she soon found the lyrics quite applicable to herself as well.
“You can only run away from your actions for so long … So, it’s a bit about karma … And how I can’t run away from the pain that I’ve caused other people, and that I’ve caused myself,” she said.
Couch hasn’t decided on what to call her nine-track debut album yet, but given the cathartic nature of writing music, she suspects it will be named after another album song called Catharsis of a Song.
In fact, most of the album is about the work and discovery that comes with healing and recovery. During her reflection process, the singer came out as a pansexual woman and took the time to consider how her sexuality could fit into her music and creative expression. In wanting to veer away from the “boy meets girl” narrative that a lot of ‘old jazz tunes’ have, Couch decided to add some diversity to her work. One of her methods was by leaving original lyrics unaltered, such as with the jazz standard A Girl in Calico.
“Especially in today’s age, I think relationships have changed since then. Being queer and being trans is far more common now,” she said.
The jazz vocalist will have a show and single release event at the Black Rabbit Kitchen on Selby Street this Saturday, May 4, from 8-10 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.teighancouch.com.
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