Biography
Singer-Songwriter Katrina Bishop draws from an unusually diverse musical background. Growing up on Canada's East Coast, she was immersed in Musical Theatre, Opera and Celtic music, did Rock-n- Roll dinner theatre on PEI, and sang in a Country band. After moving to the West Coast, she studied Jazz and Contemporary music on full scholarship at Vancouver Community College, the Banff Summer Jazz Workshop and Hugh Fraser’s Jazz Orchestra Workshop. She was the lead singer for the Vancouver 9-piece Funk band Rumplesteelskin, and joined the professional A Cappella quartet WAG as alto, writer, arranger and recording engineer (‘Magic Show’, 2013).
Katrina has released two solo albums of original songs. ‘Runaway Lane’ (2001) received radio play on CBC and internationally. Canadian Musician magazine described it as "a strong first move" and "a diverse and alluring debut". The Vancouver Sun said, "Blessed with a clear, strong voice and capable of writing words and music that resonate, Bishop has the complete package." Her song ‘Good Night For Stars’ won first place in the World Music category of the Unisong International Song Contest, and 'Wanna Be' won runner-up in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Katrina undertook two cross-Canada tours in support of 'Runaway Lane'.
After taking a hiatus to become a certified log home builder and to raise children, Katrina wrote and produced her second solo album, ’Hopscotch’ (2018). Recorded and mixed at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver by Jamey Koch (Tragically Hip, Ron Sexsmith) and mastered at Sterling Sound in New York by Greg Calbi (John Mayer, Norah Jones), 'Hopscotch' features drummer Pat Steward (Bryan Adams, Matthew Good), bassist Jamey Koch (Jann Arden), guitarist Tony Koch (Tony Koch and the AltNews Band) and Synthesizer maestro John Webster (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi).
Described as “truly refreshing” (J. Nowacki, CHCR 102.9FM, Pembroke), Hopscotch has received domestic and international radio play. Songs from the LP have been playlisted in the U.S.A., the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ontario and St. John's, Newfoundland. The USA Songwriting Competition chose two songs as top-ten finalists in 2018 - "Reasure Me" in the 'Lyrics' category, and "It's The Little Things" in 'Novelty/Comedy'. "It's The Little Things" went on to receive the only Honorable Mention in its category.
An official video was released for the song ‘Done With You’. The animated production by 3:AM Design in Toronto is an homage to Wile E. Coyote cartoon humourous violence, but in a modern-day office setting with a co-worker from hell.
Through 2018, Katrina toured in support of 'Hopscotch' on both the West Coast and, in the Fall, select venues in her home province of Nova Scotia.
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Covid brought the usual changes to Katrina's musical life, with the addition of a change in living quarters and the setup of a new home recording studio. She has used the time to write new songs and to try them out at local venues. She has begun recording, re-inspired, with an eye to an early 2024 release.
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