Music

Kandle wants you to look beyond her bloodlines

by Daniel Gerichter

With an upbringing that filled every corner of her world with music, Victoria, BC’s Kandle Osborne’s aspirations began early on. Now, at 21 years old, she’s set to release her first full-length album; In Flames evokes a wealth of soul, maturity, and musicality that spans generations.

“I always had a huge crush on the music industry. Seeing touring bands become families, watching people fall madly in love with a lyric, feeling the magic and comfort of a recording studio,” she says. “In my early teens when I finally had the drive to start learning and creating music of my own, I luckily found a guitar in every corner and a studio in the basement. There was certainly no stopping me at that point.”

Kandle’s voice and style recall a variety of influences from Dusty Springfield to Nina Simone, but it’s the presence of a dixie-fried country twang, nestled in with bluesy and psyschedelic undertones, that most immediately makes its mark.

“I originally got inspired by those sounds through movie soundtracks such as Oh Brother, Where Art Thou and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, where I fell in love with the powerful melodies, depth, and the use of sounds like whistling, gunfire, chains, whips, etc.”

Getting deeper into Kandle’s childhood influences, you needn’t do much digging to discover that her father is 54-40 frontman Neil Osborne. And while she couldn’t be more proud of her lineage, she, like any other musician, works to make her effort and talent carry her—not just her namesake. Two and a half years ago, seeking a place to grow as an artist, Kandle relocated to Montreal, a city rich with some of this country’s (and her own) musical heroes.

“There were several things that drew me to the city, the biggest being Sam Goldberg Jr. (Broken Social Scene, Yardlets), who plays lead guitar in the band and co-produced the new record,” she says. “I was also having a hard time being taken seriously being viewed only as Neil Osborne’s daughter so I thought it wise to attempt to launch my career in a city where no one knew my name.”

The last few years have brought Kandle from playing Osheaga with Snoop Dogg and The Raveonettes to cozy France venues and a 40-person bar on the outskirts of Montreal. (“It was the first time we’ve been called on for multiple encores!”)

In Flames is as much a product of Kandle’s influence as it is her own developing originality.

“Because the Canadian industry is so small, there’s an incredible closeness and camaraderie among musicians,” she says. “I’m new, I’m struggling, but having artists like Sam Roberts, Louise Burns, and [Cœur de pirate]’s Beatrice Martin on my album and being in my corner really encourages me.”