Rosanne Baker Thornley, (RBT) The Artist

“The narrative that runs through this album is - life and the pieces of that journey. The insights. The moments of awe. The losses. The lessons. The determination to continue on” says Rosanne Baker Thornley. ”My inspiration comes from everywhere. From experiences and of people both good and bad. From the simplicities that live between the complexities, I have an inherent want to capture those moments and describe them.” So began a new creative journey for Thornley, and in this journey, a quiet and extraordinary shift occurred; fuelled by the magnetic musical pull that she has fed for years.

Based in Toronto, Thornley has been evolving and expanding her relationship with music (and writing) for quite some time. With her new album, Sorry I’m Late, released September 2022, she is returned to delving into her craft, cultivating songs from an intensely personal space. “As my songwriting years have evolved, my writing is more grounded in writing what I know. In searching my heart and writing that. To being honest. To being vulnerable. To being brave.“ She has worked to distill emotions that are experienced across generations, and she sheds light on the experiences and stories that have the ability to be profoundly moving. “There’s prescience in what I do. I’ve written many songs on the premise of what I thought I was writing about only to find days, months, sometimes years later that I wrote the song from the future. And though I don’t yet fully grasp the how of that, I simply let myself go with where it takes me and write it all down.” It is precisely those joys, discomforts, and authenticities that accompany vulnerability - and she has channeled those feelings into an expansive and intimate collection of songs.

Emerging on the Canadian music scene years ago, Thornley established herself as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for bands ‘Daystar’, ‘Niteskool’ and ‘Bakersmith’, a critically acclaimed album “Courage” via Sony Music - garnering both national and international media attention. Over the past few years, Thornley has continued to hone in on her exceptionally gifted writing talents by working with (and co-writing on) a myriad of Artist’s albums, EPs and standalone singles.

The lush new songs are an ode to self-discovery and to the subtle-yet-profound moments of life. The result is an unpredictable, vulnerable, strident and sincere album, built upon strong lyricism and dynamic musicianship. As she says about the album “My hope is that my music and I will reach and fit into people’s lives, everywhere. That my songs will resonate with people who are struggling with, to or from something. That my songs will tell their stories and pull them into a space that is healing, hopeful, familiar, inspirational, safe. That people will feel seen, comforted, moved, heard.”

Rosanne Baker Thornley, (RBT) The Writer

Rosanne Baker Thornley (RBT) is an internationally recognized, award-winning singer-songwriter. Based out of Toronto, Canada, Rosanne writes with an impressive and growing number of international emerging and established artists.

A prolific writer and born storyteller, Rosanne loves to step in behind the eyes of artists to write their heartfelt songs. Working with a diverse range of artists such as Justin Nozuka, Tyler Shaw, Ryland James, Andrew Allen, Racheal Bawn, Paul Woida, Ken Yates, Havelin, Robb Torres (Robbery Inc.), Colin MacDonald (Trews), and Shannon Dooks, she smiles, “ I create. I write songs for me and I write songs with and for other artists. I’ve received quite a few songwriting accolades along the way, which adds a nice bit of shine and visibility. I have the opportunity to work with awesomely talented people every day. People who inspire and motivate me to want more. Music is not an easy business to navigate, but it’s certainly made for an interesting journey. I love what I do, and I’ve been doing this for a long time. And so it continues.”

Rosanne writes with, produces, mentors, coaches and promotes artists with her That First Song team; she represents the RBT | NE Songwriting collaboration; she is Toronto curator for the global songwriting initiative The Acoustic Guitar Project; founder of The Collabor8tors, a group of eight prominent Canadian songwriters who share their songs and the co-writing experience behind them; she is represented by Cadence Music for sync placements and she also writes songs for artist placement. She also in September 2022 released her own new Factor-supported album “Sorry I’m Late”, which is receiving international acclaim. And, there is always more to come from RBT.

LONG-AWAITED, LONG-OVERDUE SOPHOMORE ALBUM 
DROPPED SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

Listening to Sorry I’m Late is akin to sitting in front of a mature autobiographer telling her life story. The songs are intensely personal yet entirely relatable to so many listeners and certainly not too late.

Rosanne Baker Thornley  (RBT) describes the album: “The narrative that runs through Sorry I’m Late is life and the pieces of that journey. The insights. The moments of awe. The losses. The lessons. The determination to continue on. My inspiration comes from everywhere - from experiences and people - both good and bad. I have an intuitive calling to capture and describe those moments.”

Based in Toronto, Thornley has been evolving and expanding her relationship with music (and writing) for quite some time. This solo album delves deeply into the very intense personal space, into this collection of songs that come from her life and what she knows - her own vulnerability, honesty and bravery leading the way. 

Having written for, and with many other artists, RBT is a sought-after writer/co-writer and producer by many other artists - established and new. She released her debut album, ‘Courage’ in 1994 - which was well received - but life interrupted that early success - and all these years later Rosanne returns to her solo career.  

This is now Rosanne Baker Thornley’s time to step front and centre with Sorry I’m Late - a very special album filled with an unpredictable, vulnerable, strident and sincere collection of music. 

“My hope is that my music and I will reach and fit into people’s lives, everywhere. That my songs will resonate with people who are struggling with, to or from something. That my songs will tell their stories and pull people into a space that is healing, hopeful, familiar, inspirational, safe. That people will feel seen, comforted, heard.” RBT has several personal goals in place for the album’s release - she hopes to inspire listeners to not just ‘listen’ but to feel the words. RBT’s mantra is authenticity and no compromise as to who she is and where she belongs.

Rosanne (RBT) is well-established as a successful songwriter - working with others to craft songs with that Artist in mind. She is no stranger to the art. “Sorry I’m Late” is definitely the album she had in mind for her long overdue sophomore album. The title is also the 4th single.

16 SEPTEMBER 2022 (Toronto, ON) - Sorry I’m Late is the 4th and most recent single from singer-songwriter, Rosanne Baker Thornley’s (RBT) upcoming new album “Sorry I’m Late”.

“We’re all busy with lives that pull us in many directions, and oftentimes getting to our own wants isn’t the first priority. That’s just the reality of day-to-day life responsibilities and a clock that has less minutes than there are things to do. And while we eagerly plan for the future, life is in the moment-to-moment, the day-to-day unfolding in the here and now. Life is what happens when you're busy making plans".

Based in Toronto, Canada, Thornley has been evolving and expanding her relationship with music, and writing for quite some time. And she is no stranger to the art. She is well-established as a successful songwriter, who is sought after as a writer/co-writer and producer by many other artists - new and established. Thornley’s debut album, ‘Courage’ released in 1994 - was well-received, but life interrupted that early success, and now all these years later she has returned to her solo career.

Recorded at the historic Kensington Sound in Toronto, Sorry I’m Late shines bright with the dynamic talents of - Will Schollar, Producer, Arranger / Multi-Instrumentalist; Mark Kelso - Drums; Ben Pelchat - Mixing; and Andy Krehm - Mastering; Cover art created by Greg Sanford, Designer and Taylor Thornley-Schollar, Photographer.

“Sorry I’m Late was inspired in a moment when a friend was going to make us late for a meeting. I joked that given my record for arriving late that I might as well just add a ‘sorry I’m late’ disclaimer to my email signature. That was the aha moment of finding the name for my album. A title that perfectly summed up the experience of the album and also inspired a perfect gateway to writing a song about why I had waited so long between my first album and this new one.”

27 MAY 2022 (Toronto, ON) - Rosanne Baker Thornley debuts a glorious new single “Because of Me” from her upcoming album Sorry, I’m Late (which is set for release in 2022). 

“Because of Me” is my view from inside a relationship that was so close and complex that I needed to write it. It was penned with a heavy heart, knowing that no matter what I did, there would be no end to the conundrum I was in.

The song captures the experience of two people, the uncomplicated sharing of hearts, and the irony of a complicated and heartless outcome.

Head to your preferred platform to hear “Because of Me,” taken from my upcoming album, Sorry I’m Late, out September 23rd.

My producer, Will Schollar, listened for what he felt the song called for. I had originally thought that the song would carry bigger production, but we instead chose to create an instrumentally bare landscape supported by an extremely simple piano track.

“Because of Me” developed into an emotional journey where you can’t escape the lyric, the intimacy of the vocal, and its haunting energy.

I trust your lips, but not your eyes, and all the signs that tell me otherwise

I hope you can relate to the vulnerability and complexity of this song’s story. Rarely are songs written about indifferent relationships, rather it’s the relationships that so deeply move you that you need to write about them in an endeavour to try to understand them.

25 MARCH 2022 (Toronto, ON) - Rosanne Baker Thornley debuts a glorious new single “In Paris” from her upcoming album Sorry, I’m Late (which is set for release in 2022). 

A deep dive into RBT’s life via a myriad of creative transitions - her new album is a testament to her drive, passion and incredible musicality. Staying true to her roots, the new music continues to highlight her effortless sensibility when it comes to blending the worlds of folk, pop, jazz, and roots. Produced and arranged by newly-arrived to the Canadian music scene UK Producer / multi-instrumentalist Will Schollar, “In Paris” is further infused with the talents of world-renowned - drummer Mark Kelso; cellist Kevin Fox; music designer / mixer / producer Ben Pelchat, and Mastering Engineer Andy Krehm of Silverbirch Studios. “In Paris” was recorded and mixed at Toronto’s historic Kensington Sound. There, they built upon the intensely personal and heartfelt subject of the new music, with the hope of bringing the listener into a sonic world of honesty and understanding.

“All said, my songwriting process is reliant on channelling the inspiration of real life,” says Thornley. “And as my songwriting years have evolved, my writing is more grounded in writing what it is I know and have experienced.” 

From The Artist : “There’s a great energy to Paris - from the book and photo vendors who line the banks along La Seine, the farmers markets, creperies and flower stands that line the boulevards, to the fashion forwards who crowd the elevators at Gallerie Lafayette. There’s an undeniable romanticism to Paris. I have an affinity with Paris that is unsurpassed by any other place. Having lived there in my younger years, “In Paris” is the telling of a trip to a city that I love, for the purpose of finding a wedding dress for my daughter. It’s the realization during this trip that this was the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new. I remember thinking, just take this in, because it all goes by so fast. “In Paris” is the narrative of experiencing the past, the present, and the future, all in one moment.”
- Rosanne Baker Thornley

Emerging on the Canadian music scene many years ago, Thornley established herself as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for ‘Daystar’, ‘Niteskool’ and ‘Bakersmith’, a critically acclaimed album “Courage” via Sony Music - as well as through repeat tours of North America and Europe - garnering both national and international media attention. Thornley is an award-winning songwriter, who has continued to hone in on her exceptionally gifted writing talents working with and cowriting with a myriad of artists for their albums, EPs and stand-alone singles. And with her own new music on the horizon, Thornley has her sights set on reconnecting with fans and reigniting a renewed interest in her music. 

Her lush new songs are an ode to self-discovery and to the subtle-yet-profound moments of life. The result is an unpredictable, vulnerable, strident and sincere album, built upon strong lyricism and dynamic musicianship. As she says about the album “My hope is that my music and I will reach and fit into people’s lives, everywhere. That my songs will resonate with people who are struggling with, to or from something. That my songs will tell their stories and pull them into a space that is healing, hopeful, familiar, inspirational, safe. That people will feel seen, comforted, moved, heard.

20 SEPTEMBER 2021 (Vancouver, BC) - Today, one of Canada’s top creative talents - Rosanne Baker Thornley - announced the release of her new single “Strong' on September 24 from her upcoming album Sorry, I’m Late (which is set for release in 2022). Listen to “Strong'' HERE.

A deep dive into RBT’s life via a myriad of creative transitions - her new album is a testament to her drive, passion and incredible musicality. Staying true to her roots, the new music continues to highlight her effortless sensibility when it comes to blending the worlds of folk, jazz, roots and blues. Produced and arranged by newly-arrived to the Canadian music scene UK Producer / multi-instrumentalist Will Schollar, “Strong” is further infused with the talents of world renowned - drummer Mark Kelso; cellist Kevin Fox; music designer / mixer / producer Ben Pelchat, and Mastering Engineer Andy Krehm of Silverbirch Studios. “Strong” was recorded and mixed at Toronto’s historic Kensington Sound. There, they built upon the intensely personal and heartfelt subject of the new music, with the hopes of bringing the listener into a sonic world of honesty and understanding. “All said, my songwriting process is reliant on channelling the inspiration of real life,” says Thornley. “This doesn’t mean I’m at the mercy of inspiration finding me. I’ve been at this long enough to know that songwriting is the ability to hunt down and harness inspiration. It’s there. And as my songwriting years have evolved, my writing is more grounded in writing what I know.”

Emerging on the Canadian music scene years ago, Thornley established herself as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for ‘Daystar’, ‘Niteskool’ and ‘Bakersmith’, a critically acclaimed album “Courage” via Sony Music - as well as through repeat tours of North America and Europe - garnering both national and international media attention. From her base in Toronto, she established her reputation one show at a time, and had audiences connecting to her stories. Over the past few years, Thornley has continued to hone in on her exceptionally gifted writing talents by working with (and co-writing on) a myriad of artists albums, EPs and standalone singles. With brand new music on the horizon, Thornley has her sights on reconnecting with fans and igniting a renewed interest in her music.

The lush new songs are an ode to self-discovery and to the subtle-yet-profound moments of life. The result is an unpredictable, vulnerable, strident and sincere album, built upon strong lyricism and dynamic musicianship. As she says about the album “My hope is that my music and I will reach and fit into people’s lives, everywhere. That my songs will resonate with people who are struggling with, to or from something. That my songs will tell their stories and pull them into a space that is healing, hopeful, familiar, inspirational, safe. That people will feel seen, comforted, moved, heard.”

DALE PETERS, Dale Speaking
dale@dalespeaking.com
1-416-931-4666