Andrina Turenne

About

From singing around the fire at her family’s fishing lodge to touring sold-out stages overseas, Andrina Turenne defines her life through music. The Franco-Manitoban and Red River Métis singer-songwriter’s two-decade career has reached a new chapter. After touring, recording and performing in various groups, including Juno-award-winning band Chic Gamine, Turenne is forging a new path as a solo artist. 

Born and raised in St. Boniface, MB, Turenne’s early musical journey started around campfires and at family kitchen parties where she sang and harmonized to traditional French-Canadian songs. As a young teenager, she performed at Festival du Voyageur, where her father once served as director, and eventually started touring nationally with her own groups, performing festival stages and auditoriums coast to coast. 

Throughout her life, Turenne performed in local bands, wrote music for TV and film, and contributed to nearly 50 albums. Artists such as Irma Thomas, Nine Simone, Bonnie Rait and Gillian Welch nourished her distinct style. 

In April 2023, Turenne released her first solo project, Bold as Logs, recorded with Grant Siemens and Damon Mitchell at No Fun Club in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Free Press described the daring, yet gentle debut as an “intoxicating blend of bluesy, soulful R&B, rootsy rock and old-time folk music”. From the sunshine-dosed melodies of “Je suis un arbre”, to “Handsome Ghost”, the album’s smoky, spirited ballad, Turenne takes listeners on a musical road trip, telling stories in both English and French. 

In July 2023, an energetic performance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival welcomed Turenne back to the stage with open arms. With Bold as Logs charting on Canadian and American independent radio, a new era is on the horizon. 

Fittingly, her solo debut flows like a river. Sometimes, the current leads you to turbulent rapids. Other times, it guides you over a calm bend. In either case, it takes you somewhere, and the hope is that you have a nice float.