Bossa royale

>> Bet.e & Stef are a homegrown, DIY success

by GENEVIEVE PAIEMENT

There's something about bossa nova that fits so delightfully with jazz, and locals Bet.e & Stef (singer and guitarist, respectively) are so hip to this musical marriage that they've founded their careers on it. Their independently released CD of covers, simply titled Jazz/Bossa Nova, is an indie success, selling thousands by word of mouth alone. EMI Japan took notice and signed them, so now they have fancy managers doing all the dirty work and after years of hustling, they get to kick back and concentrate on making noise. Before they jetted off to the far East, the Mirror got to chat with the hardest-working duo in the music biz about doing it for yourself so your dreams come true.



Mirror: So, you're off to Japan. How did this happen?

Bet.e: Japan loves bossa nova--it's a gorgeous, timeless music, with poetry and beautiful melodies. EMI Japan heard us and asked us to do an entire bossa nova album with covers and originals.

M: What's the story behind Jazz/Bossa Nova?

Stef: We used to do all the phone calls to all the stores, all the delivery stuff, all the paperwork, everything a record label would do. It's all word of mouth and grassroots. It's number one on the independent chart at HMV in Toronto. What's important now is that we can go back to just making music.

B: But it took some time. It was a good six years before we got a manager, an agent or a lawyer. All our work paid off and we can relax more now. That was the master plan--if you have that vision you have to follow it.

S: You need to bring it all together--the talent, the energy you put into it, the way you deal with people--

B: We've been doing this full-time for nearly eight years now, 24-7, heart and soul. We want to encourage anybody who's ever wished they could do what they love. My God, do it! The hardest part is actually admitting what you want to do.

S: Once you find what you're good at, it works right away.

B: And it just so happens that your favourite thing to do is the thing you're best at, the thing that makes you unique. You just gotta find that groove--that's the hardest part.

At the Spectrum on Saturday and Sunday, July 7-8, 6pm, $25.50