Since winning the Grammy award for best children’s album Jan. 26, Jennifer Gasoi’s career has been looking brighter than ever. The week following her win saw the Montreal-based musician receiving a flurry of career offers—and little sleep.
“I’ve gotten more press in three days than I think I’ve had in my whole career,” Gasoi said over the phone from her Montreal home. “I’m working on getting a PR person ASAP because I can’t handle everything.”
The Vancouver native won the music world’s top honour for her 2012 album, Throw A Penny In The Wishing Well. The record was released through her independent label, Sparkling Productions. She’s notable for her folk style that’s influenced by jazz and world music.
Gasoi’s music has previously been well received by critics. Stacey Board is a songwriter who writes reviews for a website called The Muse’s Muse. She described Gasoi’s voice as “smooth” and “agile,” while CBC radio host Sook-Yin Lee called her material “creative, intelligent music for kids.”
Gasoi’s CDs sold modest numbers of copies prior to her win. But since the award, she said she’s been having difficulty keeping up with demand. Her award-winning album is now on backorder.
“I’ve seen more sales in the last three days than I actually have in six months,” Gasoi said.
According to a press sheet, Gasoi’s previous record, 2004’s Songs for You, sold about 7,000 copies. While sales for her Grammy-winning album have yet to match that amount, Gasoi said its current sales are “significant” and are expected to rise thanks to the win.
Gasoi has been selling her music through children’s stores, book shops, and online retailers such as CD Baby. However, she’s now planning to significantly expand her distribution in order to free up her backlog.
“I’m having trouble getting CDs fast enough,” she said. “I have a feeling my distribution streams are going to have to shift.”
In addition to increased sales, Gasoi has been invited to appear as a keynote speaker at numerous events this spring. She said she can’t revea exactly which ones yet.
“It’s talking about how to take a dream and make it happen, because that’s really where it starts—an idea and an intention,” she said. “How do you make something happen just from that?”
But Gasoi’s journey shows making dreams a reality doesn’t always work out exactly as expected. While she’s currently being acclaimed as a children’s performer, Gasoi initially began her career as a jazz musician.
“I’m a jazz musician, that’s really my background,” Gasoi said. “I’ve integrated that into my music and made it palatable for inter-generational listening.”
The increased publicity will allow Gasoi to expand her company. Sparkling Productions—which releases her music and puts on concerts—has been run out of her Montreal home since its inception in 2003.
However, she said she thinks she’s going to need new employees in order to keep running it properly.
“I want to be very careful about who I work with,” Gasoi said. “Retaining my own artistic integrity and ability to make choices is important to me.”
Despite receiving an overwhelming number of offers from record labels and other industry professionals, Gasoi said she’s not jumping into anything just yet.
“I don’t want anyone saying, ‘You’ve got to do an album, you’ve got to do this or that.’ I’ve never done well with that,” Gasoi said. “I would just bring in the right people to help me run it.”
Gasoi has spent the week giving interviews with various Canadian media outlets and said she will soon take a week off in order to properly consider her next move.
“What’s always worked for me is to get really quiet and feel out what’s next,” Gasoi said. “I want to be able to take a step back and see what I feel is my trajectory and where I want to head.”
