When you meet her, Jenie Thai is composed, pleasant, amiable, friendly, and — she won’t like the word but you have to live with it — sweet. And she is also tough, and gritty, and plays barrelhouse piano steeped in the blues — and if that wasn’t enough to get your head around, she also writes and sings tough and tender ballads, direct from her heart to yours.
While she now calls Toronto home — she lives on the road, and there’s dust on her shoes, love in her heart, and a whole lot of music in her soul. Born: Jenie Thai Nolan in Chang Mai, Thailand moved to a small community outside Edmonton, Alberta.
There have been a few: nominations for Edmonton Music Awards as “Artist to Watch” and “Female Artist of the Year” in 2013 and 2014 and her achievement as semi-finalist at the 30th International Blues Challenge in Memphis (where she represented northern Alberta). Oh, and three Maple Blues award nominations (2016 – Best New Artist of the Year, 2018 and again 2019 for Best Piano Player/Keyboardist of the Year).
She listens to old blues, edgy indie artists, sixties r&b, piano players with chops and soul, and the classic American songwriters. Jenie Thai’s an artist with history, yet still fresh and joyful and — when she wants — tough and not-to-be-messed with. But, as always, it’s the music that counts, not the back story. And the music will make you really know the woman who makes it.