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Melody Diachun | |
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Background information | |
Born | Montreal, Québec, Canada | December 30, 1968
Genres | Jazz, alternative jazz, contemporary jazz, R&B, pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | Third Beach Records, Cellar Live, independent |
Website |
melodydiachun |
Melody Diachun (born December 30, 1968) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and recording artist. She won the Jazz Artist of the Year award at the 2023 Western Canadian Music Awards. [1]
Diachun was born in Montréal, Québec and raised in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. [2] Singing from an early age accompanied by her father Bill Diachun, a part-time singer and piano player, she began piano lessons at age 6 [2] and played French horn and electric bass through junior and senior high school. At age 15 she took her first professional singing gig. [2] At age 17 Diachun moved back to Montréal to attend McGill University where she was the first vocalist admitted to the school's Jazz Performance Program. [2] [3] Diachun earned her Bachelor of Music degree "with distinction" in Jazz Voice in 1994. [2] After university, Diachun moved to New York City to study briefly with jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan [2] [4] under a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. [5]
In 1997, Diachun moved to Western Canada and began a long-term engagement at the Banff Springs Hotel where she met her future husband, guitarist, bassist, and mixing engineer Doug Stephenson. [4] From 2000 to 2012 Diachun worked as a freelance vocalist in Vancouver, British Columbia. [2] In 2012, Diachun began teaching at the Contemporary Music & Technology Program at Selkirk College in Nelson, British Columbia. She took on the role of School Chair of the School of the Arts [6] at Selkirk College in August 2022.
Year | Nominated work | Category | Award | Result | Notes | Ref. |
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2023 | Melody Diachun | Jazz Artist of The Year | Western Canadian Music Awards | Won | [1] | |
2019 | Melody Diachun | Artist of the Year | Kootenay Music Awards | Nominated | [7] | |
2019 | "Get Back to the Groove" | Best R&B Song | Kootenay Music Awards | Nominated | Songwriters: Melody Diachun, Doug Stephenson | [8] |
"High Definition Love" | Best Pop Song | Kootenay Music Awards | Nominated | Songwriters: Melody Diachun/Doug Stephenson | [9] | |
2018 | Melody Diachun | Artist of the Year | Kootenay Music Awards | Nominated | [10] | |
2018 | "That's What Delete Is For" | Best Blues Song | Kootenay Music Awards | Nominated | Songwriter: Melody Diachun | [11] |
2009 | Melody Diachun | Female Vocalist of the Year | Canadian National Jazz Awards | Nominated | [12] | |
2008 | Metaphora, Altered Laws | Outstanding Jazz Recording of The Year | Western Canadian Music Awards | Won | feat. Melody Diachun | [13] |
2008 | Metaphora, Altered Laws | Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year | JUNO Awards | Nominated | feat. Melody Diachun | [14] |