Dinah Thorpe
Dinah Thorpe has been called “a composer of infinite cleverness,” a singer with a “gorgeously deep and weary alto,” “a wicked multi-instrumentalist,” and “provocative and supremely artful.” Thorpe lives and works in Toronto—sacred land of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and the Mississaugas of the Credit River.
Thorpe has been favourably compared to Portishead, Beth Orton, Grace Jones, Feist, Laurie Anderson, and David Bowie among others. But she draws on a diverse range of influences—from folk to trip hop, orchestral to techno—and distils them into a musical style that is unmistakably her own.
Thorpe’s fifth album, For the Birds, showcases the work of an artist who has arrived. It is thoughtful and danceable, intricate and beautiful. And like the album’s music, Janet Kimber’s iconic cover photographs display both Thorpe’s softness and her muscle.
Thorpe has shared a stage with Jeremy Dutcher, The Cliks, Sondre Lerche, Eternia, and Buck 65. Her festival appearances have included POP Montréal, Hillside, NXNE, Europride, In the Dead of Winter, Mayworks, and Ladyfest. Thorpe’s music has been featured on MTV’s Sixteen and Pregnant, Anderson Cooper Specials, NBA Inside Stuff, and the soundtrack for the film Love American Skin. She has received two JUNO Award nominations for Recording Package of the Year and an Independent Music Award nomination. She recently inked a publishing deal with hard Music Design.
Thorpe’s side projects include The Mistress Class—a workshop series organized with the Canadian Music Centre and the Songwriters Association of Canada, and Superbutch—parties and performances that celebrate queer masculinities.
Thorpe has been favourably compared to Portishead, Beth Orton, Grace Jones, Feist, Laurie Anderson, and David Bowie among others. But she draws on a diverse range of influences—from folk to trip hop, orchestral to techno—and distils them into a musical style that is unmistakably her own.
Thorpe’s fifth album, For the Birds, showcases the work of an artist who has arrived. It is thoughtful and danceable, intricate and beautiful. And like the album’s music, Janet Kimber’s iconic cover photographs display both Thorpe’s softness and her muscle.
Thorpe has shared a stage with Jeremy Dutcher, The Cliks, Sondre Lerche, Eternia, and Buck 65. Her festival appearances have included POP Montréal, Hillside, NXNE, Europride, In the Dead of Winter, Mayworks, and Ladyfest. Thorpe’s music has been featured on MTV’s Sixteen and Pregnant, Anderson Cooper Specials, NBA Inside Stuff, and the soundtrack for the film Love American Skin. She has received two JUNO Award nominations for Recording Package of the Year and an Independent Music Award nomination. She recently inked a publishing deal with hard Music Design.
Thorpe’s side projects include The Mistress Class—a workshop series organized with the Canadian Music Centre and the Songwriters Association of Canada, and Superbutch—parties and performances that celebrate queer masculinities.