Jill Barber

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Canadian singer-songwriter

title: "Jill Barber" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1980-births", "living-people", "canadian-women-folk-guitarists", "canadian-folk-guitarists", "canadian-women-pop-singers", "canadian-women-singer-songwriters", "canadian-indie-pop-musicians", "canadian-jazz-guitarists", "canadian-women-jazz-singers", "canadian-jazz-singers", "french-language-canadian-singers", "queen's-university-at-kingston-alumni", "musicians-from-halifax,-nova-scotia", "musicians-from-mississauga", "singers-from-ontario", "singers-from-vancouver", "21st-century-canadian-guitarists", "21st-century-canadian-women-singers", "21st-century-canadian-women-guitarists", "21st-century-canadian-singer-songwriters", "singers-from-nova-scotia"] description: "Canadian singer-songwriter" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Barber" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian singer-songwriter ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist "]

FieldValue
nameJill Barber
backgroundsolo_singer
imageJill Barber.jpg
captionBarber performing at 2007 Summer Sundae festival in Leicester, England
birth_nameGillian Grace Barber
birth_date
birth_placeMississauga, Ontario, Canada
originHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
genreFolk-pop, folk rock, vocal jazz
occupationSinger-songwriter
instrumentGuitar, vocals
years_active2002–present
labelOutside Music
websitewww.jillbarber.com
::

| name = Jill Barber | background = solo_singer | image = Jill Barber.jpg | image_size = | caption = Barber performing at 2007 Summer Sundae festival in Leicester, England | birth_name = Gillian Grace Barber | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | origin = Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | genre = Folk-pop, folk rock, vocal jazz | occupation = Singer-songwriter | instrument = Guitar, vocals | years_active = 2002–present | label = Outside Music | website = www.jillbarber.com

Jill Barber (born Gillian Grace Barber; February 6, 1980) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Originally associated with the folk-pop genre, she has performed vocal jazz and pop music on her more recent albums.

Early life

Barber was born and raised in Port Credit, a neighbourhood in the south-central part of Mississauga, just west of Toronto. Her brother is singer-songwriter Matthew Barber. She studied at Queen's University before pursuing her musical career full time.

Career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Jill_Barber_2007.jpg" caption="access-date=October 22, 2016}}"] ::

From February to March 2007, she toured Eastern Canada with Dan Hill as part of Stuart McLean's CBC Radio show The Vinyl Cafe. She returned to the Vinyl Cafe Tour in 2009 performing across Canada with Matt Andersen. In 2008, Barber released Chances, a jazz album with full orchestral arrangements which was partially co-written with her producer Les Cooper, while also collaborating on several songs with Canadian music legend Ron Sexsmith.

This album led to a new level in touring reaching audiences across the globe while earning two Juno Award nominations including New Artist of the Year. The title track to this album was featured on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, at the end of season 1, episode 1.

She followed up with the album Mischievous Moon, released through Outside Music in 2011. In the same year, Jill and Matthew Barber collaborated on a cover of The Hardship Post's "Your Sunshine", which appeared on the charity compilation album Have Not Been the Same – Vol. 1: Too Cool to Live, Too Smart to Die.

Barber has performed predominantly in English. She has also recorded and performed "Une femme doit faire" and French translations of two of her songs, "All My Dreams" ("Tous mes rêves") and "Tell Me" ("Dis-moi"). Her 2013 album Chansons, a selection of cover versions of classic songs from Quebec and France, was her first album of material recorded and performed entirely in French.

Barber won the SiriusXM 2012 Jazz Artist of the Year award, as well as the 2013 Western Canadian Francophone Album of the Year for Chansons.

In 2016, Barber co-produced an album The Family Album, with her brother Matthew Barber, also a singer-songwriter. The album consists of original songs written by Jill and Matthew Barber along with covers of songs by Canadian artists, Gene MacClellan Ian Tyson, and Neil Young. The album won a Juno award for Contemporary Roots Album of the year in 2017.

Her solo album, Metaphora, was released in June 2018. She followed up with another French-language album, Entre nous, in 2020, and with Homemaker in 2023.

In 2025 Jill and Matthew Barber contributed a cover of Joel Plaskett's "Light of the Moon" to the Plaskett tribute album Songs from the Gang.

Author

Barber has written two children's books, Baby's Lullaby and Music is for Everyone.

Charity

Barber is mentor to young women as part of the Girls Action Foundation's Light A Spark initiative, and an ambassador for Save the Children.

Personal life

Barber is married to CBC Radio 3 personality Grant Lawrence. They have two children.

Discography

  • A Note to Follow So (2002)
  • For All Time (Dependent/Baudelaire, 2006)
  • Chances (Outside Music, 2008)
  • Mischievous Moon (Outside, 2011)
  • Chansons (Outside, 2013)
  • Fool's Gold (Outside, 2014)
  • The Family Album with Matthew Barber (Outside, 2016)
  • Metaphora (Outside, 2018)
  • Entre nous (Outside, 2018)
  • Homemaker (Outside, 2023)
  • Encore! (2024)

Awards and nominations

References

References

  1. "A7TH MINOR". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
  2. Shuttleworth, Joanne. (March 1, 2008). "Sibling revelry / Close friends in life and allies in music, Jill and Matthew Barber join forces on tour". [[Guelph Mercury]].
  3. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/jill-barber-sings-in-french-for-1st-time-with-chansons-1.1371936 "Jill Barber sings in French for 1st time with Chansons"]. [[CBC News]], February 13, 2013.
  4. "Barber has fond memories of Kingston".
  5. "Jill Barber – Pop/Roots from Halifax Nova Scotia".
  6. "Best Local Solo Artist (Female)".
  7. "Wow: Matt Andersen's Big Voice – Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe Christmas".
  8. "Orange is the New Black – S1E1 "I Wasn't Ready" List of Songs".
  9. Interview, Sorstu.ca (November 2010). "[http://www.sorstu.ca/entrevue-avec-jill-barber-integral/]".
  10. [http://exclaim.ca/News/have_not_been_same_book_spawns_covers_compilation_featuring_kevin_drew_hidden_cameras_great_lake_swimmers_bry_webb "'Have Not Been the Same' Book Spawns Covers Comp Featuring Kevin Drew, the Hidden Cameras, Great Lake Swimmers, Bry Webb"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]'', November 14, 2011.
  11. "Une Femme Doit Faire".
  12. [http://o.canada.com/entertainment/jill-barber-embraces-french-on-new-album-chansons "Jill Barber embraces French on new album Chansons"] {{Webarchive. link. (November 10, 2017 . [[Postmedia News]], January 30, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2017.)
  13. (March 23, 2016). "Matthew Barber & Jill Barber".
  14. Ferguson, Maeri. (March 31, 2016). "No Sibling Rivalry on Harmonious Family Album from the Barbers". No Depression.
  15. "CONTEMPORARY ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR {{!}} Matthew Barber & Jill Barber {{!}} The JUNO Awards". The JUNO Awards.
  16. [http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/metaphora-jill-barber-1.4630865 "Metaphora: Vancouver-based songwriter Jill Barber brings modern vibe to new album"]. [[CBC News]] British Columbia, April 23, 2018.
  17. Alex Hudson, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/jill_barber_delves_into_marriage_and_motherhood_on_homemaker_lp "Jill Barber Reflects on Marriage and Motherhood on 'Homemaker' LP"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]'', September 28, 2022.
  18. Allie Gregory, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/joel-plaskett-songs-from-the-gang "Sloan, the Sheepdogs, City and Colour, Bahamas Wish Joel Plaskett Happy Birthday with 'Songs from the Gang' Covers Album"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]'', April 11, 2025.
  19. (November 24, 2010). "Jill Barber: My Perfect Saturday – Chatelaine".
  20. "Jill Barber Is "Spark" For Girls Action Foundation".
  21. (October 21, 2014). "Fearless artist Jill Barber – SOCAN Words and Music".
  22. link. (2011-07-21 ", ''[[BeatRoute (newspaper)). BeatRoute]]''. Retrieved April 19, 2010.

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1980-birthsliving-peoplecanadian-women-folk-guitaristscanadian-folk-guitaristscanadian-women-pop-singerscanadian-women-singer-songwriterscanadian-indie-pop-musicianscanadian-jazz-guitaristscanadian-women-jazz-singerscanadian-jazz-singersfrench-language-canadian-singersqueen's-university-at-kingston-alumnimusicians-from-halifax,-nova-scotiamusicians-from-mississaugasingers-from-ontariosingers-from-vancouver21st-century-canadian-guitarists21st-century-canadian-women-singers21st-century-canadian-women-guitarists21st-century-canadian-singer-songwriterssingers-from-nova-scotia