StageShottz had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Toronto native and romantic crooner Mark Masri.  He has a new CD out called “La Voce” in which he sings in six different languages.  Masri has been touring extensivly with Jim Brickman and is currently recording a new all Italian CD called “Amore.”  Masri has also preformed onstage with Brickman, Olivia Newton-John, and fellow Canadian Amy Sky.   

StageShottz Magazine: How did growing up in Toronto with the father who’s a pastor and a mother who is a gospel singer influence your career?

Mark Masri: Well, you know the really great thing about growing in a church environment as a young musician is that you’ve always got this safe place to grow and to develop your talent.  I had a nice group of people every week that would listen to me sing and encourage me along the way and that always helps a youngster when they’re getting started in music.  To have that safe place to grow and to make mistakes and to get up and do it again and people still encourage and applaud and try to do their best to get behind you and support you is amazing.  Obviously having a dad that was a preacher, there was plenty of opportunities to sing because it was his churches that we went to.  My mother, being a gospel singer, there was always music in the home. In fact, early on her and I would do duets together so it was kind of like a good place for me to “cut my teeth” so to speak and music has always been just such an integral part of who I am. My parents will recall me singing melodies pretty true to form before I could even form a word. So that’s kind of how far back the music goes with me personally.

SSM: In November 2008, you released your ‘Christmas Is’ album.  Can you tell me about that album?

MM: ‘Christmas Is’ was one of those records that had been in me for a long time. I’ve always loved Christmas, it represents family and togetherness and coming from a strong Christian family, obviously Christmas was about the birth of Jesus and that was a big part of it for me. But it’s just an incredible season and so many people just love to be together with family at that time of year.  That was a record that included all of my favorite traditional Christmas songs and also some new originals that were around the themes of love and relationships of Christmas because the reality is it’s not always happy at Christmas.  Of course, to be able to record a duet with Olivia Newton-John was just an incredible opportunity and experience. A song that actually she wrote called “Every Time It Snows” which was a definite career highlight for me.

SSM: You followed up your ‘Christmas Is’ album with a US tour with Jim Brickman; your first US tour. What was it like touring with Jim and touring the US for the first time?

MM: It was great.  Jim Brickman has such an incredible loyal fan-base following all across America and his fans just love him.  The beautiful thing about guesting with Jim on that tour was that I was kind of like escorted in on the coat-tails of Jim and he’s just so gracious to open up his audiences to new artist like myself.  To be able to travel with him and to do that Christmas tour was great.  He introduces you and your sort of instantaneously a favorite of his fans and his crowd that night because he’s introducing you and he’s giving you a platform.  It was great to be able to play to all these new audiences in different parts of the States that I’ve never been to before.  There’s no substitute for getting out and playing for people night after night and it doesn’t matter how many records you record or how many sort of radio successes you have or don’t have.  If you can get out and play for people night after night, and make that one on one connection, there’s just no substitute for it.

SSM: How did that collaboration with Jim Brickman come about?

MM: Well, we have a mutual friend, who’s a songwriting friend who happens to be a Canadian friend of mine, Amy Sky, and she has worked with Jim for a number of years.  They’ve written songs together and recorded songs together.  I recorded one of Amy’s songs called “A Mother’s Love”, Jim heard that song and inquired about who it was that was singing on the track.  One thing led to another, and she put us in contact with each other and Jim and I started working together, started doing some shows.  Our first show was summer of ‘08.

We did a show in Upstate New York and it was just with Jim and his other regular cast members. There was just sort of an instant click, the chemistry was there and that led to the holiday tour that year.  That led to additional touring into ‘09 and then the PBS special that we taped in Niagara Falls, Canada in June 2009, which was great.  tt was just an incredible experience and we had a lot of fun and Jim had a ton of other guest on their tour that were really interesting to work with as well.

SSM: I’ve listened to your new CD ‘La Voce’, and you have an amazing voice.  This is your first international release, can you tell me about that CD?

MM: I talked about the Christmas album as being an album that had been in me for a long time that I needed to flush out. ‘La Voce’ has been in me much longer. It’s one of those records that I always wanted to make and just was waiting for the right label partner to come along side and to work with me on it. With the changes that have gone on in the trends of music and the increasing popularity with artist like Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman and Josh Groban, to name a few, there has definitely been an increased appetite and appreciation for this type of music and I grew up in a part of Tronto where it was very multi-cultural.   I grew up in the part of the city that probably has over a hundred plus nations of world represented.  I always had this appreciation and comfortability with many languages and many cultures.  So, to record an album that encompassed a few of those influences in my upbringing was great.  It just felt so right to me and it just made so much creative sense for me to be able dive into songs in other languages and to be able to sing songs that have been written in Italian or written in French or Spanish or Hebrew; to hear them sung in those languages and not have them translate it into English, there’s just so much more depth and dimension to those songs when they’re sang and performed in their original language.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process of being able to record in these other languages and just sort of the depth of expression and passion that comes through singing those songs.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process there’s nothing more exiting to me than being able to get up and communicate songs in a number of different languages. It just adds another dimension to what I do.

SSM: I heard that you are in the studio recording right now.  What are you working on now?

MM: I’m working on a completely Italian record called “Amore” which will be a limited release.   The label has not decided when they’re going to put it out but I’ve just spent the past week and half laying down 15 new tracks in Italian. So you know, just enjoying the process.  I love being in the studio. I mean, I love performing, and I love engaging my fans and being able to do the live thing, but I equally enjoy being in the studio.   There’s just a whole different thing that happens in the studio when you’re recording and working to new repertoire and diving into new arrangements, it’s just a really great process and I enjoy it a lot.

SSM: So what does the future hold for you past this CD that you are working on now?

MM: Well, I’m hoping that all the indicators are pointing in the direction of some pretty serious touring in the back end of 2010 and into 2011.  I’m looking forward to getting out there and being able to play night after night and be able to communicate these songs to live for audiences across Canada and America.  We’re taping another PBS special with an artist out of Belgium this year. I just want to continue making music and I want to continue creating moments that hopefully impact people and keep the fans coming back for more.

SSM: One last thing, for the fans out there that do not know you, what would you like them to know about you?

MM:    That’s a good question, what do I want them to know about me?  I think the best way to describe who I am creatively is like a high breed of Luther Vandross meets Andrea Bocelli meets Seal.  It’s one of those things were the music has been infused by so many different influences in my life from my gospel roots as a child right on up to my classical piano training in my teenage years and into sort of my pop influences. It’s all just sort of culminated into this sound that I have today and this music that kind of resonates with me and I hope the fans enjoy.