Mission’s Rebecca Sichon hopes to strike a chord with folk festival fans
The annual Mission Folk Music Festival turns the big 30 this year and Rebecca Sichon says she’s been attending the event for as long as she can remember.
Given the singer-songwriter is only 15 and in Grade 10, that’s pretty noteworthy.
And this year she is making her debut on the event stage as part of its Youth and Local Artists showcase.
“It’s incredible that I’m actually given the opportunity to sing at the most amazing festival I’ve ever been to,” said Sichon.
“Mara Hatklin is also performing in that showcase and we were in the musical Hairspray this year at Heritage Park Secondary School. She is an amazing talent and it’s so great that we are going to be a part
of the folk festival.”
Joining Sichon and Hatklin are Lakeisha Hewitt, Caden Knudson and the Festival Choir — all members of what can safely be called a burgeoning scene in the area. With venues such as the Railyard fostering rising young talents and the festival providing even greater exposure, it’s a safe bet we’ll hear more from the region.
“At a young age, I was always inspired by my dad and other artists to pursue music and write songs,” she said. “First it was on piano, but now I’ve probably become most comfortable on the guitar. I think it was a pretty natural thing for me to want a musical career, rather than ever being pushed toward it.”
Her father, Boris Sichon, is a master multi-instrumentalist with a focus on percussion. A former globetrotting stage musician who started out in the Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra before moving on to companies in Moscow, France, Jerusalem and, eventually, the Lower Mainland. He has played festivals across Canada, including Mission.
Being around that level of professionalism certainly rubbed off on Rebecca, who has been posting solid quality videos onto YouTube for several years.
The progression into professional production on her latest single Let Me Go showcases the teen’s ability to belt out moody, contemporary electro-tinged pop right up to, and including, a slick video. According to her, this is just one of many songs she has ready to go.
“There are a lot of artists I completely adore, like Amy Winehouse, but I’m aiming to be something all my own and enjoy every single moment of it,” she said.
“I have a job, so I’m hoping to save up enough to release an EP in the next year. At the moment, I have 26 songs and it’s pretty cool to be able to select the ones you feel like performing at the time.”
For her appearance at Mission Folk Music Festival, she plans to keep it raw with her guitar and maybe with her father accompanying on a box drum. The big band action can come later on. Most of her material is written on guitar or ukulele and provides an outlet for daily stresses and experiences.
“Writing music would be my therapy, it’s how I deal with being a pretty emotional person and handle those things that others might work out to deal with,” she said. “I sit down, pull out my writing journal and focus on all that I’m feeling and putting it into chords and such.
The festival appearance is certainly a career highlight to date. Sichon said it’s something quite special to be recognized in her community and she plans to use that as a springboard toward greater recognition. But she isn’t sprinting to get there or closing any other doors.
“My plan is to pursue music, no matter what, but I also want to go to university to study performing arts and learn all aspects of music and theatre,” she said.
Rebecca Sichon is schedule to play at the Mission Farmers Market through the summer as well.