Friday Special Blend
Friday February 9th, 2024 with Susan Johnston
Hour One: Smellowhip 1 launch! Hour Two: Audrey Saparno and Shamima Khan join me for music and poetry live in-studio.

In the first hour, we'll play through the brand-new Smelloship 1 in its entirety; Smellowship will launch its album tonight at Irene's Pub! In hour two, Audrey Saparno and Shamima Khan join me live in-studio. We'll also hear both Audrey and Shamima perform live! About Shamima Khan: Shamima Khan published her first poem at age seven. She is a recipient of the City of Ottawa Youth poetry award and a finalist for the CBC poetry contest. She has most recently been published in the anthology Muslim American Writers at Home (Freedom Voices Press, 2021). Shamima has been invited to perform her poetry at conferences, embassies, protests, arts events and peace marches across Canada. About Audrey Saparno: Audrey is a singer-songwriter born and raised in Ottawa, Canada. Her warm and powerful vocals accompanied by her acoustic guitar weave a soulful sound to her folk-style songs with an R&B twist. Musical influences include Dawud Wharnsby, Lynn Miles and Joni Mitchell whereas her voice has been compared to that of Jane Siberry and Sarah McLachlan. Her writings give a voice to a Muslim woman's perspective that is both refreshing and not often heard in the music industry. Audrey was one of those kids who started singing before she could talk. In her elementary school years she learned the techniques of choral singing and participated in numerous Kiwanis Festival competitions. She started writing her own songs because she wanted to write songs that she could sing and were reflective of who she was, a Canadian Muslim woman. Song-writing has become a way for her to express her spirituality and her story in a folksy sort of way. Hoping to unify people through universal themes, she shares her songs with the heart of whomever her songs can touch. One of her first songs helped her win box seats in the CBC booth at a Stanley Cup final hockey game- the year when the Ottawa Senators made it to the finals (in 2007). Since 2008, she started writing songs for an annual show presented by Expressions of Muslim Women. In 2022, she released her single “Butterflies”, a song she wrote about her mom. Then in September 2023, she released her single “No. 1 Fan”, a song about her dad. Her latest single, “Bill 21”, a song to give a face and story of the impact of the Quebec legislation on everyday people. All of her latest singles were recorded with Jim Bryson/Fixed Hinge Studio, Stittsville, ON.