Empress Music
is a record label run by
Emilie-Claire Barlow.
Emilie-Claire founded Empress in 2005 to release her 4th album Like a Lover and has released eight more full length albums and many singles in subsequent years both as a solo artist and as Bocana, her duo project with Steve Webster.
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In 2013 Emilie-Claire and Steve joined forces to arrange and orchestrate the Juno Award winning album Clear Day, (Vocal Jazz Album of the Year) featuring Holland's Metropole Orkest. Barlow and Webster were also honoured with a Producer of the Year nomination at the 2016 Juno Awards for this effort.
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In 2020, Emilie-Claire decided to take her experience in the music business, and passion for creating and sharing music to the next level by presenting the music of additional artists.
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Empress Music Group is distributed by Believe Music
about
Empress Music Group
Emilie-Claire Barlow is one of the most respected and distinctive voices on the Canadian jazz scene. A singer, arranger, producer, and voice actor, she has been building an acclaimed career for over 25 years, both in Canada and internationally.
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At just 22, she released “Sings” (1998), the debut album in a discography that now spans fourteen records, the latest being La plus belle saison, set for release on February 6, 2026. Featuring 11 heartfelt reinterpretations of songs from the francophone repertoire, this album stands as a true love letter to “la Belle Province”. Co-produced in Montreal by Barlow and pianist/arranger François Richard, the project thoughtfully reimagines iconic works from Quebec’s songbook, from Gilles Vigneault to Daniel Bélanger, Damien Robitaille, Serge Fiori, Louis-Jean Cormier, Michel Rivard, and Jim Corcoran.
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Recipient of a Félix and two JUNO Awards for “Seule ce soir” (2012) and “Clear Day” (2015), the latter recorded with the prestigious Metropole Orkest in the Netherlands, Emilie-Claire Barlow has also made a mark with “The Beat Goes On” (2010) and “Lumières d’hiver” (2017), further proving her talent for sensitive, imaginative reinterpretation, as well as original composition. An independent artist, she also runs her own label, Empress Music Group. Her albums have amassed over 500 million streams to date, and her YouTube channel has surpassed 18 million views.
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Barlow has performed on stages around the globe, from the Cotton Club in Tokyo to Toronto’s Massey Hall, from Birdland in New York to the Montreal International Jazz Festival, where she sang before an audience of over 50,000. Joyful and passionate, with a charming sense of humour, she brings to her performances a sense of playfulness, sophistication, a love of language, and a voice of unforgettable beauty.
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Alongside her musical journey, Emilie-Claire Barlow also lends her voice to the world of animation. Her vocal versatility has brought to life a wide range of characters, captivating both kids and adults alike. Audiences have heard her in the productions of Total Drama, 6teen, Peg + Cat, Almost Naked Animals, Bakugan, Fugget About It, and Sailor Moon, a facet of her career that she embraces with the same creative flair and sensitivity that defines her musical work.