By: Adam Grant
Photos By: Emma-Lee

 "I try to make an album that you can listen to and it won't sound the same," explains Andrea de Boer, singer, songwriter and violinist for Toronto's Blue Venus.   "I had a 5-CD changer when I lived in Boston, and it would go from one album to the next, and I got used to hearing different kinds of music every five minutes."

 While Blue Venus may be a Toronto based project, it sure has taken several destinations for this duo, and sometimes band, to find a musical home.  Initially, England would be the place in which de Boer came up with the band name, then Paris, France would be the land where the song of the same title would be composed, and Boston's Berklee College of Music would be where she'd meet musical collaborator and future husband, Devrim Eldelekli.

 These experiences and encounters would eventually lead to Blue Venus' 2004 self-titled debut EP, which features a collection of tunes that is hard to target as one genre specifically, but there are touches of rock, jazz, classical, and ambient influences throughout.  However, in order for de Boer to personally explore such a wide selection of sounds at this point in her life, she needed to hit the books earlier on and attempt to benefit from structured musical programs within both Toronto and Boston.

"I kind of needed formal training because certain things come easily to me, and certain things don't - the technicality of the violin didn't come easily to me, so I just needed to study properly and be in a steady environment, because I never paid attention to school when I was in high school," laughs de Boer.

"I think it's good to get an education - I don't think you absolutely have to have one, but if your songs sound like everyone else's, then it's good to find other kinds of music that inspire you to find your voice in your music."

 As for the current voice of Blue Venus, de Boer is hoping to get back into the studio by spring 2007 and put out their follow-up by that fall.  That may seem way down the road, but up until that point, BV will be spending much of the time between then and now re-promoting their debut offering, which was originally thrown off track due to a citizenship issue that confronted Eldelekli.

 If that isn't enough to do, the duo is also firmly entrenched in T.O.; new writing is taking place, as well as a collection of upcoming gigs.  In regard to the songs themselves, with de Boer able to go from Beethoven to AC/DC in a single sitting, expect a variety of diverse material throughout - a variety of diverse material that she solely and willingly puts her own cash into.

"It's completely independent," says de Boer about Blue Venus' business structure.  "My savings and my credit card, they bore the brunt (of the expenses).  So as soon as I have some funds, I am going to record.

"When you're on a major label, you can get the studios when you want, the engineers when you want, and have this timeline where you can get it all done," she adds.  "But when you're indie, you really have to go with the flow a little more if you want a quality product and get the right people to work on your project."

For more information on Blue Venus, please visit www.bluevenusmusic.com