Bio

Barbara Doran

With an energetic voice that demands to be heard along with honest, soulful lyrics meant to tear at the heart strings, Brooklin, Ontario-based country singer/songwriter Barbara Lynn Doran unleashes an auditory feast for her fans, bringing forth a deep, raw, emotional energy that meets in between the most electrifying country songs and the strong, heartfelt power ballads of classic rock.

For Barbara Lynn music is so much more than a performance. It is the gateway to her soul that exposes her true self, turning her pain into something beautiful, and her love into a reminder of what truly matters in this world.

Always one to push herself forward in the name of music, Doran has amassed a number of significant accomplishments over her career. Along with recording three albums, she has most notably been placed on the Nashville Songwriters Association’s 2014 “Ones To Watch” list, has been a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition for two years in a row; a finalist in the Great American Songwriting Competition; and was part of the first round ballot nominees in four categories at the inaugural Country Music Association of Ontario Awards. She has also been part of the Hamilton Festival of Friends main stage for two years running, her co-written song “Tear it Down” was included in singer Jessica Mitchell’s latest album “Heart of Glass” and she has opened for such legendary artists as The Wilkinsons and former Tupelo Honey guitarist and front man Dan Davidson.

Barbara Lynn has always had a connection with music, starting at an early age with the influences of her family, in particular a grandfather who could play almost anything on the piano by ear and many uncles who were gifted musicians. From there Barbara Lynn, raised in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, looked to a number of alternative rock musicians (The Cranberries, Tori Amos, and Holly McNarland to name a few) as inspirations for her early songwriting. While the country influence has been in her background for much of her life, heard around her family’s trucking business or being a regular listener when the more contemporary artists began to rise to prominence, it wasn’t until developing her 2010 self-titled debut album where she found that country was the perfect sound for the songs that she had written alongside legendary producer Murray Daigle.

From that point on there was no turning back. She continued to push herself forward in the country music world so she could better grow as an artist. Trips to the country capital of the world, Nashville, were frequently filled with songwriter events and collaborations that constantly renewed her energy and spurred on her creativity. Made once again in collaboration with Murray Daigle, her second album, 2014’s Love From All Sides, is a full exploration of her fully developed country sound featuring no shortage of foot stomping and energetic instrumentals. While all of Barbara Lynn’s works feature a common thread of her unabashed and total honesty in who she is, these expressions of her true self are reflected the most in her third full studio album, Reveal. Recorded in 2016 in Nashville under the supervision of noted record producer Larry Beaird, the album is a continuation of her previous works in their remarkably true-to-self lyrics, but her sound is more refined and uniquely hers, signalling the many years spent performing and perfecting her music.

The album has been influenced to some degree by some painful times for Barbara, including a set of circumstances preventing her from continuing her second love, horseback riding. However, there’s also been a lot of love in the form of her ever-supportive family and musical connections that have encouraged her to stay the course and follow her heart. With these elements contributing to a personal evolution, Reveal is true to its title in that it reveals Barbara Lynn Doran to her listeners and herself in a way that is both personal and universal. Showing no signs of slowing down on the evolution of her craft, however, Barbara Lynn is set to go with the planned release of three new singles this year, “Could You Love Me”, “Thief”, and “Things I Can’t Fix”. Co-writing with fellow singers Gil Grand, Molly Brown, Kalsey Kulyk, and Donny Anderson along with producer Murray Daigle, these new songs pay homage to Barbara Lynn’s love of classic rock ballads while at the same time being a sound that is distinctively country.

After an incredibly busy touring schedule this year, and with many more dates both provincially and internationally on the way, Doran shows time and time again that she is the epitome of the artist making it work in music all while remaining true to herself.

Like many aspects of life, the road is long in this business, but Barbara Lynn Doran is enjoying the ride.