St. Marys, Ont.'s Emm Gryner reflects on life and career to help others find joy in singing
CBC
She's released at least twenty albums, spanning pop, rock, and jazz. She's also played some of the world's biggest stages as part of David Bowie's band and as a solo artist.
But Emm Gryner has also dealt with various forms of loss - through divorce, the death of loved ones and the shifting sands of the recording industry.
After more than 20 years in the music business, Gryner has a lot to say.
In her debut book, The Healing Power of Singing, the Juno-nominated recording artist shares key moments in her life and career, and offers advice and inspiration to anyone looking to pursue their artistic life.
Here are excerpts from her conversation with Afternoon Drive host Chris dela Torre, edited for breadth and clarity.
You've said that you never set out to write a book, at least not at first. How did this happen?
In 2018, I saw myself in concert with someone I talk about a lot: David Bowie. They had released this concert, Glastonbury 2000 (a live recording of a performance by Bowie and his band, which included Gryner at the time). Actually, I watched it because I was going to talk about it with you on Afternoon Drive.
Toronto has seen a drop in crime rates across the city, but its police chief says youth crime rates continue to be a cause for concern.
Cambridge council has voted to request a pedestrian safety review of Cedar Street from the region after two back-to-back collisions last week, one of which killed a three-year-old girl.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation has received a $1-million donation to create an endowment fund that it will use to upgrade common areas at the Charlottetown hospital.
A new study by the Center for European Policy Analysis suggests Russia and China are pulling ahead of NATO nations, including Canada, in the race to develop and field drones capable of operating in harsh Arctic conditions.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. President Donald Trump hasn't given him any indication that he's willing to walk away from the North American free trade deal that was struck during his first term at the White House.
A Toronto man has been charged for allegedly defrauding 28 investors of $6.6 million they provided to trade in foreign exchange.
Flu season has started early this year, according to an update from local health officials, who report hospitals are seeing more admissions, emergency room visits, and community outbreaks.
U.S. President Donald Trump's point-person on trade laid out a series of conditions Wednesday that Canada must meet in order to extend the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement (CUSMA) when it comes up for a review next year — revealing publicly for the first time what the administration expects Prime Minister Mark Carney to do to keep the pact for the long term.
Mitchell Rose, 32, is now facing a third charge of attempted murder following a series of attacks in an apartment building on Anspach Street in St. John's last week.
Nova Scotia’s population dropped by nearly 1,400 people in the third quarter of 2025, marking the first decline since 2020 and the largest decline in a decade.
Horizon Health says it has a comprehensive surge plan for the holiday season but is asking people to consider other options to avoid crowding emergency rooms.
The four aerial ski lifts at Mont‑Sainte‑Anne are set to resume operations after Quebec’s building authority lifted an order that had shut them down last week over electrical safety concerns.
WARNING: This story contains profanity and details of racist language.