Masquerade's Songwriting and Music Production Diary

    Happy International Women's Day! I want to appreciate four amazing female guitarists and vocalists I continue to look up to throughout my music journey.    Brody Dale When I was first getting into punk rock, I heard The Distillers. Specifically, my best friend at the time offered their album Coral Fang as a CD she'd burned for me. She drew an electric guitar surrounded by lightning bolts as its cover. We listened to it together one day after school. To this day, The Hunger remains my favourite song from the album. Its bittersweet mix of intimate acoustic and blistering electric guitar always makes my heart explode with emotion.  Brody's raw, husky voice redefined for me what a woman singing was supposed to sound like. Her alto range was the same as mine, and that immediately put me at ease. I was comfortable singing along for once. Brody's unapologetic fierceness in self-expression, visceral imagery in songs like Drain The Blood and Hall of Mirrors, and her...

My new single Trust Issues releases on March 13, 2026! Its stark yellow and black colour scheme serves as a warning: You've been here before, on the edge of opening up or shutting it all down. You've been through it too many times. And yet…what if it's different this time? Trust Issues is a song for when trust feels like a velvet wrapped dagger.    After almost two months of writing, recording, mixing, and mastering, I'm thrilled to share how Trust Issues came together! Songwriting As my first release of 2026, and particularly as a single, I wanted Trust Issues to follow both thematically and sonically from my debut synthpop album Afterlove.   I guard my heart and don't trust easily. Reflecting on this inspired me to pick up my acoustic guitar and start writing lyrics. I had the faintest resemblance of a musical idea back in the first week of December 2025, just prior to Afterlove's release. I started strumming some chords and just blurted "I don't tr...

Following my debut synthpop album Afterlove  in 2025, I'm excited to announce all the music I'm releasing in 2026!  March 13, 2026 - Trust Issues (Single) You've been here before, on the edge of opening up or shutting it all down. You've been through it too many times. And yet…what if it's different this time? Here's a song for when trust feels like a velvet wrapped dagger.    May 8, 2026 - Runaway (Single) It's never too late to turn a corner! Runaway is energetic and uplifting, urging you to chase all your hopes and dreams, to bravely run through that open door for a brighter future.    July 10, 2026  - Darkest Hours   (EP) I wrote my Darkest Hours EP during a merciless polar vortex. When the power went out for hours, and I was grappling with hardships in the freezing dark, I still found the strength to chase the warmth of light.  Here are the songs I'm very excited for you to hear! I'm Lonely Darkest Hours Temptation These three ...

  Songwriting always starts with my acoustic guitar or piano. When I'm happy with the raw version, I start working on production and layering in more instruments. A core aspect of my sonic identity as Masquerade is juxtaposing synths, moody soundscapes, and electronic drums with "natural" sounds such as acoustic guitar and symphonic instruments. I think this combination is interesting and distinct! As I write more and more songs, I inevitably shift my sonic identity in exciting new directions. The sound of my debut synthpop album Afterlove was exclusively influenced by my once favourite band Cannons. They’re known for their nostalgic blend of ethereal guitars, synths, and vocals packaged as synthpop with indie, disco, and funk influences. In this spirit, Afterlove features catchy guitar riffs, lush synth pads, strong drums, pulsing bass, and eccentric vocals all wrapped up in velvety production. Following Afterlove's cathartic recording and release process, I natural...