Martha Wainwright Ready For Her Turn

Singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright has heard her name used in conjunction with her famous musical parents for pretty much her entire life — and more recently with her brother, Rufus.However, her self-titled debut record should cast away some of those shadows and allow her to stand on her own at last.

Wainwright didn't actively begin pursuing a career in music until the age of 18. For the past few years she's released a few excellent EPs, toured with Rufus and on her own, written songs and waited for the right moment to make her official debut. But sometimes those "right moments" aren't that obvious, as Wainwright discovered.

"I came to a point about two and a half years ago where I was going, 'I really have to do this and no one's going to help me.' People would sort of look at me like, 'Shit or get off the pot.' It was getting stupid. I decided to straighten my act out and get more focused in my head."

She dug her heels in and with the help of producer Brad Albetta, recorded the album independently over a two-year period. It wasn't until the record was finished that the newly formed Drowned In Sound label signed her as their first artist. She has since landed Canadian distribution through MapleMusic.

There's poetry in Wainwright's lyrical style, but at the same time an overwhelming rawness in her frank confessions, with most of the songs chronicling her personal struggles through her twenties.

"There's a lot of pain about a lot of stuff. A lot of stuff that hurts. And then when I say it, I feel better. So, it's cathartic. I mean, don't get me wrong, sometimes I'll start writing a song and I'll realize what it is I feel because I will have to vocalize it. And it's sad and I feel terribly sorry for myself, I'm completely self-absorbed," Wainwright laughs. "And then once it'd be done, I feel incredibly relieved that I've made something that's true and honest and nice and I can go have dinner — that's really what I want to do all the time."

Wainwright has purposely chosen a sound that sets her apart from her parents' folk roots and her brother's operatic pop stylings. Though both of these elements are present in her work, there's a grittier edge to her songs belying more rock 'n' roll influences. The album is also a chance for Wainwright to clear out some of her back catalogue and wipe the slate clean for future songs. Having waited so long to reach this point, she's more than ready to take the next steps.

"I think I'm doing well," she says when asked about her current frame of mind. "I've less self-doubt in my career and I'm slowly having less self-doubt in my personal life, so I'm feeling happier than I ever have and I think a lot of it has to do with finally making a record."

Martha Wainwright plays The Drake Hotel in Toronto on Tuesday night before heading off to Europe and the U.S. for an extensive tour.