Issa

After 1995 <a href="spotify:artist:5JQT7pvJY4ojWOl2QuzdvG">Jane Siberry</a> entered into what became a long period in which she would hardly release any new material. The years went by with all sorts of stopgap (but thoughtfully prepared) releases: songs she wrote in her younger years, a three-part live album, a covers album, a collection of songs that had been released in contexts outside of her discography, and, yes, a Christmas album (possibly one of the first of a new trend that has emerged, of getting away from the same old Christmas songs and exploring the actual tradition more seriously). After that, however, from 2004 onward, the wait for new songs would continue. Contact to her fan base at that point remained possible in the form of her website and newsletter. That newsletter was indeed more worthwhile than most, as it was written by <a href="spotify:artist:5JQT7pvJY4ojWOl2QuzdvG">Siberry</a> herself, conveying a very warm sense of involvement to her fans, and keeping contact through the years following her decision to change her name to Issa.

That happened in June 2006. The reasons for it were not totally clear, but it felt in keeping with her obviously sensitive personality. Fears of her falling into the deep end of new age silliness proved unfounded, however. She did press on with fulfilling a lifestyle characterized by elements of hippie lore, but with a clarity of purpose and great care to fit it into the real world. Two cases in point: selling her music for no fixed price, leaving it up to customers to pay what (and even if) they wanted; and going on a "salon tour," leaving the organizing of the small-scale concerts to fans (thus sidestepping all commercial promotion to rely heavily on word of mouth), playing to audiences of 30 people at a time.

The salon world tour successfully took place during 2009 and 2010. Nevertheless, during her Issa years, <a href="spotify:artist:5JQT7pvJY4ojWOl2QuzdvG">Jane</a> had continued regular touring in Canada and the U.S., all the while keeping the fans informed on the progress of her new recordings through her website. In late 2008 she released her first Issa album, Dragon Dreams, with the subtitle "The First of a Story Told in Three Parts." The second part duly arrived a year later, called With What Shall I Keep Warm? (both albums proving that she had lost nothing of her exquisite musical qualities over the years in between). The latter album, however, ended up being released with both names, Issa and <a href="spotify:artist:5JQT7pvJY4ojWOl2QuzdvG">Jane Siberry</a>, on the front cover. Coming in the middle of the album trilogy, it might make for a bit of confusion, but in December 2009 Issa announced that she had returned to her former name of <a href="spotify:artist:5JQT7pvJY4ojWOl2QuzdvG">Jane Siberry</a> officially in November, stating as the reason for it: "All I know is, 'It is time.'" ~ Alan Severa