  Born in 1965 and a native of St John’s, Newfoundland, Kim Stockwood grew up with a mix of traditional Maritime music, country, and current pop influencing her. She dabbled in trying to make music a career while working on a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English/Sociology, and in her 20s took a job as a radio host at Q93 in St John’s.But at the age of 28, she decided to move to Toronto to try and re-invigorate her music career. After a private audition for President Mike McCarthy, she was signed to a deal with EMI, resulting in her debut album, BONAVISTA in 1995. A light-hearted pop mix co-written in large part with Naoise Sheridan, the single, “She’s Not In Love” did nothing to set the airwaves on fire. When its follow-up, “Enough Love” also failed to meet expectatiions, sales stalled. Label reps decided the solution was to re-release the album a year later with two tracks that were originally omitted – “Jerk” and “You Won’t Remember This.” Both songs were released as singles, and “Jerk” managed to briefly crack the top 10 on the Canadian pop chart. Videos for “Jerk” and “Enough Love” kept her in rotation on MuchMusic, and she spent the summer of ’97 on the road across Canada. She also found herself on the podium in ’97, winning a SOCAN Award for “Enough Love.” She returned before the end of the decade with 12 YEARS OLD. With returning producer Michael Philip Wojoweda, the title track made it to the top 40, and the video got some national airplay. “You and Me,” and then a remixed version of “Still” became the next singles, both which failed to chart. With declining interest from the executives, EMI informed her they wouldn’t be picking up a third album. And after another series of concert dates in 2000, she retreated to re-evaluate her career. In ’03 she formed Shaye with Damhnait Doyle and Tara MacLean. Over the next five years they released a pair of relatively well-received albums on EMI. Both albums were produced by Jay Joyce (Tim Finn and Chantal Kreviazuk, among others) During this period, they toured across Canada and as far away as Japan. Their song “Happy Baby” from the first album was nominated at th 2004 Juno Awards for Single of the Year, and then again a year later for “Beauty.” They also were nominated for a number of SOCAN, East Coast Music Awards, and Music Industry of Newfoundland & Labrador Awards. Stockwood’s time with Shaye also resulted in a tour with Willie Nelson, and in a four-part reality series on CMT. During 2006, she also released a holiday album entitled I LOVE SANTA – a mix of a few original tunes along with some time-honourd Yuletide classics. The record also featured cameos from Doyl and MacLean. But looking for new challenges, she moved back to Toronto in ’08 and took a morning show job on 97.3 EZ Rock (CJEZ-FM). She then returned in 2011 with her new album, BACK TO THE WATER. As part of the promotions blitz, CMT Canada aired a TV special on Stockwood, titled after the album. Recorded in Newfoundland and produced by Glen Tilley, the album featured several cameos from some of the Maritimes’ hottest artists, including Dave Rowe, Aaron Collis, Rich Klaas, Sandy Morris, and others. She spent over a year on the road, playing to sold-out crowds at theatres and festivals as she toured from coast to coast. A tribute to her home province, the album gained critical appraise and picked up the 2012 ECMA for Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year. Over her career, she’s also guest-hosted a number of radio and TV programs, including CHUM FM’s morning show, The Travel Network, “Canada AM,” “Entertainment Tonight,” and CTV’s Red Carpet show during the Juno Awards. She’s also an activist for various causes, including the World Wildlife Foundation, organ donation organizations, and AIDS charities.
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