Bio
Smart and soulful, Sillan & Young have effortlessly been drawing in their faithful listeners with their eclectic acoustic pop, genuine songwriting and intimate performance style for five years now. Their music is deep and poetic, resonating like a good friend that always knows what to say. Whether you’re in your twenties, thirties or beyond, you just might find yourself falling for Sillan & Young. And there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.
Led by the little blond with the big voice, Johanna Sillanpaa and co-led by guitarist Aaron Young, this accomplished quintet is rounded out with rhythm section of Kodi Hutchinson, Chris Andrew and Tyler Hornby. They hail from far away places like Sweden and Saskatchewan, tossing their individual influences in the collective talent pot that is Sillan & Young. They’re all accomplished on their respective instruments. All dedicated to their art. All oozing the passion and heart it takes to succeed in this fickle business.
Whether you’re listening to them on Spotify or lucky enough to lap them up in person, you’ll quickly try to categorize their oddly uncategorizable sound. Is it the love child of Damien Rice and India Arie? Perhaps. Is it a younger and sassier second cousin of Dianna Krall? Maybe. The real answer is Sillan & Young are simply and authentically 100% Sillan & Young. In a time when everyone is desperate to sound like someone else, they are happy to sound like themselves. How refreshing.
While their new album, “Under My Feet”, may salute their first CD “Better Thing”, there is certainly an evolution and newness they can’t wait to share. The folk, jazz and acoustic roots are still there, but there’s a fresher more streamlined presence that Juno-winning producer Russell Broom helped make possible.
It’s exciting times for a group brimming with talent and empty on ego. Sillan & Young have never reached for the cash grab or instant gratification, preferring to stay the course and remain focused on their craft. Playing to crowds bigger than the cities some of them grew up in, they have heard the appreciation from their faithful followers go from a gracious clap to a loud roar. They’ve also been reaping some impressive industry attention, including Johanna’s nomination for the 2007 Western Canadian Music Awards. Proud? Yes. Letting it go to their head? No. Sillan & Young just aren’t like that.
