Charissa lays it all on the table, scars and all. The Canadian songwriter gets real about heartbreak, true love, pain, and ecstasy, with lyrics that testify to well-earned wisdom far beyond her years. That vulnerability, combined with Charissa’s lush, flowing arrangements, makes her emotional debut EP, Love and Be Loved. “With this record, I decided that I'm going to write what I might be afraid to say out loud,” she says. “I think that's important as an artist, you know? Sharing your truth.” Love and Be Loved opens with a clear-eyed testament to that. On the uplifting single, “Scars and All,” Charissa runs through past compromises and brokenhearted memories, finding the courage to demand unconditional acceptance from a would-be lover but the gentle. Each track reveals a new depth to the truth Charissa offers. On “The Last Time”—co-written with fellow Cripps and Canadian songsmith Jessica Mitchell—she hits a sweet country groove as romantic sentiments conjure good vibes. By the end of the sparse, acoustic number “People Like You” listeners will be left with a deep sense that even when times are rough, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and likely someone waiting there to help you out of the dark.
Love and Be Loved was recorded live in the large chapel at Coalition Music in Toronto, with the seasoned Cripps at the production helm and an impressive list of collaborators that includes the aforementioned Mitchell, Tom Wilson, Jesse O’Brien, and Carrie DeMaeyer.

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Charissa is not following anyone.