Her newest cd, entitled Phoenix, received a phenomenal 11 nominations from over 8 individual music award shows across Canada and the United States with wins for “Best Pop Recording”, “Best Producer /Engineer”, “Outstanding Musical Achievement In A Contemporary Field” and three top ten singles which charted on Independent Canadian and US Radio stations. Impressive, considering the fact that she took a 7-year holiday from the music industry scene to create a family. Prior to taking the better part of a decade off of music, Fara enjoyed National success with her first two cd’s “This Is My World”, released in 1998 and “Prettybrown” released in 2000. All of Fara’s albums have yielded her multiple nominations at numerous award shows, including the Canadian Juno Awards (the equivalent of the Grammy’s in the US), and the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. In 1999 she won her first awards for “Best Female Artist” and “Best Song of the Year” at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, a feat that paved the way for her second win in 2000 of “Best Female Artist” at the same awards for her follow up cd “Prettybrown”. A bonus that year, was she hosted the award show along with acclaimed rocker Derek Miller. A star on the rise, Fara has been quoted as “An Electrifying Talent” (Weekend Outlook) and “A Powerful, Independent Voice” (RPM Magazine).

Blessed with a love of music and a powerful set of pipes, Fara got her first taste of stage-life at the age of twelve when she sang at an outdoor concert alongside artists such as: Buffy Ste. Marie, Floyd ‘Red Crow’ Westerman, Morley Loon & Winstun Wuttinee. Since then she has been acknowledged as a powerhouse vocalist, a heart and soul inspired songwriter, role model and a dedicated workshop presenter.

Fara has performed for audiences across North America and has shared the stage with artists such as: Shania Twain, Ray Charles, Sarah McLoughlin, Jann Arden and many others. She has sung national anthems to open games for the NBA, WWF, and the North American Indigenous Games. Fara has been a prominent entertainer on the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards and has performed on several shows over the last 12 years. She says her favorite NAAA appearance was the 2007 show where she sang “To Bring Back Yesterday”, a song she wrote about her mothers’ experiences at residential school. A number of Fara’s songs have been placed in movies, television series, and made for TV special movie presentations.

In 2008, Ms. Palmer received the following music industry nominations for ‘Phoenix’:

2008 Juno Awards (CAN) “Aboriginal Recording of the Year”

2008 FAITA Awards (USA) “Outstanding Musical Achievement in a Contemporary Field”

2008 WCMA Awards (CAN) “Outstanding Aboriginal Recording”

2008 ISMA Awards (USA) “Best Pop Recording”

2008 APCMA Awards (CAN) “Best Producer/Engineer”

2008 NAMMY Awards (USA) “Female Artist Of The Year”, “Best Pop Artist”

2008 CAMA Awards (CAN) “Best Female Artist”, “Best Songwriter”, “Best Producer/Engineer”

2008 Saskatchewan First Nations Awards (CAN) “Arts & Entertainment”

She dedicates the album to her brother Gabriel, who was murdered in 2002 and chose to call the album Phoenix because of the symbolic nature of the Phoenix bird. When a Phoenix dies, it is engulfed in flames and is reborn through its ashes. Fara relates the grieving, recovering, and healing process that she and her family went through to the life cycle of the Phoenix. In a way, her family has risen from the ashes of the loss of their beloved Gabriel, and been reborn.

Fara’s passion is writing songs that promote empowerment and songs that reach the heart! Delving fearlessly into social/personal issues that are a part of today's reality, Fara uses her voice and her lyrics as a catalyst for positive change, as a tool to promote self-awareness, and as a means of educating and sharing with the public her First Nations culture and history. A woman of Aboriginal descent, Ms. Palmer believes in supporting community and culturally oriented initiatives, and therefore has participated in and/or volunteered her time and talents to many different events. To name a few:

*Children Of The World recording project featuring singers Susan Aglukark, Shingoose, Willy Dunn & others. A video was made with the purpose of encouraging Native youth to be proud of their Aboriginal heritage and to stay in school as a means of achieving independence and self reliance.

*2007 & 2008 BC Elders Gathering. Fara was honoured to volunteer her time to entertain her First Nations elders. 2007 BCEG was held in Vancouver, BC and 2008 BCEG in Prince Rupert, BC. Fara states that she feels privileged to be in the presence of so many teachers and keepers of Aboriginal cultural knowledge.

*Sing, Move, & Read featuring Fara Palmer. This children’s music cd is intended to teach Aboriginal students between the ages of 3-7 basic reading skills and combines Aboriginal musical influences (ie: drumgroup, flute, native chanting/singing) with contemporary sound-styles. Music, rhyming patterns, and movement are combined to create an easy format for children to learn the basics of reading. The cd has been piloted in elementary schools and is accompanied by a teachers’ manual. Besides being the lead vocalist on the project, Fara also contributed her songwriting skills and was one of the three main songwriters. For further info, visit: www.singmoveandread.com

Since the release of “Phoenix”, Fara has been involved in a number of other recording projects as a vocalist and songwriter and is currently working on her fourth album due to be released in the summer of 2009. With all of this on the go what else does Fara have planned for 2009? How about a North American Tour, the release of her fourth cd, and workshop presenting galore!! This dynamic soul sista intends on creating music for a long time to come and aspires to share the knowledge and experience she has gained, both in life and in the music industry, with individuals who are interested in self-empowerment and a career in music.

Ms. Palmer is currently accepting bookings for her 2009 calender year. A 2009 “Fara Palmer & the 7th Generation Tour” is underway as well and bookings are now being accepted. The focus is to combine entertainment and knowledge via music performances and workshop presenting. The workshops will focus on female/male perspectives, HipHop Vs. Pop Music as a career, Songwriting-Vocal-Recording Techniques, and the Importance of First Nations Identity in our lives & careers.

Be it a 30-thousand plus audience or an intimate gathering, Fara Palmer consistently wins crowds over with her own brand of positivity, humor, spirituality and her unique singing ability. If you’ve heard Fara’s music but haven’t ‘experienced’ her live show, make sure to visit her calender on The Official Fara Palmer Website to learn more about upcoming events. Fans say “she sounds great on cd, but seeing her sing in person is a whole different ballgame! She rocks.