Kirk Wells blooms with his album, Dahlia
'It's never too late to chase a dream,' says Wells
Kirk Wells has been writing songs since he was a teenager, but it's taken him about two decades to take the plunge and make his debut solo album.
The album, Dahlia, is a collection of atmospheric and introspective songs.
"I'm 38, and it's taken me this long to get over some confidence issues," said Wells.
Started as a teen
Wells grew up in the central Newfoundland town of Northern Arm, where he started taking guitar lessons at the age of 13.
He began to write his own songs while still in high school, and he's never stopped. Wells hasn't kept an exact count on the number of tunes, but he figures he's written about 300.
Dahlia is a late-blooming flower. It's never too late to chase a dream.- Kirk Wells
In 2003, while living in Fort McMurray, Alta., Wells started considering a solo album.
He bought a digital eight-track recording machine, started recording his songs, and burning CDs to send privately to friends.
His friends loved his music, and encouraged him to make a full-fledged album. They also had to keep after him for a long time.
"It took 20 years of encouragement and pushing and people trying to get me to do this," said Wells. "To finally get the willpower to approach Ian and get it moving."
Now he's on a roll
Wells said he and producer Ian Foster quickly clicked musically. The two were able to work on filling out his demo songs with lush, moody music and production.
Wells was so pleased with the result that he even made a video for one of the songs, Light.
As for the title of the album?
"Dahlia is a late-blooming flower," said Wells. "It's never too late to chase a dream."
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