N.S. musicians search for saddest songs in annual competition
Alicia Penney is drawn to sad music — songs that tackle the darker and more depressing shades of the emotional spectrum — but she understands it might not be a genre that everyone wants to hear at a live performance.
“When I’m playing gigs sometimes and you play a sad song, not everyone’s into it,” Penney said. “Oftentimes you feel like you’re ruining their night.
“I had this brainwave where we had an event where everyone knew what they were getting into.”
Penney took that burgeoning idea and transformed it into the long-running annual Battle of the Sads in Sydney, N.S. Musicians duke it for sad song supremacy, aiming to draw out applause and tears from the audience in equal measure.
To emphasize the sadness, Penney hosts the event in the dead of winter just a few days removed from Valentine’s Day.
“It’s a special event because the atmosphere is surprisingly fun,” Penney said. “February is obviously the saddest month of the year and it’s the peak of my seasonal depression. I try to do it as close to Valentine’s as possible because I know people are sad on Valentine’s.”
The audience picks the winner of the sadness showdown. So what pushes a song — whether it be an original or a cover — into the upper echelon of tear-jerkers? Penney said it’s a combination of personal subject and earnest performance.
“The themes that tend to win are losing people you love, they tend to be songs that are personal and heartfelt for the performers,” Penney said. “When I started it, it was a fun idea but there’s a part of the human experience with loss and heartbreak and there’s something about making music about it that’s important. It helps people work through their emotions and thoughts.”
Molly Babin is one of the performers who worked through difficult emotions with the Battle of the Sads. She won in 2022 for performing a song about a friend who lost a son.
“That’s what was needed that year,” Babin said. “It’s cathartic for sure, putting huge feelings like grief into words is a great mental exercise rather than having them bounce around in your head. It helps solidify them as an object rather than something in your mind.
“I love songwriting and other people’s performances because you get to see what’s in the inside and sadness tends to be one of those raw emotions. A sad song is a vulnerable thing so I find it really beautiful and brave.”
Jennifer MacDonald wrote a sad country song for last year’s Battle of the Sads, but she couldn’t make it to the event so she’s hoping to bring it out this year.
“I really just tried to draw from old sad country songs I knew,” MacDonald said. “What made me able to do it was I had a purpose in doing it.
“I have a soft spot for (sad music), it doesn’t ask you to feel better and a lot of things do in our lives. You don’t have to pretend with it and there’s a song for it. There’s a song for everything and that’s what I love about music.”
The winner of the competition will receive a handmade trophy and a chance to record their song at Soundpark Studios. The event will also raise funds for Caper Radio, the local campus radio station.
The Battle of the Sads will start at 6 p.m. at Doktor Luke’s on Prince Street on Feb. 17.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.