Page 77 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2022

MH: Suzi, it's such a pleasure to work with you on this interview! You know, I had my eye on
you for several months because your music postings kept showing up on my Instagram and
Facebook for a while, and now, here we are. We finally connected! Tell me and our readers a
little about yourself.

SK: Marty it is such a pleasure finally getting to connect like this, because as an indie artist, I have
known about ION Indie magazine for quite some time and love the coverage you give to indie artists.
Plus, like you mentioned, we have been on each other’s radar on social media. So, it's great to get
to know the person behind the profile! So, a brief background on me is that I am a country-rock artist
from Toronto. I was actually born in Beirut but grew up in Toronto. I would end up working in the
airlines, which took me all over the world, eventually moving to the Middle East for several
years. Finally, seven years ago, I decided to move back home to Toronto, and four years ago,
decided to follow my passion for music as a career.

MH: Every artist and band I've worked with has a beautiful beginning and journey. Let's hear
your story. How did you get started in music?

SK: My story is a funny one because I feel like it really has two beginnings. In my early teens, I
discovered Guns n' Roses and they were my first concert. That moment really changed everything
for me because watching the band live made me realize that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to
be a performer! My parents were dead set against the idea, so I ended up pursuing my other passion
for travel and aviation. That would end up taking me to the Middle East where I became the Station
Manager for a major commercial airline as I also raised my two boys and worked hosting a radio
show on weekends. It wasn't until I moved back to Toronto a few years ago that my passion for
performing came back stronger than ever following a fateful meeting with my biggest idol, Axl Rose,
in LA. It was my birthday and I decided that all I wanted to do was go meet Axl. When I told friends,
they thought I had completely lost my mind. I still booked a ticket to LA, drove to his home in Malibu,
and as I was approaching his mansion, I would find him walking outside. We chatted for a while and
took a photo which I posted to social media. That photo would end up going viral after several news
agencies published it as the first photo of Axl in over a year and a half (It was 2015 and Guns n'
Roses had not reunited yet at this point). As exciting as it was actually meeting him, that event
changed so much for me in that it made me believe in the power of manifestation. If I could believe
that I was going to do something as outrageous as this and actually make it happen, well then,
anything was possible! That's when I decided to pursue my passion for music once again. I started
out going to open jams just to get on stage and get comfortable with singing. I was not formally
trained but knew I could carry a tune and didn't really have stage nerves. The open jams were a
blessing in many ways because not only did it give me a chance to hone my musical skills with great
musicians, but it gave me an opportunity to connect with them. I would start writing my own material
and recorded my first group of rock songs with John Angus Macdonald, a producer and guitarist
from one of my favourite Canadian bands, 'The Trews'. Along with Nick Detoro, we would record a
four-song rock EP called 'Spellcasting.’ Following its release, I would end up playing my first live
band show, opening up for LA Guns, first here in Toronto, then at The Whisky a Go Go in LA. A few
weeks later, I played Festival CoMA in Brazil. Looking back at those beginnings, I think it's funny
that at the time it all seemed so normal to me. But when I speak to other musicians, they think it's
crazy that my second show was at The Whisky and my third at a festival in Brazil. Again, I honestly
believe what you envision for yourself in your mind you can achieve if you have the courage to act
on it. That courage helped me in deciding to start working with my current producer, Brent Woods,
in LA. Although I am proud of the work John Angus and I did, when I wanted to record new songs,
I decided on Brent because we had become great friends and I had a huge amount of respect for
him musically. Brent has worked with everyone from the members of KISS to Vince Neil, Sebastian
Bach, and Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters.