by Scott Roos
7MS concert photos by Deanna Roos/ Contingent Colours Photography
Kimberley Stevens on stage with Nickelback provided by Kimberley Stevens
It’s pretty surreal to think that it’s been a little over a year since Seven Mile Sun (7MS) drummer Kimberley Stevens hopped on stage and belted out “Rockstar” alongside Chad Kroeger and the rest of the gang from Nickelback. Stevens had had her metaphorical “rubber arm” twisted by 7MS bassist Joanne Genest to enter a contest put on by Saskatoon radio station Rock 102 for the opportunity and, low and behold, she won. The moment, in front of 14K screaming fans at SaskTel Centre, was obviously (massive understatement) one that she will never forget but also a core memory that helped her to get over the shyness of putting her voice out front and centre in public with her band.
“I think the the level of support that I had (singing on stage with Nickelback) really did (help me come out of my shell when it comes to singing) and for myself to show up on that stage (at SaskTel Centre) and actually strut across it and just be in my own self that was like really confidence evoking,” Kimberley told NSMZ in a recent Zoom call.
Whilst it’s true that Kimberley has been singing backing vocals with 7MS since their inception there seems to be more gravitas about her countenance since those moments spent with Kroeger. It definitely enabled her to be comfortable enough for the band to release “Boy & the Queen”, a song that Kimberley wrote in 2022 that features her, for the first time, performing the lead vocals. The song's been a pretty popular part of the band’s set since its debut so it’s crazy that it’s taken them as long as they have to finally get it out into the world as a single. Incidentally, it was released TODAY.
“I was in Bali actually doing my yoga teacher training and I was humming the song. I had been sleeping and I woke up humming it. I'd never written a song before and I had this melody in my head and I thought ‘wow, where did I catch this? This is a good song. Who wrote this?’ and I couldn't find it anywhere and then I realized that it was me. I wrote it,” Kimberley explained.
“I kind of had the melody in my head. I was singing it. I wrote the words and then it took me a little while to bring it back to (guitarist/vocalist) Kevin (Stevens) and (bassist) Joanne (Genest). I was nervous about it but I finally did and then we sat down together and started playing around with it and created the rest of the song together. Kevin wrote a really cool riff to it. it was a super fun process. It came together pretty quickly though... pretty easily.”
The track itself features a strong chorus with a great hook. Kimberley's bluesy lead vocals are at the forefront of the track through the verses with a tasteful riff laid down by brother Kevin. Despite the fact that it’s a different vocalist from the norm (Kevin usually sings lead), it surprisingly still sounds strongly like a 7MS song. It’s something Kimberley attributes to the sibling aspect of the band itself. The brother and sister duo have been playing music together all their lives. In terms of the song’s bluesy nature, well, that is because it’s a type of music that she strongly identifies with.
“Kevin and I both grew up listening to bluesy rock…. When I first stepped into my voice, I would get chills every time I would listen to a female musician that just really let it rip….like a really powerful note where there's a bit of rasp in it. So I guess I started bringing some of that into my own voice or I'd sing along to those songs and I could feel those chills in myself when I would do it. So there's definitely some of that with that passion behind it I suppose and in blues music that I bring into the song. I really wanted that to come across and it did it in ‘Boy & the Queen’,” Kimberley continued.
With all this said, now that this song is out there are plans for hopefully more songs that feature Kimberley belting lead vocals in the future in the future.
“I started my list of notes like my brother has with different song lyrics or lines or phrasing or topics that evoke something within,” Kimberely states of her burgeoning interest in songwriting, “I've started picking up my own guitar again. I play just a little bit. So I've been playing a little bit more where it's kind of fun for me to noodle around just playing some basic chords and seeing what comes. so absolutely (I’ll be writing more songs.”
Listen to "Boy & the Queen" at the link below or on your favourite streaming service:
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