Bio
Aselin Debison (born June 27, 1990) is a Canadian pop and Celtic music singer, sometimes known affectionately as Azi, either by herself or her fanbase.
Born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Aselin was named after Aslan, the lion in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. She began her singing career in 1999, when she was asked to sing at a rally of protesting miners in her hometown. Soon after this performance she began working on a Christmas album The Littlest Angel which was released in 2001. In 2002, she was spotted by Sony Classical president Peter Gelb at the East Coast Music Awards. Her debut album Sweet Is the Melody appeared that same year.
In 2003, Aselin Debison was chosen to sing for Queen Elizabeth II at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Ontario, during her visit to Canada for her Jubilee celebration.
Aselin sang with country music artist and Runrig vocalist Bruce Guthro on a CBC special entitled "Aselin Debison: Sweet Is the Melody". She performed selections from her debut album and also classic Cape Breton Island songs, such as the Island's anthem. During her tour to promote Sweet Is the Melody, she performed in New York and Tokyo, Japan.
One track from the Sweet Is the Melody, Aselin's cover of the distinctive Israel Kamakawiwo'ole medley arrangement Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, became popular in Korea and Japan. Aselin also did covers of "Driftwood" a song by the Scottish band Travis and Garth Brooks Christmas song "The Gift." Thanks to its inclusion in soft pop compilation albums such as Sony Music Korea/Splash Music's 2003 Crossover Romance, it became a firmly established element of ambient music in many parts of east Asia. Several other tracks from Sweet Is the Melody were also included in Korean and Japanese pop compilations.
In March 2005 Aselin released her second album, Bigger than Me, and the singles "Life" and "Faze" have been popular on light rock and pop radio. Where as Aselin's early recordings consisted of cover versions, for Bigger than Me she wrote the material herself along with assistance from Dave Thomson (co-founder of teen pop band Wave) and producer Thomas "Tawgs" Salter (initially renowned as a member of the 1990s Canadian rock band Dunk). Her change of style from Celtic pop to a more pop rock sound has been successful, and she continues to be a popular and an increasingly well known singer-songwriter. Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has hailed Aselin as the next Céline Dion.
Since her last album, Aselin has been completely out of the public eye. The last time she appeared was on Rita MacNeil's Cape Breton.
