pronounced eeee-sah
June 26, 2006 10:00 PM   Subscribe

Following in the tradition of Prince, Cat Stevens and Terence Trent D'Arby, Canadian chanteuse Jane Siberry has changed her name.
posted by starkeffect (46 comments total)
 
whoop-de-shit
posted by puke & cry at 10:09 PM on June 26, 2006


My first name is that with a name such as Issa that she had become Muslim but there's nothing to corroborate that - perhaps a coincidence that she's chosen the arabic for Jesus?

Change is good - perhaps there's a personal reason that requires that she shed all pretenses of her former life?
posted by burhan at 10:10 PM on June 26, 2006


How nice for her. I would post a snarky comment along the lines of "who gives a shit," but instead I will simply post a link to the worst press release of all time.

Attn: pretentious singer/songwriters. When you decide your career is in need of the kind of boost only a name-changing publicity stunt can provide, putting out a three word press release is not the best way to maximize media exposure of said non-event.
posted by ChasFile at 10:12 PM on June 26, 2006


No, really, guys, I think you should call me 'Sting'. Yeah, I think it's kind of badass. You know, like a wasp or something, those little things can really hurt if they get you on your foot. Guys...?
posted by gurple at 10:23 PM on June 26, 2006 [1 favorite]


Sorry, taken.
posted by puke & cry at 10:25 PM on June 26, 2006 [1 favorite]


The name Issa is also taken.
posted by fleetmouse at 10:33 PM on June 26, 2006


I found out about this because I'm signed up on Siberry's email notification list. The title read "My new name is..." and the text was, in total:

Issa

(eee-sah)

love,
Jane


Which makes me wonder... if her new name is Issa, why wouldn't she sign the email "love, Issa"?.

Oh well. I like her music anyway.
posted by starkeffect at 10:44 PM on June 26, 2006


is she someone worth hearing? ... not being snarky, i've heard of her, but haven't gotten around to checking her out ...
posted by pyramid termite at 10:52 PM on June 26, 2006


She's worth hearing, yes, but I fear that Ms. Siberry, erm, Ms. Light, has just jumped the couch.
posted by Dreama at 11:03 PM on June 26, 2006


She's an acquired taste-- if you like Kate Bush's more idiosyncratic work then you'll probably enjoy Siberry. She's gone through several "phases" (twee electronic pop, jazz, "standards", and so forth), but I think her best album is When I Was a Boy.

You can download all of her back catalogue from the Sheeba store, which offers all her music on a "sliding scale".
posted by starkeffect at 11:09 PM on June 26, 2006


From Wikipedia: "On June 3, 2006, somewhere in northwestern Europe, Jane Siberry changed her name. She did not announce her new name publicly, but many fans speculated on what it could possibly be." Yep, I was drunk in Europe once too.
posted by Ohdemah at 11:35 PM on June 26, 2006


Following in the tradition of Prince, Cat Stevens and Terence Trent D'Arby, Canadian chanteuse Jane Siberry has

become a fundamentalist?
posted by dirigibleman at 11:43 PM on June 26, 2006


Call me Issa-mael.
posted by blucevalo at 12:01 AM on June 27, 2006


My parents had a female kitten named after Siberry's Mimi on the Beach. 6 months later the kitten dropped a giant set of balls, and they had to change his name to Tygrrr.
posted by zarah at 12:31 AM on June 27, 2006


Or you may call her "The Artist Formerly Not Very Well Known as Jane Siberry."
posted by pracowity at 12:44 AM on June 27, 2006


That name reminds me of my dog
posted by Flashman at 12:51 AM on June 27, 2006


Oy.
posted by Radio7 at 1:00 AM on June 27, 2006


Vey?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:36 AM on June 27, 2006


Cool. Thanks starkeffect for posting this - I used to listen to Siberry a lot in the early 90s but had lost track of what she was doing.

(Why didn't I just go to her website or look her up in Wikipedia? Uh ...)

Kate Bush is a good comparison, but Siberry tends more to the "aggressively quirky" end.
posted by outlier at 3:53 AM on June 27, 2006


That name reminds me of my dog

Dammit, Flashman you beat me to it.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 4:35 AM on June 27, 2006


Because those Canadian names are so foreign-sounding and hard to pronounce.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 4:46 AM on June 27, 2006


Zenmaster, there are some advantages to living in the Greenwich Mean Time - one being that you get to use up all the good quips before the other MeFites have rolled out of bed.
posted by Flashman at 5:13 AM on June 27, 2006


"standards"

when an artist records a "standards" album it is the equivalent of when a sitcom adds a cute new kid...its death knell
posted by poppo at 5:45 AM on June 27, 2006


starkeffect writes "You can download all of her back catalogue from the Sheeba store, which offers all her music on a 'sliding scale'."

I hope this catches on.
posted by Songdog at 6:07 AM on June 27, 2006


Issa Not A Big Deal.
posted by jonmc at 6:26 AM on June 27, 2006


Someone needs to take a hardline on this.
posted by yerfatma at 6:36 AM on June 27, 2006


Oh no, she's a table...

I loved, loved, loved Sib (as she used to call herself) in my teens and 20s. Bound by the Beauty is an incredible album. I just could never get into Maria, however, and sort of lost interest in her new stuff.

This news is nothing compared to discovering that another of my favorite Canadian singers, Meryn Cadell, is now a man.

*eyes Barenaked Ladies nervously*
posted by Biblio at 7:24 AM on June 27, 2006


Siberry sold everything she owned recently.
posted by xod at 7:30 AM on June 27, 2006


What would be really funny is if after all this, she started releasing radio-friendly power pop ballads.

For this fellow upstream asking "who is Jane Siberry": Find a copy of When I was a Boy. In my opinion her best (and also most accessible) album.
posted by jscalzi at 9:07 AM on June 27, 2006


My friend scored me a test-weave bit of tartan from the Isle of Skye (and some other stuff) at her garage sale, it's awesome!

Those of you who haven't had the pleasure yet should really check her out, live if at all possible -- she's one of the best live performers I've ever seen. The recordings don't really do her justice.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:09 AM on June 27, 2006




Meesa Issa.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:12 AM on June 27, 2006


Biblio: This news is nothing compared to discovering that another of my favorite Canadian singers, Meryn Cadell, is now a man.

Excuse me?
posted by stinkycheese at 9:23 AM on June 27, 2006


It's true. Wow, Meryn Cadell. That's my mind-blower for today, thanks.
posted by stinkycheese at 9:32 AM on June 27, 2006


Or you may call her "The Artist Formerly Not Very Well Known as Jane Siberry."

Heh.

Is this something I would have to be under 50 to know/care about?
posted by languagehat at 10:24 AM on June 27, 2006


Gissalight.
posted by Joeforking at 11:00 AM on June 27, 2006


She'd probably be famous now if she wasn't such a good waitress....
posted by geneablogy at 11:13 AM on June 27, 2006


Interesting news about Maryn Cadell and he didn't even change his name! Made me dig up "The Sweater" (mp3) and giggle about acrylic.
posted by spacelux at 11:52 AM on June 27, 2006


The determine your own price thing is way cool. They even let you decide to pay later, after you've had a chance to listen a bit. Very nice.

Meh on the name change, but, thanks, starkeffect, for reminding me of someone I used to enjoy quite a bit, and am looking forward to hearing again.
posted by QIbHom at 2:40 PM on June 27, 2006


It's the way things have to be - ee - ee - ee -ee.
posted by Meatbomb at 4:08 PM on June 27, 2006


Weird. I love Jane and have for many many years. I appreciate her eccentricities, including this rather strange development. I really hope this doesn't mean that she'll be even harder to keep track of than before. Her concerts are amazing, by the way, she is one of those very few performers who knows how to play to the whole room (plus what bitter-girl said). Thanks for posting it starkeffect!
posted by milovoo at 4:42 PM on June 27, 2006


I hate name-changers, but Issa/Siberry is a brilliant musician. The snark here -- mostly from people who haven't heard a note of hers, I wager -- does not do her justice. She's a marvelous, challenging, insightful songwriter and performer who kicks ass (in a mellow way) onstage. I wish her luck.
posted by digaman at 6:42 PM on June 27, 2006


I would say "changing your name doesn't change who you are." However, it kinda does. A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but a Siberry by any other name is still lovably kooky.
posted by ZachsMind at 6:58 PM on June 27, 2006


I think Jane's best album is her first album. Marco Polo, Treeline, etc. Wonderful lyricism.

When I was a Boy is good, yes, but has horrible production quality. It is farging unlistenable on a high-end stereo/headphones.

Come to think of it, most of her work has horrible production quality. Shitloads of intrusive sounds, bad splices, background rumbles, etc. She's quite the songwriter and not at all a recording engineer.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:45 PM on June 27, 2006


I still laugh when I think of how when Prince changed his name to a glyph, Bob Wiseman put out a press release that he was changing his name to Prince.
posted by dobbs at 8:41 PM on June 27, 2006


fff: one person's horrible is another's awe.
posted by divrsional at 9:44 PM on June 27, 2006


Please, explain. The problems heard on WIWAB and several other of her recordings are the music equivalent of seeing the microphone boom jutting into the top of the picture in a movie. They aren't awesome, they aren't innovative, they aren't good recording practice.

I expect cheesy-ass demo tapes to contain crap recordings. I expect a professional musician to use high production values on her work. I do not purchase Siberry's music because I want to listen to her upstairs neighbour walk across the ceiling, or a bloody semi-trailer riding its jake-brakes down the hill across from the farm.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:21 PM on June 27, 2006


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