Julie Ervik reminisces of her childhood in Squamish.
“I have lots of memories of Loggers Sports,” said Ervik, who moved to Norway in 1989 when she was just nine years old. “My dad was in Squamish’s Rotary, and I remember he was the barbecue chief during Loggers Sports. I also have this memory of falling into Alice Lake once, too.”
But now, Ervik has fallen into a burgeoning music career, thanks to a video she posted on YouTube.
“I did a version of Sia’s song ‘Chandelier’ and put it on YouTube,” she said. “Eventually the video went viral.”
Her cover of the song caught the attention of producers for Norway’s version of The Voice, a reality television show where aspiring singers compete weekly in front of a panel of famous judges, with winners determined by viewers.
In January 2015, Ervik took part in the third season of the show, appearing in three episodes before losing in the knockout phase of the show.
Although Ervik had experience performing as a backup singer for Danish Xfactor and for the Danish superstar Medina at the Danish Music Awards in 2014, she said it was daunting to perform on The Voice.
“That was the first time I actually went out on a stage alone,” said Ervik, who has been compared to singer Adele. “That was quite a thing for me.”
It’s a far cry from the little girl who was teased for her scarlet locks.
“I was bullied a bit when I was in Squamish,” she said. “I had red hair and Norwegian parents, so maybe I was an easy target.”
Things weren’t much better once she moved to Norway, either.
“I was still bullied when I got to Norway, because when I first got there I didn’t speak Norwegian,” said Ervik. “And my parents also had me learn to play violin, which didn’t exactly help things.”
But that early musical education, coupled with time spent singing in church, gave Ervik the courage and chops to put her voice on the line online.
And despite not winning on The Voice, Ervik’s musical career still continues to blossom. Her YouTube video also caught the attention of some musicians in Los Angeles, who wrote a new song for her called “Last Love,” which will be released on iTunes as her debut single on June 1.
“Now I guess I’ll have someone doing backing vocals for me,” she said. “But, at least I won’t have to be alone on the stage.”
Despite the success and positive feedback she is receiving, Ervik said she is taking things on a day-by-day basis. After all, she still has a full-time job as physiotherapist at the intensive care unit at Oslo´s largest hospital.
“I feel quite humbled by everything,” she said. “I still love my job, and I really don’t expect to be the next big pop star. Right now I’m just working on getting more connections in the industry – and I’ll be working more with those guys from L.A. – and seeing what the reception is of my first single.”
She’s also hoping to return to Squamish one day, too. “I was back once in 2003,” she said. “I’d certainly like to return to Squamish again.”
Julie Ervik’s debut single “Last Love” (and a video) will be available June 1.
