Huskies Can Sing Too: Burry
Written by Gabriel MacAdam
@burryofficial
Photos by Burry
Meet Burry (she/they), Halifax's premier dyslexic non-binary musician. Burry is a Saint Mary’s University Alumni who is now a singer, songwriter, and musician. Burry’s musical style is a mixture of indie, rock and pop, which produces a distinctive and delightful sound along with a dazzling stage presence. Burry aims to emphasize their authenticity and originality through their unique musical style and clever lyricism. As an LGBTQ2A+ member and artist, Burry has dealt with mental health issues and challenges that accompany being an openly queer person in the music industry. They hope to use their musical platform as a means to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and share their experience of ups and downs throughout life. Most recently, Burry released an album called Yellow Paint.
In a one-on-one interview, Burry explained how she chose her artist name/stage name. They said that Burry is actually their last name, and they got their name coincidentally playing for the Saint Mary’s University Rugby Team. “Someone once asked me “Burry, what’s your last name?” and I thought that was the funniest thing, so now it's my artist name.”
For Burry, music is everything: “I write music as an outlet. It’s the best way I know how to express how I’m feeling in a way that is relatable to others. Music means everything to me. It’s comforting, it’s therapy, it’s an escape, it’s a way to express myself, and it’s the only thing I want to be doing for the rest of my life.”
Burry is also open about being dyslexic. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading and identifying speech sounds, along with problems relating letters to words. Burry explained that as a songwriter, “writing with dyslexia isn’t so bad, I can’t really read music that well anyway, it’s more something I can feel and it’s not like anyone can see all the spelling errors in my journals anyway!”
However, Burry mentioned their struggles with dyslexia were a bigger problem in their studies than their musical career. “It was tougher being dyslexic in school for sure. I had to study harder and still got lower grades than other people in my program but it definitely didn’t define the outcome of my university career,” Burry said.
Burry also explained their experience with ‘coming out’ as a member of the LBGTQ2A+ community. “As a queer person, I had to come out to my friends and family, after pretending to be someone that I wasn’t for years. After coming out, there's this weight lifted from your shoulders, and you're given a special opportunity to rediscover yourself. The songs on [the album] Yellow Paint are a collection of stories and events from after my coming out that have helped me become who I am today.” Burry also pointed out that “The thing about ‘coming out’ is, unfortunately, you have to do it every day to people you meet and people on the internet, it never really stops. When I first came out it was to my teammates on the SMU rugby team and they were all incredibly supportive and wonderful.”
The hardships of truly being oneself as a person are reflected in Burry’s EP's title track “Yellow Paint,” which is a reference to the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh and his desire to eat yellow paint. It is rumoured that Vicent Van Gogh, who famously struggled with mental illness, believed yellow was a happy colour and that eating/drinking it would make him feel happier. Burry emphasizes their source of inspiration for their title track “Yellow Paint” and its underlying message, which reflects on the overall struggle that musicians and artists face as well as their lack of appreciation until after they die. “The struggles that come with being a queer person in the music industry, or a member of a marginalized community, and having your dreams doubted by the people around you are the experiences that inspired me to write this song,” Burry explained. “Van Gogh worked hard to be a successful artist while fighting mental illness, addiction, and the doubts of the people around him. It wasn’t until long after he died that his artwork was appreciated by others, and in a way, I think that is beautifully sad and relatable for a lot of artists and musicians,” they said.
When asked what it is like being a non-binary musician in Halifax, Burry explained that “The music industry is an inherently male-dominated field so even being a woman in the industry has its challenges. Being a non-binary musician in a small city is tough because there is very little representation, so the industry here doesn’t really know what to do with us yet.”
Burry’s “3 Birthdays” discusses the difficulties of divorce and the effects it can have on people at any age. “Is it bad I've made this about me?” she sings, as Burry questions whether or not she is at fault for her parent’s divorce. “3 Birthdays,” deals with the lingering feelings of restlessness and isolation with a remarkable self-awareness. According to Burry, “this song illustrates spending every birthday and holiday trying to navigate your parent's separate plans while wanting to make your own. I’m so incredibly lucky to have two loving parents who care about me so much, but I miss when holidays brought our family together, instead of keeping us apart.”
The rest of Burry’s Yellow Paint combines sincere and confessional songwriting. For example, “She Said” & “Blocked” are both genuine and revelatory contrasted with playful indie-pop songs like “Figs & Apricots.” Burry also has a “light-hearted and colourful” music video called “Figs & Apricots,” directed by Becca Rowen. It isn’t always easy putting yourself out there and allowing yourself to be vulnerable, especially in relationships. Burry explains that their song “Figs and Apricots” is about exactly that, the fear and unwillingness to fully commit to somebody else. “The song is about the inability to commit to a relationship, and dealing with someone who wants something more between the two of you,” Burry said. “The line 'Life can't always be Figs & Apricots' means that life can't always be sweet. Not everything is going to go the way you plan, so you might as well have fun with it.”
Burry’s album Yellow Paint is inspiring and goes to show that we can accomplish anything if we put our minds to it. Whether it is the struggle of being underrepresented, having a learning disability or going through a traumatic experience such as divorce, if you be yourself and follow your dreams, only good things will come out of it. Burry’s story is also an example of the multiple different paths and opportunities that can arise after graduation. You're not confined to your specific field of study after graduating from Saint Mary’s. In fact, your studies will only create new and more opportunities in the future regardless of your degree. Make sure to download Yellow Paint (Now on Apple Music and Spotify)!
“Down-to-earth songwriting is elevated with [their] indie pop sound, keeping things simple and poetic,” - Dusty Organ
“It’s a dreamy folk-pop number that will hopefully catch your ear as quickly as it caught mine... Press play, sit back, and enjoy this talented Haligonian musician,” - HAFILAX
“The track gives you a feeling of a cool evening breeze while sitting on the front porch,” - Reignland