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Canadian singer teamed up with husband Kurt Swinghammer and Ron Sexsmith to make a beautiful album.

Canadian singer-songwriter Lori Cullen’s songs are like:

  1. A whispered term of endearment
  2. A forgotten lullabye
  3. A dream you don’t want to wake up from
  4. All of the above

On the just-released Sexsmith Swinghammer Songs, Cullen teamed up with her husband, Kurt Swinghammer, and another powerhouse, singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith (who wrote "Secret Heart" made popular by Feist) to create a 12-song set that is so intimate and beautiful that it's hard to imagine it's a collaboration of three minds instead of just one. Swinghammer wrote all the music, Sexsmith wrote all the lyrics, and Cullen sang all the songs. The trinity delved into motherhood, family and more for 12 songs — a true family affair — and the love shines through on all of them, especially "Then There Were Three." She talks about how everything came together with Myspace.

Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario. A large suburb of Toronto. We had the same mayor for 36 years, she finally gave up her chair when she was 93!

Homebase: I moved to Toronto after my mother died when I was 22. I'm still here now and I love my city.

How did you discover music and end up wanting to be a musician?

Growing up as a fat girl in the '80s I always felt like an outsider. Not interested in shopping, no interest from boys — or at least none they would ever admit to — so I turned to music. I was an intense music fan for all of high school. Choosing concerts over graduations and painting album covers on the back of all my jean jackets. My father bought me an acoustic guitar after high school, and I started writing songs immediately. I taught myself guitar by taping a local folk TV show and pausing the VRC to figure out the chord grips. This was the first time in my life that I got the attention I craved. I was finally noticed and it became my identity.

How did you come to working with Ron Sexsmith on this album?

I met Ron through my partner Kurt Swinghammer — they have been friends for decades. Kurt produced Ron's very first cassette tape and they have been friends ever since. Ron and his wife Colleen are two of our closest friends. We have spent a lot of time together.

What inspired the collaboration?

After I had my baby in 2013, it was Ron's idea to write a group of songs with Kurt for me to sing. He saw that I was struggling to figure out what to do next with my music career after being so submerged in motherhood. Kurt Swinghammer wrote all the music and Ron Sexsmith wrote all the lyrics and I am the singer. Lucky me.

Do you remember the first song you ever wrote? What was it about?

Oh let me go back into the vaults for that one. I guess I was 18, maybe even 17. It was called "Lady Diana" ha ha. The royal couple was in the Canadian news all the time. I grew up with them on my TV. My mother and all her friends were always talking about them. I even had a lady Diana haircut for half of middle school. The song was very simple, three chords describing the burden of her life and the struggles with being thrown into this huge position. I think the song was terrible but my first boyfriend, who was also a musician, hand wrote the song in huge letters on bristol board and presented it to me for my birthday with such support I think it made me feel confident enough to keep writing. We all need people in our corner, it can make all the difference.

How does living in Toronto influence your music?

Living in the largest city in Canada has always been the place I want to be. Being a bike ride away from so many of my peers and friends makes it easy to stay connected. For example, we were able to walk home from sound check for our release concert last week. We don't have a car so we stay local. Almost everyone who appears on our new recording is a close musical friend. Our recording is full of people who come over for dinner and even people who babysit our kid. I found my people in this city and my people inform my music.

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