Onna Lou

About

Onna Lou is a singer-songwriter born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has lived in Winnipeg, Canada since 2016.

With a degree in Contemporary Writing and Production from world renowned Berklee College of Music and another in Classical Music Composition from Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires, Onna Lou is an internationally recognized, highly educated musician, and artist who is well known for her heartfelt lyrics, attention to detail, and vast knowledge of the regional history and stylings of Latin music. Her ability to blend traditional with contemporary sounds results in very unique songs.

Onna Lou released her chart-topping album, “Diamante” with the support of Canada Council for the Arts in 2022. The album reached an incredible 15th week on the Earshot Charts, having peaked at #1 on three Charts, Folk/Roots/Blues and International in British Columbia, and Ontario’s International chart. Onna Lou has been hailed as an artist who “can dizzy your world in Flamenco, Latin American Folk, Tango, Jazz, Pop and Rock and you get the feeling she’s just getting started.”  

She ranks among the 2.1% of female identifying producers in the industry today, who also writes, plays instruments on, and records her own music.

Onna Lou’s brand-new album, “Diamante”, showcases her tremendous growth, remarkable talent, and confidence as she transcends geographical and cultural borders as both an artist and a producer. Self-produced alongside her musical partner and husband Julian Vidal who is a composer and sound engineer, and Berklee Graduate himself, the album is almost completely self-written and co-produced by Onna Lou and features a handful of esteemed local musicians, as well as Grammy Award-winning Venezuelan producer Raniero Palm (Marc Anthony, Carlos Vives, Rubén Blades…). 

Her songs are consistently played across the country, and have been featured across the CBC radio network, CKUA, and many more. Lou is often invited to perform her music live on television shows across Canada, internet shows, and podcasts. 

Her academic reference letter was written by Pope Francis when he was Cardinal of Buenos Aires, which resulted in Onna Lou getting a full scholarship to finish her studies in classical composition at UCA in Argentina and was a huge relief to lighten her burden in student loans at the time.

She toured Canada for the first time in September-October 2022 sharing her music at 8 shows in 6 cities and as a showcasing artist at Break Out West and Folk Music Ontario. 

She is already working on the composition of her third album to be released in 2024, which has received the support of Manitoba Arts Council for its creation.

She is completely passionate about her songs and the power of music to transform lives. She says: “I’ve always felt that the magic of good music is that it is a sort of gateway for our soul to feel whatever we need to feel. Through my songs I become proudly vulnerable and that way I heal, and I build a better life for me and my family”.

She has received the support of Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, FACTOR, and Manitoba Music on several occasions.
 

She has done hundreds of shows in Winnipeg from festivals to house concerts. She has become an active part of this city’s rich and vibrant music scene.

She presented her second album in Buenos Aires, Argentina in June 2022, in Winnipeg in July and took it on the road to Vancouver, Calgary, London, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal in 2022. She continues her Instagram Live series “Lunch Break with Onna Lou” which she started during the pandemic and has done weekly non-stop for almost two years now. She has a loyal fanbase with followers from all over the world, growing everyday. 

Onna Lou has been nominated for Global Artist of the Year at the 2023 Western Canadian Music Awards. 

This Summer 2023 she will be performing at Winnipeg Jazz Festival, and Live from the Rock Festival in Manitoba and Ontario, among other presentations. Her explorations into a new  format for her live shows include two cellos on stage and she is already presenting material from her third album (singles will start dropping this fall). In November she will travel to her home country, Argentina, to present the new material there as well.