About Rea
Rea (Maria White) is a jazz/indie pop singer-songwriter, producer, music educator and visual artist based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Rea’s fourth album, “Safe and Sound”, released in November 2019, showcases her growth as a songwriter and performer. Rooted in life’s experiences, Rea's lyrics have been described as honest, quirky, and well-crafted, and her captivating, playful melodies are at once thoughtful and memorable. Rea stirs up some sophisticated harmonies and simply sweet melodies into an appealing alternative palette, performing them with a relaxed, matter-of-fact style. Rea also performs her own arrangements of popular covers from the ’80, ‘90s and early 2000s including works by Norah Jones, Britney Spears, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie and The Cranberries.
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Rea graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA in May 2019 with a Professional Music Diploma in Songwriting. While in Boston, Rea founded the band “Rea & The Tugboats” which was a frequent performer at various venues around Boston. The Tugboats - Evan Kesel, Andrew Borron, and Nick Larimore, also played on the album, “Safe and Sound”, and appeared in the official music video for Rea’s single, “Wonderland.”
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Upon her return to St. John’s, Rea played solo as well as part of a duo with jazz guitarist Brad Jefford. Rea also performed with Jordan Young, Chris Donnelly and Brad Jefford in a group called “Rea and Friends.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rea collaborated with Co-VIDeo Collective, a group of musicians in Newfoundland and Labrador who performed remotely, from their respective homes, to create a series of entertaining virtual performances online.
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In 2020, Rea was nominated for two MusicNL Awards: Bell Aliant Pop Artist of the Year and Solo Artist of the Year. She was also a nominee for The Telegram Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year where fans voted for their favourite artist online.
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In December 2022, Rea completed a Bachelor of Music Education Degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland and began substitute teaching in St. John’s, NL.
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In May 2023, Rea fell ill and spent four months in hospital battling and recovering from a very serious infection. The infection left a number of physical scars that ultimately forced Rea to adapt and find other ways to make her music. While Rea returned to substitute teaching in January 2024, she has not yet returned to performing. However, she is determined that she will once again make her way back to writing and performing. For now, she continues to recover while enjoying teaching music to elementary school students who she says have played a big role in her healing.