Following her heart – Brianna Corona’s Start is on the Rise

Turns out, our City breeds musical talent. Need proof? Just stroll along our very own Music Walk of Fame.

There, inductees’ names are forever engraved within a star, on plaques installed in a meandering path inside picturesque Port Credit Memorial Park. Honoured luminaries include such musical heavyweights as Jeff Healey, Tommy Hunter, Billy Talent, Rik Emmett, Chuck Jackson, Gil Moore, Ronnie Hawkins, the incomparable Oscar Peterson, and many more.

On September 8, 2019, Bon Jovi lead guitarist Phil X and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bass player Prakesh John joined the ranks of local greatness.

Will Brianna Corona’s name one day be memorialized in granite? To be honest, she doesn’t really care.

“I don’t have to be famous,” she laughs, “I just want to be able to make a living doing what I love.”

That passion, that need to express her true self through singing and songwriting, drew Corona back into the world of music after a promising start in the nursing program at McMaster. In what she defines as a return to her gut instinct, Corona abruptly left university to return to the one career path she knew would make her happy.

“I wasn’t listening to my heart. It was as simple as that,” she relates. “My parents weren’t thrilled, though. They wanted me to strive for a more stable career.”

They’re pretty proud now, though—and excited for their daughter’s future.

“Brianna has always been fiercely independent and focused on what she loves,” says her mom Sharon. “We don’t always understand her choices—but we trust her best judgment.”

One of those choices included shaving off her long locks in 2018.

“Shaving my head allowed me to be more honest with myself. It gave me the courage to pivot and completely change my life course,” Corona reveals.

Corona’s love for making and performing music began when she was 6 and a vocal student at Merriam Music. Self-taught on the piano, she also plays guitar and ukulele to back up her vocals.

Performing since the age of 10 on stages including Danforth Music Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, the Glenn Gould Theatre, the CNE Bandshell and Mississauga’s own Celebration Square, Corona recorded the song “Easily Broken” as part of Birdsong, a multi-genre released album, in 2014. In 2016, she began working with producer Roy Hamilton III and wrote her first original song, “Brightside”, which was released along with a remix of Maria Muldaur’s “Midnight at the Oasis.”

After her foray into nursing, in 2018 Corona jumped back full force into her music career and began releasing song covers on YouTube. Her most popular cover, “Candlelight” by Zhavia, encouraged her to post regularly and she began writing more original content.

On February 24, 2019, Corona launched back into the music industry with her single “African Violet”. The song, made in collaboration with Marco Palma, was then featured on Louder Me. On April 12, 2019, she released another single, “Broken Letters”, self-written and produced by Jovan Jovanov at Global Music Entertainment. Then on July 26, 2019 Corona delighted her growing audience with “Guessing Game”, her hit single and first music video, self-directed, of course.

Corona EP “Words” was released August 30, 2019, along with another music video to the featured song. This collection of 6 gorgeous tracks shares Brianna’s soulful understanding of heartbreak, addiction and self-awareness, and her powerful vocals and delivery, once experienced, will always leave you wanting more.

On September 27, Corona, who is now 19, is up for the Best New Artist title at the Mississauga Music Awards. She credits the local arts initiatives that have allowed her opportunities to be in the spotlight.

“Organizations like Mississauga Music and the Mississauga Arts Council are working hard to provide artists with lots of places to perform,” she says. ”

Corona cites places like Common Ground Café in Port Credit. Through its monthly concert series, Common Ground provides a venue to showcase incredible local talent.

Let’s all enjoy watching and supporting Brianna Corona as she creates her very own star.