The Niagara 2022 Host Society and Toronto-based singer/songwriter POESY are thrilled to announce the release of ‘Steel Heart’ — the anthem of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games and its accompanying music video. ‘Steel Heart’, which is a song written, produced and recorded by POESY, aims to inspire Games’ athletes and others to keep pursuing their dreams. 

POESY will perform ‘Steel Heart’ at the Games’ Opening Ceremony on Saturday, August 6, 2022, at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, as well as the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, August 21, 2022, at Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls. POESY will also take part in a 200-Day-Out celebration concert on January 20, 2022, at the Meridian Centre alongside three other performers who will be announced in the coming weeks.

POESY is the solo project of singer/songwriter/pianist Sarah Botelho. Since being discovered on the first season of the hit Canadian music show THE LAUNCH, POESY has accrued over two million catalogue streams and is currently working with standout British music producer Stephen Lipson, who has previously worked with the likes of Billie Eilish, Annie Lennox, and Hans Zimmer.

What’s your story as an artist?

I’ve always been one! My earliest memories are sitting around my house singing to my stuffed animals, writing lyrics on scrap paper in my room. I played in a few bands in high school, but really got into it in university. I was always driving down to Toronto to play shows anywhere I could. In 2018 I was on the CTV show The Launch which really introduced me to some major people in the industry and I built on everything after that. I’m a very visual artist, so the moment I write something in the studio, I’m already picturing what the video would look like, how the album art will be, what sort of stage production I’d like. For me, it’s looking at the whole picture of telling the story. 

What inspired this single?

Since I am not so athletic myself, I wanted to find a way to anchor the inspiration. I really believe musicians and athletes take on a similar path in that, there is no one concrete way to get there — there is a lot of struggle, uncertainty, rejection, and hardship. And the only thing that will push you to keep going in the face of that is your heart and your passion. So Steel Heart really represents following your intuition, and trusting that it will always guide you in the right direction. 

What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?

I’m a huge reader. My bookcases are always overflowing and my library card is always in heavy rotation. I draw a lot from books — lines that move me or characters that I want to go deeper with. Even just feelings that I hadn’t been able to adequately describe until someone else painted a nice little vignette. I’m also a huge fan of classic Nashville songwriting where you paint a full picture of a scene for someone in the verses, or construct a folklore with really fantastical characters. 

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing the album?

Recording this album was so incredible, especially because I was lucky enough to do it during the pandemic. However, it was totally different because it was the pandemic. I worked with a wonderful producer from the UK, Stephen Lipson (Hans Zimmer, Annie Lennox, BIllie Eilish) who was a dream come true. It was interesting to navigate with time change and never actually being in the studio together, but it really made us have to trust each other a lot and I always knew that Stephen would send back a file that I would absolutely love. 

Tell us about the music video and the idea behind it ?

I collaborated with my favourite director, Kate Harrison, on this video. We wanted to make it very Alice in Wonderland — like once you allow yourself to fully realize your talents, you end up in this magical world. We didn’t want to lose the sports aspect of the song, so we cast local Niagara athletes as every character in the video. I’m so glad we did because it was awesome to be so involved with the Games Committee in that way and to see these young athletes come into their element in front of the camera. 

What’s a record that shaped your creativity?

According to my Spotify Wrapped, it would be Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus. I think that was all I listened to for the first half of 2021. I’m very inspired by the fusion of rock music with super theatrical elements. So records like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust(Bowie), The Fame(Lady Gaga), Post(Bjork), and American Idiot(Green Day) are always things I come back to when I need to feel inspired. 

Who is an artist or band you look up to today?

I am a diehard Alannis Morrisette fan. I love how unapologetically herself she is. She just did what she wanted to do and made the music she wanted to make. Also, I think people focus so much on the fact that she was “so angry”, but if you really listen to Jagged Little Pill, it’s pretty light. There’s pain, yes, but there’s also joy, wonder, uncertainty, etc. To me, that record is just a collection of what it’s like to be a young woman. And I think that’s so valuable today, and kind of paved the way for other female artists to express themselves in more nuanced, multi-dimensional ways. 

Any future projects?

Yes! My full length record will be out sometime in the first half of 2021, but I’ve already started work on the second! I also did a stripped down grand piano and strings performance of a few of my songs recently that’s making me consider doing a recording of that arrangement.. 

Top 3 dream collaborations?

Matt Bellamy from Muse 

Lady Gaga 

Stevie Nicks 

What does music mean to you?

For me, it’s all about self expression. I’m not the best communicator in my day to day, so for me music is just a safe extension of myself where I’m able to say the things I’m dying to say but way too embarrassed to admit. It’s still so surprising to me how vulnerable I can be on stage and how absolutely terrified I would be to say those things to a small group of people. 

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

A choir singer who haunts a castle and maybe has a bit of a rage problem occasionally.