An alternative singer and songwriter with a certain cabaret flair to her delivery, Sarah Slean first appeared on the Toronto live circuit in 1997. The release of her independent debut EP, Universe, followed soon afterward. Already an accomplished classically trained pianist, the Pickering, Ontario native pursued her studies in the music program at the University of Toronto while gradually carving out a name for herself as a charismatic, ebullient live performer.
When a number of relatively high-profile opening stints helped Slean sell over 4,000 copies of Universe, the major...