Amanda Braam
Singer / Songwriter, Kitchener, ON
Amanda Braam is a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Kitchener, Ontario. She is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter in her band, Amanda & The Paper Cranes, a four-piece indie dream-pop act distinguished by rich harmonies and crunchy chord progressions. She is also one half of the jazz/folk duo "The Roundabout Dance", and plays drums in the noise-rock band "My Angel".
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Since picking up her first instrument at age 10, Amanda has gained proficiency on guitar, voice, ukulele, piano, drums, and music production. She is currently attending Wilfrid Laurier University in the Honours Bachelor of Music Therapy program. She is also a songwriter with the community music initiative “The Lullaby Project”, which pairs at-risk mothers with a musician to write and record an original song for their children. She teaches 3-12 year-olds piano lessons at Pro Music School, and volunteers at Sunnyside Long Term Care making music with seniors with dementia.
Amanda volunteered as a Musician In Residence at the Kitchener Public Library in high school, where she began learning about recording and mixing. She independently wrote and produced her first album when she was 17, was subsequently awarded first prize in the Dorothy Shoemaker Songwriting Competition. She’s been a featured artist at the KPL’s Produce:HER sessions, a songwriting/production workshop for women and gender-nonconforming musicians.
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Amanda released her debut album, "ladybug basement" in January 2022, and subsequently won first prize in the Dorothy Shoemaker Songwriting Contest in the Instrumental category, as well as Western University's Musician Competition in the Songwriting category. In April 2024, Amanda released her second album, "Paper Cranes" alongside two music videos on her YouTube Channel. She's played festivals such Riverfest Elora, Summerfolk, Banditfest, and It's Your Festival; and has shared the stage with artists such as Fleet Foxes, Violent Femmes, and The Strumbellas.​
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Amanda Braam & The Paper Cranes
Amanda Braam & The Paper Cranes are an indie-pop band from Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario, distinguished by their rich harmonies, crunchy chords, and catchy melodies. With influences ranging from folk, pop, jazz, shoegaze, and alternative, a Paper Cranes performance is a musical and emotional rollercoaster that will leave listeners enthralled.
\The group features Fiona Sinclair on lead guitar / keys, Eve Elford on bass, Simon Dawes on drums, and Amanda on rhythm guitar / lead vocals. Alongside their band and solo careers, Amanda and Simon also perform as a jazz-folk duo called “The Roundabout Dance”, and Amanda and Fiona play in the noise-rock band “My Angel”.
In 2021, Amanda released her self-produced debut album “ladybug basement”, and she was subsequently awarded first prize in the Dorothy Shoemaker Songwriting Competition. In April 2024, she released her album “Paper Cranes” alongside two music videos.
Amanda & The Paper Cranes often play in KW, performing at venues such as Maxwell’s, The Yeti, The Union, and The Jazz Room; and they were featured artists for Kitchener Neighbour’s Day, as well as Waterloo’s Canada Day. They have been interviewed by local radio stations such as Midtown Radio and Radio Laurier. Amanda frequently busks at the Kitchener Market.
Outside of KW, The Paper Cranes have performed at festivals such as Riverfest Elora, It’s Your Festival Hamilton, and Banditfest Owen Sound. This year, they won Summerfolk Youth Discoveries and will be performing at the festival. They’ve shared the stage with acts such as The Strumbellas, Violent Femmes, and Fleet Foxes.
The Roundabout Dance
The Roundabout Dance is a duo composed of singer/songwriters Amanda Braam and Simon Dawes. Blending folk, indie, and jazz, their music seeks to capture the strangeness and beauty of life as they understand it. Their introspective lyrics, interlocking guitars, and vocal harmonies make for a captivating show, providing a variety of co-written originals, solo material, jazz standards, and contemporary covers. The two met in Owen Sound at the 2023 Summerfolk Youth Discoveries Competition, and recently recorded a live EP to be released this summer.
