For multi-faceted Toronto-raised musical artist Bria Salmena, the past several years have been all about transformation. Her debut solo album, Big Dog, out now, is a metamorphosis; more accurately, it is about breaking free from a metaphysical leash. The album's title stems from a nickname given to her by a friend at a time of uncertainty and dismay, and over time, it stuck with her.

From her post-punk days with FRIGS to her barer, alternative country-inspired vocal collaborations with Orville Peck, Salmena has always been a mixed breed in the music industry. Now, embracing the nickname and allowing it to coalesce with her pre-established artistic and personal identity, Salmena has proven that she has always had both the bark and the bite.

Big Dog creates a genuine, tangible listening experience detailing the steps of her transformation by fusing her past work's many varied musical styles and completely restructuring her sound and composition throughout many tracks on the record. Recently released, the first single off the album titled, ‘Stretch the Struggle, pairs her lyrical prowess and alluring vocals with a stimulating and uniform sonic structures. A hypnotic pattern of synths chases Salmena’s vocals and builds throughout the song until the climax. This is only one of many other moments within the record of what can only be perceived as a musical and instrumental metaphor for Salmena’s journey of self-exploration and recreation while facing various internal or external personal battles. The record is engrossing, transfixing, and unapologetically her from beginning to end.

See here, Bria Salmena, embrace transformation on all planes.

As you venture into your solo career and are getting ready for the release of your debut album, you've mentioned that the culmination of your work as a solo musician and, specifically, Big Dog, was something accomplished with the help of the support of your friends and collaborators in not only a musical sense but in an emotional sense. How did your creative process differ from your previous work with FRIGS and Orville Peck when crafting Big Dog?

As much as this is my solo project, it would not exist in this way without my creative collaborator, Duncan Hay Jennings. He and I have been playing music together since 2009/2010 in some variation or another. With Big Dog, it was just him and I writing together for the first time without any other band member or for anything other than trying to find a sound that was uniquely ours. A lot of the writing was doneremotely, sending tracks and variations of songs back and forth to one another. It was fun to lean on each other and experiment, exploring ideas and textures that felt different from anything we had done previously.

Growing up in Toronto and being involved in the scene with your band FRIGS, were there local bands or artists in the Toronto scene that inspired not only your work with Big Dog but also your work with FRIGS? And, now that you live part-time in Los Angeles, how do you think the Toronto scene differs from the Los Angeles music scene?

Ah! This is a hard question; FRIGS and this project exist at very different times in the Toronto music scene, which has changed a lot post-pandemic. There are definite crossovers, but I think during the recording of Big Dog, the local bands I was and still am listening to are a lot of friends. Shout out to 9million, S.H.I.T, Dorothea Pass, Eliza Niemi, Jennifer Castle, Debby Friday, Dime Lifters, Kat Duma, Tony Price, Kara Lane, Webb, and U.S Girls. To be honest, I feel as though I’m just scratching the surface of the Los Angeles scene, but I've been really inspired by the likes of Sees00000, Marci, Jack Name, Paint, Jessica Pratt, Lightman, and Lightman Band, and b0dies, to name a few.

‍Big Dog is versatile in terms of its sounds and exploration of different genres, with each song exploring a particular aspect of your life and your journey with vulnerability. Is there one track in particular that was more of a challenging endeavor than the others? Not just in terms of emotional vulnerability but also in exploring a sound or genre that takes you out of your comfort zone.

I think Stretch The Struggle takes the cake for being the most challenging as a sonic exploration. I think we rewrote that chorus so many fucking times it made my head spin. We felt like the verses and pre-chorus were so strong and had such a great build, it almost made it impossible to create a chorus that lived up to that feeling. Eventually, we had to relinquish ourselves to the fact that there was gonna be a shift in vibe and energy, with all that building tension that came before releasing into this big chorus.

You said the album's title stems from a nickname a friend called you during a pep talk when you were at a low point. When you were growing up, did you have any other nicknames that stuck with you or that your close friends called you?

My best friend and bandmate Jaime McCuaig has called me ‘Bruise’ for a while. My niece and nephew call me Auntie Breezy. I had an uncle who would go back and forth between Princess and Shithead; those are the most memorable ones. None quite as bolstering as Big Dog.

It is apparent throughout the entire record that you prioritized transparency, vulnerability, and a rawness that translates through your unfiltered vocals and unflinching lyricism. As you face your vulnerability and personal experiences in a cathartic way throughout the album, do you hope to inspire others to do the same when they listen to the record? Is there a specific message you want listeners to take away from the album?

I think what I’m trying to say is that being vulnerable, accountable, and persistent are all qualities of a Big Dog. Don't be a dick and be true to yourself. I’m just singing about all the shit I had to go through to get to the place I’m at now.

A trend throughout the songs that fans may notice is repetition in some of the lyrics. In a way, it comes off as a mantra you have been repeating to yourself. When you are performing or preparing to perform, specifically thinking about embarking on a solo tour for this album, are there any mantras or stage rituals you use to prepare yourself to go on stage?

I haven’t toured this project enough to have set rituals yet, but I’m excited to see what kind of weird shit me and my band mates come up with before we go on stage. It’s always such a fun freak show. Me and my bandmate Jaime and I often listen to “I Sometimes Wanna Die” by Joybomb to get into some sort of manic state. But genuinely hoping for some barking on this tour.