Background and career
Raine Maida ( RAYN MAY-də; born Michael Anthony Maida; February 18, 1970) is a Canadian musician best known as being the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band Our Lady Peace. He has come to be known for his unique countertenor nasal falsetto singing voice, as well as his cryptic and poetry-influenced song lyrics. Following guitarist Mike Turner's departure from Our Lady Peace in 2001, Maida is the only remaining original member of the band. Maida began a solo career in 2006 by releasing his first solo album, The Hunters Lullaby in 2007. He also self-produced Our Lady Peace's seventh studio album, Burn Burn, in 2009. Maida has been married to Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk since 1999, and together they have three sons. Maida has been intimately involved with War Child and other charities since 2003, and was an outspoken critic of the Iraq War and former U.S. president George W. Bush.
Michael Anthony Maida was born in Weston, Ontario, in 1970. His parents split up when he was very young. Before pursuing a musical career, Maida studied criminology at the University of Toronto, and prior to that attended Ridley College in St. Catharines although he did not graduate. Around late 1991, Maida changed his given name from "Michael" to "Raine".
Raine Maida is the vocalist and a founding member of the Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace. Maida started the band with guitarist Mike Turner in 1992. Especially on the albums prior to Gravity, he often sang in a high, nasal voice. This singing style, along with Maida's cryptic lyrics, became one of the features of Our Lady Peace's music. After working with producer Bob Rock on the album Gravity, his voice became less nasal, and his tone became slightly deeper. His lyrics were also less Delphic, although these attributes have been abandoned and his older singing style and lyrical work has returned to a certain degree on the band's 2012 album, Curve. Maida has released seven albums with Our Lady Peace, plus a live album and two greatest hits collections, namely A Decade and The Very Best of Our Lady Peace.
Maida released a four song EP called Love Hope Hero on November 14, 2006. The EP contains the songs "One Second Chance", "Earthless", "Sex Love and Honey", and "Careful What You Wish For". The EP was sold on tours with Chantal Kreviazuk, on his website, and on iTunes. His full-length solo album, The Hunters Lullaby, was released on November 13, 2007, by independent label Kingnoise Records. The album was recorded in Maida's own studio using mostly acoustic instruments, and is described by Maida as "a collection of poems put to music". Kreviazuk is featured on several tracks, singing and playing piano. Before releasing his second solo album, it was stated that songs from the album would be released starting August 24, 2010, with the song "Bury Me with a Gun", and from then on a new song would be released every few weeks until the release of the completed album in early 2011. Maida's website was then updated with the possible album title of Pachamama with a release date of February 20, 2012. However, a few days after this date had passed, the date was replaced with "Coming Soon". On June 22, 2012, Maida announced the release of the free EP Pachamama available for download on Maida's official website, featuring three new tracks and cover artwork. On February 8, 2013, CBC Music debuted the official lyric video for the album's official first single "Montreal". On May 14, 2013, We All Get Lighter was released. The album did not include the originally intended single, "Bury Me with a Gun".
Maida has also been producing music since 1999, when he co-produced Our Lady Peace's albums Happiness...Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch and Spiritual Machines. He has developed numerous indie bands, including Texas-based Sleepway, Lightbreak and Billy the Kid. He produced four songs on the dance punk band Men, Women & Children's self-titled debut for Warner Bros. Records. He co-wrote and produced five tracks on Avril Lavigne's second album, Under My Skin, which was released in 2004. Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk contributed to Kelly Clarkson's song "Where Is Your Heart?"; Kreviazuk co-wrote it, while Maida produced and played the guitar. Maida and Kreviazuk also helped write the international hit "Walk Away", another song on Clarkson's album, Breakaway. They also co-wrote "One Minute" for Clarkson's third album, My December.
Maida and Kreviazuk contributed to The Veronicas' first album The Secret Life Of...; they wrote and produced the song "Revolution". Maida and Kreviazuk also co-wrote "Outside of You" with Pink but the song ended up on Hilary Duff's 2007 release, Dignity. The two wrote and produced both the first single and theme for Cheyenne Kimball's MTV reality show and album The Day Has Come. They wrote "Meant to Fly" for Eva Avila, the winner of the fourth season of Canadian Idol, and wrote the first single of Rex Goudie's second album Look Closer, called "You Got to Me". Most recently, they co-wrote the song "Permanent" with American Idol winner David Cook. Maida also collaborated with Cook on the songs "Heroes", "Mr. Sensitive", and "I Did It for You", on the self-titled album, David Cook. Maida has also been co-writing with the pop punk band Hawk Nelson for the 2008 released album Hawk Nelson Is My Friend. Maida has co-writes on numerous releases including Alternative rock bands Uncle Kracker, Green River Ordinance, Marianas Trench and Toronto-based Die Mannequin. Maida also co-wrote a song, "Unapologize" for Carrie Underwood's 2009 album Play On.
