Fifteen years after the release of her debut album, Rebecca released Stronger Broken. Her resonant and beautiful vocals infuse this album of folk/pop originals. Her lyrics are sometimes soulful, sometimes humorous, with themes of getting unstuck, finding love, and wrestling with life’s hardships.
Besides being one of Rebecca’s biggest champions, her late husband, Brian Tillotson, was creatively involved with the project and even co-wrote one of the songs with her (“Too Many Songs”). He was the inspiration for the love songs she wrote. On the morning of March 23, 2022, Brian and Rebecca celebrated the completion of the album as she approved the artwork and final masters and sent it to manufacturing. Later that day, Brian died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest. Heartbroken and devastated but determined to see the project through, Rebecca decided to release the album on June 13, the anniversary of the day she first met Brian, as a way to honor his devotion to her music and the joy they had in working on it together.
Recorded and engineered by Dik Shopteau (Judd, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren, Tex Pistols Band) and mastered by Greg Reierson (Prince, Jonny Lang, Jenny Lewis, The Suburbs), the album features an all-star band including drummer Greg Schutte (Ryan Bingham, Stephen Stills, Chastity Brown), guitarist Kurt Jorgensen (The Jorgensens), guitarist Lantz Dale (Jeremy Poland Band, IV Play), guitarist Boyd Lee (Tex Pistols, 2 Girls & a Boyd), keyboards/guitarist/composer Paul Winchester, cellist Jacqueline Ultan (Saltee, The Jayhawks, Ondara, Dan Wilson, Shabby Road Orchestra), and vocalist Elizabeth Ghandour (Elour). Rebecca’s youngest son, Luke Schoper, has contributed to many of the arrangements and also plays keyboards on the album.
Evoking Tracy Chapman’s soul-piercing lyrics and Shawn Colvin’s folk and pop sensibilities, Rebecca Aadland ties together themes of love (“I’ll Walk With You”), loss (“Broken Pieces”) and healing (“We’ll Get Through”). Stronger Broken is a touching musical guide for people looking to forge a new life path.
Bio
Rebecca Aadland is a soulful singer/songwriter and lifelong observer of the human condition. Having also worked as a teacher, psychotherapist, and public speaker, she is drawn to courageous stories of finding true love and pursuing joyful work. For more than 35 years, the Minneapolis-based artist has performed at music clubs, colleges and conferences, sharing her folk/pop originals with a rare humor and honesty.
Born into a musical family in Absarokee, Montana, Rebecca was the seventh of 10 children. Her father was a minister and pipe organ builder, her mother played the church organ, and all the children sang. “Singing harmony was a requirement for all of us kids by the time we were six,” Rebecca laughs. From a young age, she became intrigued by themes of psychology, family, and religion and how these forces can shape our life story.
Rebecca earned her bachelor’s degree in music, specializing in voice and music education. She taught choral music in public schools for 14 years, and before that, she donned big hair in an all-girl cover band in the 80s. Although she took a break from pursuing music professionally to raise three children, she also completed a master’s degree in psychology while teaching and eventually worked as a psychotherapist. Yet, music continued to be central to her work, and Rebecca often weaved musical performances into her teaching and public speaking engagements.
Leaving her first marriage in 2001 was pivotal in Rebecca’s story, leaping into the unknown to find true love and writing songs along the way. In 2007, she released her debut album, Foreign Soul, and was selected as the Midwest Regional Finalist in the prestigious New Song Contest in 2009. A true labor of love, Rebecca released Stronger Broken on June 13, 2022, as a tribute to her late husband.
In addition to her work as a musician and therapist, Rebecca is a potter, painter, gardener, mother, and grandmother.
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Press Quotes
“Through the development of her own musical gifts, Rebecca Aadland intuited what health researchers are finding: music is powerful beyond its ability to delight us—it can actually affect the way we perceive the world. Rebecca’s artistic journey through an intimate emotional landscape charts a course available to all of us—to navigate, via creative gifts, our own personal passage to understanding and growth.”
– Marian Deegan, Fortuni
“Stronger Broken is an outstanding example of perseverance through hard work and a desire to make something great. Rebecca began this recording as a songwriter and emerged an artist!”
– Dik Shopteau, recorded and engineered STRONGER BROKEN
“Rebecca Aadland is my favorite kind of singer/songwriter because you can feel her heart. Her truth and authenticity shines through her songs.”
– Mary Jane Alm
“Rebecca is a dedicated artist and songwriter that captures her own experience in a way that moves her audience.”
– Chad Shank, Berklee College of Music, Online Faculty
“… it’s sweet and it stands as a reminder to cherish and appreciate the steps we get to take with our loved ones. I’m sure the song has taken a bittersweet tone that wasn’t there in the original writing, but it feels like a celebration, not a mourning.”
– Ann Treacy, Mostly Minnesota
Accomplishments
TCF Rotunda Mall of America, Lake Harriet Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair, Minnehaha Park Bandshell, Midtown Global Market, Aster Cafe, 318 Cafe, Crooners, Plums Bar & Grill, Dunn Brothers
Rebecca has performed her original songs with her guitar at many venues in the Twin Cities.
New Song Contest 2009
Midwest Regional Finalist.
NWCT Studio, Northwest Community Television | Brooklyn Park, MN
Several of Rebecca’s original songs have been included in the Minnesingers Program, which is aired on 19 public-access TV channels serving more than 120 cities in three states.
Crooner’s | Fridley, MN
Sold-out album release show in 2022.
Mamapolooza | Mankato Arts & Historical District, Mankato, MN
Headline performer and keynote speaker at this two-day event which celebrated women and motherhood.
Concert Series, Rhein River Arts Center | New Ulm, MN
Rebecca performed a two-hour concert as part of a musical duo to a sold-out crowd.
Opening Ceremonies at Minnesota State University’s Women & Spirituality Conference | Mankato, MN
Rebecca & Friends (7-pc. band) was showcased as the musical headline act for The Women & Spirituality National Conference at MSU, with an evening concert in the MSU Ostrander Auditorium.
KFIL Radio Show Over The Back Fence, Commonweal Theatre | Lanesboro, MN
Rebecca performed several of her original songs and was interviewed as the featured musical guest.
KNUJ Radio | New Ulm, MN
Rebecca has been a musical guest and has been interviewed as a mental health consultant on several occasions.
Professional Seminars | “I’m Miserable Because of You: Undoing the Blame Game
Rebecca’s popular full-day seminar has been presented to crowds of psychologists, therapists and counselors in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, Fargo, St. Cloud and Mankato for the past 10 years. Along with her gift of humor and storytelling, Rebecca shares several of her original songs as part of the program.
Live Television Consultant | Fox 9 News
Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area: Rebecca was interviewed by Fox News anchor Heidi Collins on the nine-o’clock evening news on October 13, 2010, to provide commentary on the rescue of the Chilean Miners. Questions about the miners’ possible struggles with PTSD and the effect that “good news” has on the nation were themes.