Serena Ryder: Everything is 'o.k.' for Canadian singer, songwriter

She connects with you through her lyrics. She wins you over with her voice. And this Saturday night, she'll let you know just why she deserves all the hype.

Acclaimed Canadian singer Serena Ryder will take over the Pour House with singer, songwriter and label mate Matt Hires. Her show will feature songs from her current album, "Is it O.K."

"(This album has) a lot of different influences," she said. "Americana, some more straight up rock, some pop. There's also some bluesy stuff in there too."

Ryder's ability to combine multiple influences into a special sound stems from her experiences growing up.

"I got my musical influences by driving around with my dad in his truck," she said. "It was this big moving van: He was a handy man. On our drives to the different houses, we would turn on the AM radio and listen to all of oldies, from the '40s, '50s, '60s and everything."

"And then I also got into records around the time I was 12 or 13 years old, which when I first got my guitar," she continued. "I listened to The Beatles, John Kline, Supertramp and even country, like Hank Williams. It's a mesh of a lot of different styles."

Ryder continues to develop her own style with new inspiration that she encounters with everyday people.

"Everyone is different and everyone is changing all the time," she said. "I'm inspired by other people. I'm inspired by imagining what their stories are, by talking to people and finding out where they're coming from. It's nice to relate to someone else and take a break from your own life."

Perhaps this is why Ryder is so successful. Audiences connect with her music because they see themselves in it, which isn't far from the truth. Ryder returns the favor by giving fans what she hopes will be the power to be understood and happy with their own lives.

"Everyone is so different in their lives and everybody needs different things. The one thing that connects us is we want to feel understood, we want to feel love and we want to feel hope," she said.

"We have a lot of personal power in our lives and I think a lot of people underestimate themselves. My goal as an artist and performer is to give people a sense of their own power so that they can feel satisfied and full in their own lives."

Tour mate Matt Hires has become a fan of Ryder's live show, too.

"I love her sound and the way she plays live," he said. Hires, who describes himself as "alternative, folk, pop," more than holds his own with Ryder, though, with his album, "Take Us to the Start."

It includes his first and very popular single, "Honey Let me Sing you a Song."

"I wrote it about three years ago or so for my then-girlfriend and now-wife. It has a lot of meaning for that reason," he said. Hires' other favorites include "State Line" and "Out of the Dark."