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Alberta musician goes from living on streets to preparing to release debut album

Click to play video: 'Fort MacLeod’s ‘Girl Named Jake’ to release first studio album'
Fort MacLeod’s ‘Girl Named Jake’ to release first studio album
WATCH ABOVE: A Fort Macleod woman is back home after spending many years singing on cruise ships. Erik Mikkelsen caught up with the musician who is embarking on her first studio album and hoping to give back to her community – Mar 24, 2016

LETHBRIDGE – Jake Pratte, a southern Alberta musician who goes by the stage name Girl Named Jake, is taking her experience of living on the streets and using it to inspire others with her forthcoming debut album.

Pratte is back in  Lethbridge, after years of performing on cruise ships while travelling the oceans and seas.

Now, two men are helping her to set sail on a different kind of journey in April.

“While I was on board the [ship] last summer, I met a gentleman who was cruising with me and he introduced me to his business partner and they’re some pretty major producers. They’ve worked with Bon Jovi and Chicago and they really wanted to record me,” Pratte said.

After months of self doubt and worry, Pratte is finally taking them up on the offer. She has started a Kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 to cover the costs of recording.

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Pratte said part of her worry came from years of battling depression and living on the streets. But she also says she remembers the women who inspired her in a shelter.

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“I didn’t feel deserving,” Pratte said. “I didn’t think that I was worthy. I didn’t think I was all that amazing of an entertainer.”

“It took a long time – 40 years almost – for me to realize that that’s not what it’s about, and that’s not what I’m about. I’m about being able to help heal people and inspire them with my music.”

Pratte’s debut album is titled Ignition and will feature a mix of covers and original tracks. A release date has not yet been set.

Girl Named Jake will be performing at the Cotton Blossom Lounge in Lethbridge on Saturday, March 26.

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