Raine Maida, lead singer of Our Lady Peace, has worked with Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Carrie Underwood, Hilary Duff, David Cook... and while his millions of albums are selling, he busks in the streets of Toronto.  Well ok, they got more than a few quarters busking.  They raised $30 000 busking for a school in The Democratic Republic of Congo. When not dedicating himself to good causes, Raine and his gorgeous, amazingly talented, sweet wife Chantal Kreviazuk are busy raising three little boys while recording their new albums in their home studio.

It's a pleasure to have Raine Maida as our guest on The Global Townhall today.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Raine one of your biggest fans on Twitter was selected to ask you a "Twestion."   This question came from Angela from Saskatoon, SK Twitter page SumGurl07 :

Angela: 4 years after the Healthy in Paranoid Times Album.... Our Lady Peace (OLP) is back with a new album "Burn Burn".  It has been said OLP didn't break up or really take a break, but in 2007 "you" (Raine Maida) went on to go solo and produce an album called "The Hunter's Lullaby."  What made you decide to go ahead and make a solo album and will "you" (Raine Maida) make another in the near future?

Raine Maida: We did take a break, but never broke up.  The Hunters Lullaby was something I had wanted to do for a while. The circumstances surrounding the HEALTHY IN PARANOID TIMES record gave me an opportunity to record and release it. I'm planning to record the next solo record at the end of this year. We will also be working on new OLP quite soon as well.

Gabrielle Reilly:  How did you evolve into song writing, where do you draw your inspiration and what process do you use to write?

Raine Maida: Songwriting for me starts with words.   Some sort of life experience to draw from, otherwise there's no point in writing a song.

Gabrielle Reilly:  When did you start singing and did you have singing lessons?

Raine Maida: I've had a few singing lessons over the years.  Singing was the natural extension for me as someone who wanted to express themselves through poems/lyrics.



Gabrielle Reilly:  Where did the name "Raine" come from?

Raine Maida: Micheal Raine Anthony Maida. 



Gabrielle Reilly:  Your children won the genetic gene pool being born to two such incredibly talented parents. not to mention your both so beautiful/handsome to look at.  Do your children show any signs on being as passionate about music as their parents?  Do you plan on piano/singing/music lessons for them?

Raine Maida: Our children have full access to our studio and every instrument under the sun.  They love singing and playing drums, and I'm happy that they will have music as a release.  Whether they choose to do it as a profession or not, it will be vital to their creative existence and much cheaper than prozac.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Congratulations on your wife Chantal Kreviazuk and you winning the Tiffany Mark Awards.  Can you tell us about the charities you support and what you have been doing to support them?

Raine Maida: Thank you, although it is slightly surreal to accept such an award. We support a variety of charitable foundations and NGO's.  Warchild is one we have dedicated a lot of time and energy to and are very proud of.  We traveled to Iraq, Darfur and Ethiopia with Warchild over the past 10 years and have also helped build a few schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Warchild programs around the world are incredibly important and empowering for youth living in conflict zones. 

Gabrielle Reilly:  What words of advice/words of wisdom/ quote would you like to share with our readers to improve their own lives?

Raine Maida: The greatest challenge for someone living a charmed life as most of us do in the western world is taking that first step.  From volunteering in a soup kitchen to traveling overseas, the value in becoming truly connected with the planet on this type of level balances your life.  It's enriched mine beyond measure.

Photo Credit: Dustin Rabin