Barbara Bonfiglio, better known as Misstress Barbara (the misspelling is an intentional portmanteau [i.e. "miss" and "stress"]), is an Italian-born Canadian producer, DJ and singer-songwriter.[1][2] Born in Catania, Italy, she moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the age of eight and has resided in the city ever since.[2][3] She has DJed around the globe and has an extensive discography as a producer.
Career
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the Université du Québec à Montréal.[4] After drumming in bands since the age of twelve, she began DJing in 1996 and established record label Relentless in 1999.[4] In 2001 she released the mix album Relentless Beats Vol. 1 (Moonshine Records), with a second volume the following year, along with two mix albums for Trust the DJ.[5] In 2003, to avoid legal issues with a Relentless Records, UK company of the same name, she established ITURNEM. Early success includes her song "Never Could Have Your Heart" being licensed in Rockstar Games' arcade racing video game Midnight Club II. In 2006, she released the mix album Come with Me....[6]
In 2009 she released the debut artist album as a singer, I'm No Human,[7][8] which was nominated for a 2010 Juno Award for Best Dance Recording of the Year, and included the single "I'm Running", featuring fellow Montreal musician Sam Roberts. The album also features collaborations with Brazilian Girls and Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John. "I'm No Human" was born out of unhappy circumstances, sparked by the death of a close family member features Misstress Barbara step from behind the turntables in front of the microphone and was recorded in her home town of Montreal. To perform songs from the album, she created a new live band and draws from her experience in electronic music infusing it with live instruments. The live show debuted at Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal 2009, to a sold out crowd at Montreal's Club Soda. In July 2010, Misstress Barbara performed for the second year in at row at Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.
In April 2012, she released her second album Many Shades of Grey which is, unlike her first album, more of a stand-alone project, with the song "The Right Time" as the first radio single. The live show Many Shades of Grey was nominated for Best Show in "Other" Language at Quebec's ADISQ. In July 2012, she sang her single "The Right Time" at Parliament Hill during Canada Day celebrations and later in that same month she was back at Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, at La Société des Arts Technologiques (SAT), to perform her new live show Many Shades of Grey.
