Malissa Rush

Malissa Rush is a jazz vocalist and musical theatre performer based in Calgary, Alberta Canada. She performs fresh interpretations of jazz standards, adding modern nuance and a dash of soul. 

Growing up, Malissa was surrounded by music of all kinds thanks to her parents' eclectic tastes. Many hours were spent listening to everything from blues to classic rock to folk to Canadiana, especially on road trips to visit family in BC or to their family cabin at Gull Lake, AB. As she grew, she developed her own taste for R&B, hip hop, ‘90s alternative, pop and electronic dance music. It wasn't until recently that she began to nurture her love for jazz. Malissa is inspired by classics like Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, and Peggy Lee, but also by modern jazz artists such as Lady Gaga. She also takes inspiration from Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox and is working on adding her own classic jazz stylings to a few modern pop tunes. 

Malissa first discovered her love for performing when she was cast as the lead in her elementary school's production of Alice in Wonderland. From there, she dove further into musical theatre, taking part in many productions up through high school. High School was a major turning point in her life as her family was relocated from Calgary to Tyler, Texas, right before she began Grade 9. She started out in college as a theatre major, but then something changed. Her confidence faded, she shifted her focus of studies to business administration, and she all but gave up singing until her brother-in-law, Miles Durrie, saw her potential. While she was visiting Calgary one summer, he invited her to add some vocals to some songs he had written for an album he was working on. They called their project "Sally & Yellow," named after Malissa's childhood blankies, and released their EP Self-Obsessed in 2006. 

During the US banking crisis in 2009, Malissa suddenly found herself out of work. With the support of her amazing husband Jason, she began experimenting with recording at home, and soon she found herself singing with an electro-pop band in Dallas and working with some local songwriters and music producers. 

After a big move from Texas back to Calgary in 2011, and the birth of their first son in 2016, Malissa had put her musical dreams on pause again. Through her brother-in-law Miles, she was introduced to Lauren Ireland of Singsana Studio after Miles encouraged her to join their adult vocal group, The Extremities. There, Malissa found her voice again and gained the confidence to build her skills as a solo artist. She began taking vocal jazz workshops with singer Viviane Martin and performing in local jazz venues as part of Viviane's showcase productions. 

In early 2020, Malissa got the itch to get back into musical theatre and was cast in the Front Row Centre production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Unfortunately COVID-19 came along, and the production was halted. She managed to stay busy during the pandemic, working on projects with SideNote Theatre (Nutty C and the Perfect Tree, Scattered (Workshop), Read Along with SideNote). She also participated as the female lead in a workshop for Featherpen Theatre's The Gardener - A Musical. 

As Malissa and Jason welcomed their second son in 2021, she has had to take a step back from musical theatre, but she is currently singing again with The Extremities and is working on putting a jazz show together for her debut solo performance in spring of 2023. 

She hopes one day to sing with a big band and record a jazz album.