After being pulled upon the stage at Lilith Fair as a 16-year-old by Sarah McLaughlin to sing a Bob Dylan tune, Amanda Rheaume’s life changed forever.

That day she shared the stage with McLaughlin, the Dixie Chicks and the Indigo Girls.

However the impression proved to be almost too deep, as she found herself trying to imitate the sounds of the women with whom she shared the stage. Covering songs in bars carried her only so far, and it was a matter of time before she felt comfortable singing her own stuff.

“I was trying for rock,” Rheaume remembers.

Eleven years later, Rheaume is finding her own voice. She’s finding it in the West.

“They take well to my music in the West,” Rheaume said, speaking from Texas. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

The experience has brought more of a roots feel to her music, as she’s listened to Patsy Cline and Belinda Carlyle albums while in the south. Her own music and latest record still has a Sheryl Crow feel to it, however her voice is still changing from her Alanis Morrisette days.

While this is her first trip into western Canada, Rheaume said the vibe suits her in her effort to find a new label and differentiate herself from other singer-songwriters who travel the road.

“It’s so competitive. There are so many people trying to do it. I went to Austin for South by Southwest, and it’s like MySpace in person.”

Much more mature at 27, Rheaume has played eclectic gigs in locations such as Costa Rica and Hondouras, playing for diplomats in big hotels. Those gigs were a far cry from her other international destination, which included a show in Kandahar.

“That was really emotionally intense,” Rheaume said. “There’s nothing easy about being there. But it was great going to a place where they don’t get music. It gives it a greater sense of purpose.”

The experiences and emotions have been translated into her new album, Kiss Me Back.

“The last 16 months, I’ve been a sponge,” Rheaume.

She splits her time between playing solo and band songs, evident on her latest album.

“I wanted to give something to the people. They can hear the full band production, but I wanted to focus on the songs and song writing too. It’s a dual personality disk,” Rheaume said.

Rheaume will play the De’d Dog pub on April 22.