All things considered, 2010 has been a big year for Nadia von Hahn. In the past eight months, she has gained both a promoter and a tour manager, recorded her first EP with noted producer Winston Hauschild (Hannah Georgas, Wanting), shot her very first music video, signed a promotion deal with Toronto’s Musebox — who have represented such notable artists as Metric, Death Cab for Cutie, and Queens of the Stone Age — and, in less than two weeks, will be embarking on a month-long national tour to promote her debut EP ‘Wait and See What Happens’. The album is a combination of cheeky retro-pop and soulful ballads that burst with emotion. Throughout each of its seven tracks she has a voice that seems just as comfortable roaring like an alt-rock lioness as it does purring like a pinup girl from a bygone age. Her observations are sharp, her lyrics occasionally cheeky, and every one of her songs overflows with a raw honesty so unexpected and fierce, you have no choice but to listen again and again.

Von Hahn, born in 100-Mile House and raised in Quesnel, BC, began her songwriting career at an early age.

“I wrote two songs at around the same time when I was in grade five,” she recalls, “one was called ‘Oh, I Wish I Were A Plant!’ The other went something like ‘Love…is a verb…a very simple word…’ and then I think I gave up on it.”

Despite such an early start (and the fact that she now regularly plays both guitar and piano onstage), von Hahn is quick to point out that her musical education is far from complete.

“I took piano lessons as a kid, but not really by choice,” she admits. “I always hated reading music because it felt too much like math. So, instead, I would get my teacher to record the pieces on tape, and then learn them by ear instead. I quit when I was twelve and my mom said I’d regret it. [...] I said I didn’t care, and now I regret it.”

Formerly a student at Victoria’s Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA), where, after recieving a Canadian Heritage Arts Scholarship, she graduated as class Valedictorian, von Hahn’s skills comprise a variety of disciplines, including classical voice, dance, and theatre. She admits that her studies at CCPA have lent something of a dramatic element to her recent work.

“I’m feeling free-er to write music that’s a little more theatrical these days — a little saucier, maybe. With what I’m writing now I’m more concerned with having fun than talking about my feelings, which is inspiring and feels more like me. I’m tired of shying away from who I really am. I’m a nice person, but I’m not that nice.”

Following graduation, von Hahn made the move to Vancouver and, after several years of performing solo at smaller, primarily acoustic venues, assembled a four-piece band (named, with tongue firmly in cheek, NADIA VON HAHN AND THE BOYTOYS). “Having a band is super-radical!” she gushes, “and I wish I had done it earlier. First of all, you can play way more places than you can as a solo act. But, more than that, it’s just more fun having other people to share the stage with. I’m still learning how to lead a band, but each time we play we get better, so that’s what’s important.”

Since their formation in March 2010, von Hahn and company have managed to play virtually every mid-sized space in town, among them The Biltmore, The Media Club and even The Bourbon, which, she admits with a puzzled grin, “strangely, has the best onstage sound ever.”

When asked her opinion of Vancouver’s music community, von Hahn’s enthusiasm is overwhelming.

“Vancouver has some crazy talent!” she exclaims, “especially the girls, like Adaline, and T. Nile. I’m also a huge fan of Chantel Upshaw — she kills it. ‘Rococode’, Laura Smith and Andrew Braun’s new project, too. They just finished recording an album with Ryan Guildemond [of ‘Mother Mother’ fame]. I got to sing a few parts on it, and it’s sounding amazing. And I’m also really happy for Yukon Blonde. They’re great guys and are pretty much taking over the world. Brandon [Scott] and I are both from Quesnel, and he was the first person I ever wrote a song with, so I’m super proud he’s doing so well.”

The tour, von Hahn’s second since July, includes dates in Toronto, Kingston, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and plenty more cities along the road. With the kickoff barely a week away, von Hahn admits to a reasonable degree of nervousness.

“I’ve never been on an extended tour like this before,” she grins, “and it’s kind of terrifying, but also really, really exciting. It feels like it’s my first chance to really craft a performance; I don’t want to just play some songs about my feelings in front of people. I want the show to be relatable and fun, and the only way to develop that is to go out and do it. So, it’s a chance to tour, but at the same time, it’s going to be kind of like going back to school.”

She sits back and reflects, “I couldn’t have done anything without the support of my family. They’ve always been awesome, whether it was sports or theatre or music. I doubt they were always comfortable with music as a career choice — which I understand because there are no guarantees — but in the last two years, they’ve just jumped onboard completely. And my friends, too, who have come out to see us play. All of that matters. For someone to do well in the arts, they have to have support from the important people in their lives. There is no other way.”

Nadia von Hahn and the Boytoys play The Media Club on October 26th.