Drew Parker performs at the Last Class Pub. (The Epoch Times)

TORONTO—For Canadian singer/songwriter Drew Parker, making bright, uplifting music has become somewhat of a mission. With its refreshing lyrics and catchy songs, Parker’s debut album On My Way Home is already gaining an international following.

“The whole concept of the album is acoustic pop rock with a positive vibe. I want to make people feel good, give them hope, and make them forget about their worries,” Parker said.

Since the launch of his album in 2009, Parker’s songs have been getting air time on several radio stations in North America. He has also performed at various venues, including fundraisers and human rights events. Last year, the album made it past the first cut of the Grammy nominations—a feat for an indie musician.

Parker’s manager, Hugo Doucet, commented on the response to his musical journey. “It’s been absolutely fantastic. Drew leaves an impression on people after seeing him perform. If people watch him once, they still remember him a year after.”

This weekend, Parker launched the video for his single Christine, which made its international debut at hundreds of online sites and music retailers, including iTunes, YouTube, CinemaNow, Sprint, Bell, Verizon, Nokia, and Amazon.

The song, dedicated to Christine, his wife of seven years, won Best Folk at the Barrie New Music Festival.

Christine, who is also featured in the video, admitted the song made her feel “very special.”

“It’s a wonderful song about dedicated love,” she said. “It’s about our marriage, a marriage that will last forever. He’s a wonderful husband. If I could make music, I would write him a song in return.”

On My Way Home includes an upbeat piece called Something Bright, reflective pieces such as Forgiveness and Nothing’s the End of the World, and a playful number called Sticky Rice that tells of his experiences traveling around the world as a child.

“I think Drew’s music is very special. It has this unique positive vibe that a lot of today’s musicians lack,” said Malury Ibernon of Ingenious Records who produced Parker’s album.

“If you’re down, it brings you up,” said Ibernon, who feels a special connection to the project.

“He puts forward a desire to do good things through his music,” added Doucet. “Like his song Mother China, which talks about the persecution of Falun Gong. I think that this is something that touches people." Falun Gong is a peaceful meditation practice severely persecuted by the communist regime in China. The persecution has been condemned by governments and human rights organizations around the world.

Friday’s launch took place at Georgian College, in Barrie, Ontario where scenes of the video were filmed. Students from the college were also featured in the video, one of whom was Tyler Rodgers, who attended on Friday. Rogers said he was excited to be featured in the video and that he identified with the song.

“At the time, I’d been going with a girl and she lived about four hours away, and the song resonated with me,” he said.

The evening included a special performance by Parker and musician Grant Boyer who opened with acoustic folk rock renditions from his self-titled album. This is Boyer’s solo debut; he is also part of the rock band Entropy, and teaches guitar at the Modern Conservatory of Music.

Documentary maker Aaron Goldman, best known for his Canadian aboriginal music series Rez Bluez, was there to film the performance. Goldman is working on a musical feature about Parker.

“The songs are well produced,” he said. “[Drew] is bridging the gap between pop music and folk music.” The album is very positive in terms of message, but it also has the potential to do well in a popular market, explained Goldman.

Visit www.drewparker.com to learn more about Drew and to watch his new video Christine.