DJ Ella does well in Canadian dance music chart

Looks like it’s time for a DJ Ella update. The Latvian singer, who back in February slipped into the French dance music charts with the video for her song “DJ Take Me,” has now done even better in Canada.

Otherwise known as Elīna Fūrmane, the Rīga-based DJ Ella this week is at No. 8 on the Toronto-based dance music cable TV channel BPM:TV. She peaked last week at No. 6.

Recording company MICREC also announced June 4 that her album Welcome to the Club is seeing increased demand outside of Latvia. It now is available for sale in both compact disc and MP3 formats through online store CD Baby. Amazon.com also supposedly carries the album, although when we checked the CD version was “temporarily out of stock,” which often seems to be code for “it’s in our catalog, but we don’t really sell it.” Surprisingly, iTunes does have the album (the link is to the U.S. store, but other iTunes stores have it, too).

Fans of her music—including U.S. blogger Poster Girl—can still get as free MP3 remix of “Shine Like a Superstar.” The remix is by Electricano (Vladimir Ivanoff), a DJ from Jelgava. Another version of the song, this time a collaboration with German pop punk and rock group Audiosmog, was just released June 12 and should soon by heard on Baltic radio stations, reports MICREC. (Audiosmog, by the way, is among bands playing during the July 25-26 Baltic Beach Party in Liepāja.)

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Vīķe-Freiberga earns honorary doctorate at York

Former Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga will receive an honorary doctorate during commencement ceremonies June 18 at York University in Toronto, the school has announced. She is one of 10 persons receiving honorary degrees during a week of convocation ceremonies at the school.

Vīķe-Freiberga was elected president of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.

Born in Latvia, she moved to Canada at the age of 16 and attended University of Toronto and McGill University. She taught psychology at the Université de Montréal until 1998.

Vīķe-Freiberga will receive her honorary degree during a Faculty of Health convocation scheduled at 4:30 p.m. June 18 at York’s Keele Campus.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.