Neal Pinto was born in Winnipeg, Canada to immigrant parents that had a love for music in their blood. Yet he spent his childhood in search of encouragement, his teenage years in search of recognition, and now he attempts adulthood in search of explanations - all along, his only resolve and release being the ability to create music.

The journey saw him contribute to many bands on Winnipeg's independent scene in many roles over many genres until he finally stepped out with an acoustic guitar as a solo singer/songwriter. After many experiences and various phases of writing, he recorded a collection of quirky apartment demos - which then developed into Neal’s début release – “21:21”.

Despite being a concise EP, it's the kind of record you never really knew you were looking for. It's something true to everyone, without ever betraying its own unique characteristics. It demonstrates an unusual ability for an artist to be on the same level as everyone, without seeming to borrow from anyone, and still sounding like someone we know. And it is not because of plainly worn influences, but rather because it sounds like our own feelings.

“I have always believed that, although we often feel like we live in different worlds, we can step into each others’ worlds and find ourselves. On the surface, this disc may seem like a collection of break-up songs but I’ve said much more than that. All I wanted to do was express various feelings of my own and hope I’m not alone.”

It only takes 21 minutes and 21 seconds to be taken from the moody opening of “Diapason (Because Of You)”, through the underlying social metaphor of upbeat “Lying”, to a poignant conclusion in "Over:Closure". The music of 21:21 moves in symmetry to the ebb and flow of genuine human feeling. Each song has its own unique quality, but something under the surface lingers to remind us of our own lives in a way.

Commenting on his approach to pop music, Neal says “I am a huge fan of modern singer/songwriters like Ben Harper and Duncan Sheik, as well as legendary artists like Bob Marley and Peter Gabriel. I enjoy many bands from Radiohead to The Roots, from The Pixies to Porcupine Tree. I’m sure that they’ve all contributed to my sound, even in subtle ways, from song to song.”

Beyond his own world, Neal has lent his abilities as a live & session musician for various homegrown independent and major-label artists such as Chantal Kreviazuk (Sony), Fascade@137db, Luke McMaster (Universal), Pushing Daisies and Vav Jungle. He also works as a composer/producer and songwriter for other artists such as prairie soul sensation FLO, filmmaker Reil Munro, Bollywood hip-hopper Sunil "IshQ" Bector and others.

Despite those many diverse ventures, Neal is always drawn back to the stage at the end of the day, with a guitar in his hand or sitting at an electric-piano - all by himself or backed with a band.

"I've rediscovered my voice and I'm finally ready to share it with the world".