Described as, “a multi-genre marvel,” Kellie Loder (they/them) is a JUNO Award nominated singer-songwriter who began their musical journey on the shores of Newfoundland & Labrador, lending to their unmatched songwriting prowess, and distinctive blend of folk, Americana and indie pop influences.

Loder’s highly anticipated fourth studio album, Transitions, offers a stunningly crafted masterpiece of stories of love, heartbreak and life. Produced by Cory Tetford in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, the focus track “Honey I’m Scared” came about in a writing session, where co-writer Keith Mullins shared an anecdote. “His girlfriend, Tracey, was in the next room and he proceeded to tell me that they were at Toronto’s 360 Restaurant the night before and she was really afraid of heights,” Loder shares, which inspired the song title.

“Transitions: we’re always changing, evolving, growing, learning, and becoming, where pain is always necessary and pleasure is always nice, but we must embrace both. May you stop chasing what isn’t yours and accept the love you can give yourself.” – Kellie Loder

Loder’s signature sound coupled with their magnetic stage presence has earned them notable accolades including, “Songwriter of the Year,” and “Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year” at the 2023 East Coast Music Awards, and placed as first-runner-up on Canada’s Got Talent (2022).

Tennyson King is an award-winning, nomadic, folk musician from Hong Kong and Canada with a charismatic stage personality and magnetic energy. Pairing songs written in English, Mandarin and Cantonese with kick drum, Zhongruan, electric and acoustic guitar, he captivates audiences with positivity, interactive songs, and playful stories of life on the road. He’s appeared solo from great halls to intimate theatres and brings his band to festival stages with a restorative sound that brings crowds to their feet; folk-rock infused with earthy roots, pop, and subtle psychedelic ear candy.

The first of three upcoming collaborations with notable fellow Canadian songwriters, “Where I Make My Home” is a song that highlights the recognition that home can be found within ourselves, the people we love, the strangers we meet, and in magical places we never knew we’d find. 

Written in a small Canadian mountain town by JUNO-nominated singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega and Tennyson King, the song was inspired by their experiences of life on the road – traveling from city to city, venue to venue, arriving and leaving in the dark, feeling the loneliness of a nomadic lifestyle, and battling homesickness amidst the constant unknown. Ultimately, the song reflects on finding comfort in the realization that happiness can be created wherever we choose to make our home.

“Lindi and I became friends after many hiking and snowshoeing adventures,” says Tennyson King. “We eventually wrote this song and recorded it in the house I was renting, surrounded by mountains, between our hiking adventures. We had long talks about life on the road as a touring artist, and the idea of finding home in our own happiness. I was happily calling Creston, BC, my home and ending up there, meeting Lindi was all a happy accident during my travels.”

4x JUNO Award nominated, Toronto based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is sharing the first glimpse of his upcoming new album, Pathways, the downtempo yet empathetic “Weighing Down.” Pathways will be released on September 27th.

Following his recent critically acclaimed albums, 2020’s The Ridge and 2022’s Beyond The Reservoir, Taylor considers Pathways to be centered around finding one’s happiness. “It’s about trying to find a way to simplify our lives and look for what really matters and makes us feel at home within our own hearts, soul and mind,” he explains.

Taylor wrote “Weighing Down” during a time of overwhelm over the constant pressures we face in this world, as he also grappled with navigating the heaviness of some of his own life decisions and where they had led him.

Pedal steel guitar cries against the warmth of Taylor’s vocals, coupled with acoustic guitar and drums that are intentionally barely there. The song’s backing vocals are intended to make the recording sound “warm and connected to a haunting but optimistic place in the human psyche,” Taylor details.

Mawzy is the brainchild of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Cooke. Through earnest storytelling, Mawzy lyrics capture the unnavigability of life and romance in his city, Toronto. His use of crafted melodies and lush synthesizers work together to create the trademark Mawzy sound.

“Start Again” is about giving love a second chance. The lyrics describe a day spent with a past partner, walking through the city, saying things that were never said, and reconnecting to start again. There is a shared sentiment between the two that things were never quite finished and to make things work it would require honesty and a fresh start. Sonically, this song pulls from 70’s influences like Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac, and features the vocals of Kirty (Fast Romantics). 

Long View is Mawzy’s introspective debut LP from this project and draws greatly on themes of love and loss, pulling from Cooke’s past experiences with partners and friends. There has also always been the influence of the east coast in Cooke’s music and ocean/nature imagery is a recurring motif in songs like “Forever Wild,” “Where I’m From” and “Regrets & Wonders.” Using these metaphors and personal anecdotes, the album conveys an overall sentiment that through the ups and downs of life, we can choose to see the brighter side. 

Keira Gray grew up in Red Earth Creek, Alberta before eventually moving to Faust, Alberta. She has aspired to be a singer since she was a little girl listening to Ariana Grande, Rihanna, and Christina Aguilera. Most of her time was spent teaching herself to sing their songs. 

Keira currently lives in Slave Lake, Alberta where she works as a server. When she’s not working, you can find her collaborating with other music professionals writing songs and recording music to share with the world.

Her new single, “After you,” was inspired from a personal experience that Keira has since moved on from. It was very therapeutic to express her feelings at that time and she hopes you all enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it.

The creation of meaningful art can only occur in moments of despair or triumph; there is no grey area.

iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning “blue sky woman”) is an award-winning Indigenous creator whose catalogue drips of a spectrum of emotions and is powered by resilience. Following several seasons of high highs being met with low lows, the Cree Métis artist retreated south to Mexico and inward to her soul to paint a 10-song collection that illustrates the gut-wrenching roller coaster ride that has been her recent life.

nīna, the opus of iskwē’s rebirth, is the Cree translation for “me” and was chosen as the title of her fourth solo album as an ode to the profoundly autobiographical elements. The album is the sonic manifestation of the divine feminine explored through vignettes of love, passion, anger, betrayal, and loss. 

The album’s focus track, “Exhale,” is a reassuring call to the self, as iskwē encourages herself: “Blue sky woman, it’s time for you to breathe out.” The tense yet shimmering song holds onto the vulnerability at iskwē’s core.

“I needed to remind myself that I am vibrant, that I hold life in me,” she explains of the song. 
“I am an artist, a creative, confident and soft. I needed to remind myself that I hold love in my being. It was time I remembered these pieces in me which had been dormant for some time. So now I start again, to rebloom. To be reborn. To look at myself in the mirror and exhale. It’s time for me to breathe out…”

iskwē’s collaboration with 10x Grammy nominee Damian Taylor serves as the bedrock of this LP, creating a lush and textured world of electronic pop which branches further out through Latin strings (Waiting For The Laughter) and a dreamy psychedelic sound on Top 20 Alt-Rock charting lead single “I Get High” featuring Nina Hagen.

nīna reaches into the most personal and tender crevices, opening with the artist at a point of dissolution and overwhelm (“A Little Piece”), unfolding into an exploration of the deep, visceral experience of love, through to liberating herself from those who would rather see her fail than succeed (“Sure To Come”).