Luke Austin

Luke Austin found his way to the stage by way of a love of music and a desire to express himself. "I have always felt like I was best at manifesting my feelings and thoughts through writing songs," says the Toronto native.

Backed by longtime friends Kennedy Pollard, Bryan Swartz and Mike Ferguson, the singer/songwriter’s alternative sound is highlighted by hints of classic rock reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen and Kings of Leon.

"I write real songs for real people," explains Luke. "It's a shame these days to hear so little emotional connection from artists to the songs they are singing. That's one reason my goal as a writer and performer is to connect with people and to write songs that are honest and real.” A couple of heavy hitters on both sides of the border heard that in Luke’s music and were eager to help the young musician.

His first record in 2012 was produced by Grammy-nominated and five-time Juno Award winner Michael Hansen, who discovered Luke after a demo recording was passed along from some of Luke's friends to Hansen. Luke’s current record was produced in Nashville by Grammy Award-winner Vance Powell (Kings of Leon, Jack White), who is also an engineer from the world famous Sputnik Sound.

The first song off of the new project, “Long Road Home,” found immediate success with fans on streaming services such as Spotify and Rdio, where Luke was the third most streamed song in Canada, just trailing superstar acts Ed Sheeran and Trey Songz.

"The story behind 'Long Road Home' is an interesting one," says Luke. "I was on a cross-country train tour sponsored by VIA Rail Canada performing for the passengers. When I wasn't singing I was watching the landscape pass by to the beat of the wheels on the tracks and from that 'Long Road Home' was born.”

Luke is currently writing and recording new music while touring through the summer.