Ken Yates

Born and raised in London, Canada, Ken Yates has gained a reputation as one of his country’s brightest rising singer-songwriters. The winner of two Canadian Folk Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year and New Artist of the Year, Yates has spent recent years expanding his sound and touring North America and Europe. His new album Cerulean (out on Soundly Music 6/3/22) steps firmly into indie folk and alternative territories, and captures Yates at his most vulnerable. The cool-hued record was written as an intimate reckoning as he grieved his dying mother, giving listeners a vivid window into the rollercoaster of intense thoughts and emotions that accompany such a personal, yet universal experience. Yates supported Passenger on their tour across North America and in Europe in 2020, and has shared stages with Ryan McMullan, Jenn Grant, and many others. Singer-songwriter Stephanie Lambring’s new record, Autonomy, released October 23, embraces the heaviness that can sometimes exist in life, confronting hard truths and examining difficult topics through a lens of someone working to reconcile their feelings about it all. Autonomy‘s “Joy of Jesus” recently earned the number 28 position on NPR’s 100 Best Songs of 2020, with Ann Powers calling Lambring “one of Nashville’s most fearless young singer-songwriters.” Powers also named Autonomy as her Best of October pick on NPR’s All Songs Considered, noting, “What lifts these stories beyond the maudlin is Lambring’s thoughtfulness and clarity in going past the point of comfort to a place that demands the listener not just weep, but confront her own assumptions, the lies she tells herself. Speaking truth should feel uncomfortable, but ultimately freeing. And beautiful. Like this music.” Lambring has had playlist support from Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. She has also been the face of TIDAL’s Rising Folk playlist, and “Pretty” is included in the Best of Rising Folk 2020 playlist. Additionally, Rolling Stone called “Daddy’s Disappointment,” the song that sparked the writing process for the record, a Song You Need to Know and an “alt-country gem”; the track has also received spins on BBC Radio Scotland.