Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, New Music Friday

Love at First Listen with Mariya Stokes

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Mariya Stokes Interview Love at First Listen 2025

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

Mood rings can reveal a lot about a person and their emotions. For Calgary-based singer-songwriter Mariya Stokes, her candid country storytelling is where she wholly embraces introspective reflection and outward vulnerability. For her debut album, she knew she had a lot to say—not to mention she had more than five years’ worth of music to sort through. All of those songs and stories and their respective emotions couldn’t fit neatly in one box. Going through the process of trying to convey one narrative, she tells us, “It’s like radical self-acceptance and being aware that we all have moods, they pass, some of them stick around, but it’s this universal human experience, this spectrum of emotion.” As it turns out, ‘Mood Ring’ is the perfect representation—and title—for a record (out today, May 23) introducing a powerful artist to the world in her most authentic, fully-fledged form.

In this edition of Love at First Listen, Mariya fills us in on the deeper story behind her debut album title, what her personal mood ring says about her release day emotions, and where you can shop her effortlessly cool retro aesthetic.

How do you think ‘Mood Ring’ as a title encapsulates your debut album?

This record is rooted in country music; all the songs were written basically with three chords and the truth. When we went into the studio and started to record them, I really wanted to serve each song for what it was, and that meant sometimes bending outside the country genre a little bit. So, there’s a little bit of jazz influence and a little bit of pop influence, and even a few little rocky moments. [The album is] about just diving into who you are as a person. … So, to capture the colour changes on the music side as well as the emotional side, ‘Mood Ring’ just seemed like the perfect title. It was actually my manager who came up with it. We were throwing around ideas to capture what this whole project was and she popped out, “Mood ring.” I was like, “That’s what it is.”

If we look at your real-life mood ring right now, what colour and mood is it showing heading into release day?

Okay, I don’t know if this is a good thing. Right now, it’s dark blue, which could be either deeply calm or a little bit emotionally unsettled and anxious. I think that I am simultaneously both these things about the record because I’m just so excited for it to come out and also a little nervous, but nervous excitement. [The album is] about accepting [everything], so I accept the state that I’m in.

Earlier this year, around the announcement of the album, you shared the singles “Fuck Pretty” and “Biggest Fan.” How do you balance teasing such a monumental body of work with not giving too much away about the music?

The record is 14 songs, so seven of those songs have been released and there’s going to be seven new ones. We actually decided to include some of my earlier single releases as well; “Hands On My Body,” which was my very first single, is on it, along with “Christmas, Arizona.” We decided to include them because they laid the foundation for where we are now in this record and who I am as an artist, and they fit the moods.

For the seven new songs that people will hear for the first time, how would you compare and contrast the sound of those against what fans have already heard?

I worked with two different teams on the music side, but Justin Kudding, who’s one of the producers, played bass on every single song on the record, and Spencer Cheyne, who was also one of the producers, mixed every single song. Also, they were all mastered by Brock McFarlane [at] CPS Mastering. So, sonically, while the instrumentation and some of the colours are a little bit different, it’s going to be a surprise, but it’s going to make sense.

In terms of live shows, a hometown Calgary crowd will have a chance to celebrate ‘Mood Ring’ with you on May 30. Are there any tracks you’re particularly excited to bring to life on stage, perhaps for the first time?

There’s a new song on the record called “Taken” that’s very bass heavy and, it’s going to sound so silly, but it almost has a sonic quality like “Pony” by Ginuwine! It’s fun because when we arranged it, it’s quite bass heavy, and we put a ton of electric guitar on it for the live version. It’s freaking rock, man. It feels really good.

You joke about writing (mostly) country songs and unapologetically stealing grandmas’ clothes. How do you think your retro style complements your sound and helps transport you into the worlds of these tracks as you perform them live?

I think a big part of the experience … is the music but also the visual experience as well, and so I lean really heavily into that nostalgic 1970s thing. I also just love bell bottoms. And let’s be honest, some of our grandmas had really incredible style—I know mine did. So, I find it really exciting and inspiring to put together an outfit that almost lets me get outside of myself a little bit and put on the songs, if that makes sense. It allows me to let go of me personally and go into … that space that I need to be in to be super vulnerable or excited or fun and create a space for the audience to have an experience. The clothes are a big part of that transformation.

We’re not about gatekeeping here, so indulge us: What are some of your go-to stores for building and maintaining your retro aesthetic? (We’ll shop them for ‘Mood Ring’ concert ‘fits!)

Roadrunner Vintage in Calgary, Alberta is really awesome. I also work with a stylist; her name is Lorelle Holmes. I’m from a tiny town about an hour south of Calgary called Stavely, Alberta, and [we] went to junior high together. She ended up going down to the States to get her degree and then came back and messaged me. I was like, this is wild that this girl that I went to school with is kicking butt as a designer and stylist, so a lot of the pieces she makes for me as well. She has an online store, L House Atelier, and a lot of her pieces are also on her online store. Indi City is another fantastic [one]. They make earrings that are shiny and huge and beautiful. I’m [currently] wearing Coal Camp Collective [jewelry]. They’re based out of Sundre, Alberta, and they’re all handmade.

I try to shop local as much as I can and from small boutiques but I’m sure, regardless of whoever is listening or reading, wherever their city is, just go to the vintage stores. There’s always a scene.

Coming up this summer, you’ll be returning to the Nashville North stage at the Calgary Stampede. How excited are you to be back there, and can you tease anywhere else fans might be able to hear their new favourite tracks live?

I actually was just going through some video content that was taken from the first year that I did Nashville North … in 2021. It was right after everything had been locked down, and it was the biggest crowd I’d ever performed in front of. There’s a moment after I got off stage, after our second show, where I literally lost it. I just started to cry because it was so overwhelming being in front of people and being able to share space with people and share music again. So, that one’s always really special. It’s a big crowd, the energy is wild, and I’m really excited to be back.

We’re doing some other stuff too. I’m playing Folk on the Rocks in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories for the first time this year. It’s funny – we just announced that one and a bunch of my artist friends reached out and said the catering is incredible and it’s such a cool time of year to visit up north. So, I’m really looking forward to that. Then, we’re going to Better than Fred’s in Grand Prairie, which is going to be a blast, [and] going out to Kelowna and doing a show with an artist named Ben Klick out there. Regardless of where you are in Western Canada, we’re trying to hit as much as we can and visit as many people as possible. Stay tuned on my website, mariyastokes.com, because announcements are coming and I can’t wait.

Considering that you’ve been writing, recording, and releasing music for more than five years ahead of this debut album, do you have any message to send to fans who have been following you since day one and anyone joining the family now?

To the fans that have been around for a while, thanks for sticking around. Thanks for being here, thanks for making this album possible. I can’t wait to see you at all the shows this summer. And for anybody new who’s joining, welcome. It’s going to get weird. We like to feel all our feelings, and I hope that you show up exactly as who you are. Don’t be a dick—that’s the only rule—and just be kind to everybody, and it’s going to be a blast.

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Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, New Music Friday

Love at First Listen (Round Two) with Fionn

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Fionn Interview Love at First Listen 2025

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

If you are a fan of The Veronicas or The Beaches and have Lola Young and The Last Dinner Party on your playlist, Fionn just might be your next obsession. Since we first introduced you to the Vancouver alt-rock duo (or, as they put it, “your new fave femme-rage girlband”), twin sisters Alanna and Brianne Finn-Morris have kept fans fed with a string of high-energy singles: a song for the girlies who experience sufficient amounts of wrath on the daily (“BLOW”), one for situationships (“Bad at Being Casual”) and another for walking red flags (“Snake Behavior”), and their latest embodying quarter-life crisis core (“Banshee”).

Catching up with Fionn at the first-ever Departure Festival in Toronto, the twin sisters dished on ‘departing’ from their past releases ahead of their upcoming album, writing the battle cry song of their dreams, and crafting their perfect pre-show routine.

Twin sisters performing on a stage with guitars in hand.
Fionn performing at Rivoli in Toronto during Departure Festival 2025. (Photo credit: Angela McLean/Love at First Listen)

As we chat here at Departure Festival, how does it feel to be bringing your new music and fan favourites to first-time and repeat audiences?

Alanna: Any time we get to play in Ontario, it’s so fun, it’s so different, and the audiences have a great buzz to them.

Brianne: Especially during a festival time like this, people are really excited to see different musicians coming in from out of town, so it’s exciting all around.

Our Love at First Listen community met you when we chatted in 2023 following the release of your third album, ‘I Might Start Smoking.’ Fill us in on what you’ve been up to!

Brianne: We’ve been on tour a couple times since then, but most recently we opened for JJ Wilde across Canada, which was a super cool opportunity. We have also been working towards a new album that we think is coming out in the fall.

For your latest singles, how would you say they are a ‘departure’ from your past releases, and how will that sonic evolution keep unveiling itself?

Alanna: I personally went through a bad breakup before writing this record, so I feel like there’s a bit more anger and angst in the next one. We’re rocking it up a bit more.

Brianne: It’s a little bit more ragey, but I also think that there are a lot of similarities to the old records as well so it’s not too far off our path. We’re really proud of it and we’re really excited to put it out.

Your newest single, “Banshee,” is a femme-rock battle cry. What inspired it, and what have been some of your personal F the Patriarchy / battle cry / empowerment songs?

Brianne: I had always wanted to write a song called “Banshee” and then write a melody that sounds like a banshee’s cry. It sort of came to me with my fear of aging that I feel like is really put on women’s shoulders in society, which I kind of came to the conclusion is at the end of the day a fear of death, a fear of lack of control… So, it kind of has themes of all that. And the banshee is like the symbol of death, like that anxiety that’s screaming on your shoulders and that’s making you freeze or just feel really anxious about the future.

Alanna: I’m still trying to come to terms with my own mortality (laughs), but maybe if we sing the song enough, I’ll realize I’m not immortal!

Brianne: I love “Troy” by Sinead O’Connor. … I don’t know if it’s specifically about the patriarchy, but it’s definitely a battle cry sort of song for me.

Alanna: For me, recently I’ve gotten into Amyl and The Sniffers and I can’t think of a specific song that would be my battle cry, but I think [with] that whole new record, anytime I’m feeling angsty about the patriarchy, I’ll throw [it] on and it usually does the trick.

Do you have any pre-show rituals or anything you make sure to keep in your day-of-show routine?

Alanna: I wish we had a cool one. I don’t know.

Brianne: I just try and stay as chill as possible because I think I can get a bit in my head sometimes about all the logistics of everything. … Usually we forget to write our setlist down, so we’re backstage scribbling. Some people show up to the show with a printed out lovely setlist. Ours is usually hand scribbled 10 minutes before.

Alanna: Who has a printer these days? That’s what I’m wondering. [Also,] maybe just coffee, but I feel like … that’s a life thing! If I don’t have a coffee, if I don’t have a good meal before performing, I think that that’s a big thing for me. I hate going on stage hungry.

Do you have a go-to post-show snack?

Alanna: Probably something really bad for me honestly… because usually it’s late when we finish but I do want a snack. So, probably chicken nuggets.

Given that you’re twin sisters writing and recording music and touring together, what’s one thing you’ve learned about each other that you don’t think you would’ve realized pursuing another career path?

Alanna: We spend an obscene amount of time together, so maybe we’ve gotten to know each other better than most twins.

Brianne: I’ve learned that Alanna really hates doing her hair. She complains about it every single time.

Alanna: It’s too annoying. I don’t like having the arm over my head too long. I’m a baby.

If you were putting together your own future festival showcase, with Fionn headlining, who are some fellow artists that you’ve loved at first listen that you’d invite to share the stage?

Alanna: Ooh… I would say Molly Anelle. She’s a Vancouver artist.

Brianne: Madisyn Gifford. She’s also a fellow 604 artist. Vox Rea, too. They’re from Vancouver and also on our label, but they’re sisters as well and they’re amazing. I could keep going on… Tegan and Sara. I love them.

Coming up this summer, you’ve already announced shows in British Columbia and at Riverfest Elora. Where can people find you online to request a show near them, and is there anything you can add about projects in the pipeline?

Brianne: Follow us on Instagram @fionnband. That’s where we put all of our info. We’re just very excited to put out some new music and hopefully we’ll be touring in your city soon because we’d love to see you!

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Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, Music Monday

Love at First Listen with Chevy Beaulieu

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Chevy Beaulieu Interview Love at First Listen 2025

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

With the release of his 604 Records label debut (home to Canadian mainstays like Marianas Trench and Carly Rae Jepsen), breakout Indigenous artist Chevy Beaulieu poses a lighthearted but equally aspirational question: “Where’s the fun in life without a little adventure?” For Chevy, life, and his artistic evolution, have been exactly that. Based in Airdrie, AB, he comes to the Canadian country scene with deep musical roots from his father—a three-time Canadian fiddle champion—and their family band. But as he tells Love at First Listen, he took his time (close to 15 years, in fact) cutting his teeth, broadening his influences, and refining his craft. The result: “If We Want To,” a high-energy, feel-good, country festival-ready anthem about embracing spontaneity and living life to its fullest.

To celebrate the single’s success, we caught up with Chevy to talk about achieving bucket list dreams, “aha!” moments, and becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable.

You recently returned from all the JUNO celebrations out in Vancouver. How was it getting to perform at the JUNO Block Party and mingle with the Canadian music community?

It was my first JUNOs weekend and it was wild. I knew all the other artists that were on the block party; they are all labelmates. So, for that day, it was nice to perform and show people what I can do, and not a lot of them have seen me play live. It was also nice to play some of my newer songs that are not out yet.

“If We Want To” is receiving major fan love, it’s the trending track at Stingray New Country, and it’s on top of all the Breakthrough Country playlists—not to mention it cracked top 40 at Canadian country radio. What has been the best part of all this great reception to the song?

It’s nice to see. I put a lot of hard work into this. The music is rewarding on its own—like it makes me feel happy—but just to get a little bit of recognition, I don’t care what anybody says, it’s a really good feeling. I was really stoked when I first broke top 50. When I was in Vancouver [for the JUNOs], someone from my team was like, “You’re about to check something off your bucket list.” Now [I’ve] broke top 40, which is pretty wild to think about because there [are] so many great artists in this country, and I’m just really grateful.

And it’s still going up and up! We’re expecting top 30, top 20… it’s fantastic. With “If We Want To” being your label debut, how did you decide that this song was the right one to kick off a new era in your musical journey?

We had a handful of my songs that I was already recording, and then I had a handful of songs that were pitched to me, and this was one of the pitches. Not very many artists admit that [their music] was written by somebody else, but I like to give recognition to the songwriters because a good song is not good without good songwriters. Big shout out to my producer, Bart McKay. He’s helped me out a lot with finding my sound.

You’ve said this song is different from what you’ve released before, but still “you.” Can you elaborate on that? What about this song when you were pitched it resonated with you?

I like the whole premise of the story—you can do whatever you want, we can do whatever we want, if we want to. … [I]f it doesn’t work out, you can always go home. That’s what my parents always told me; my dad said, “I bought this house so my kids will always have a place to be, and if you want to go off and do your own thing, you can always come home.” I’m very grateful for my immediate family. They are my biggest supporters and I miss them every day, but I can’t quit now—not until I get bigger. It’s kind of a pipe dream, but I would really like to retire my mom one day.

How would you describe your sound?

I call myself and my music Heinz 57, so like 57 varieties. I’m a little Scottish, a little French, a little Cree, a little Chippewa, and my last name is huge. It’s all the way from the east to the west, and I have a lot of stories, lots of family and history. But going back to the music part, my music is a mixture of everything; almost every sub-genre of country besides rap. I take lots from rock and roll, Honky Tonk music, and outlaw. I grew up on Merle Haggard and Keith Whitley, and I listened to a lot of bands like Default when Dallas Smith was still doing his rock band and Nickelback. Now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Dwight Yoakam, Koe Wetzel, and pop artists as well. It’s just all over the place. So, I have one or two poppier songs on this record that I’m working on, rock and roll tunes, outlaw tunes, Honky Tonk tunes, and I can go on and on about it.

Given all the music in your life, did you always know you wanted to be a musician or did it take some time to lock in?

It took a while. I started picking up guitar when I was younger, played bass on my dad’s first record when I was 12 or 13, and then didn’t do anything with it. Around 15 years old, I got my first guitar, a Heart Attack Mini G series, which was the most indestructible guitar I’ve ever seen. I dropped that thing like crazy, and around then I started writing poetry and learning covers. I was about 18 years old in the summer of 2012 when I got to open for Shane Yellowbird, and that was kind of my “aha!” moment. It was really sad when he left this earth, but he showed us that we can compete, we can play, and we can put music out at the same level as everybody else. There are not very many role models for young Indigenous boys that had the same impact as that guy, and it showed they gave a lot of kids hope, and I was one of them. Shane got on stage after me and I told him, and I told myself, “I can do that.” Ever since then, I’ve been pushing towards it.

You talk about how an artist like that can impact your life. What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received that you could pass along to the next generation of country artists?

Don’t give up. You may sound like crap now, which I did in the early years. … I was listening to some of my old videos I put out. My voice was weak, I was out of key, but you eventually find your sound. It took me until about 2016 to first start finding my voice. And even then, I’m still finding my voice. I love country music; I’m a country artist. I grew up on this stuff, but … [m]aybe down the road I want to do a rock record, maybe down the road I want to do a pop record or go sing the hook on some rap song. I don’t know. Who knows? … You don’t have to put a label on most music anymore.

You mentioned that you’re working on an upcoming project, so what can you tease for the year ahead? Are we looking at an EP, an album…?

I have 12 songs on the go. Like I said, just like myself, [there’s] a little bit for everyone, and different subgenres of music, but somehow it all fits together. I was really happy with that because, honestly, nobody’s harder on yourself than yourself. I was worried that it wasn’t going to meld, and then I was listening to it and it moves, it’s cohesive, and I was pleasantly surprised. I have a new song coming out here in the next couple months and a music video to follow for it that I shot last time I was in Van. That’s about as much as I can talk about. But I have 12 songs on the go—lots of party tunes, lots of two-stepping songs, and a couple of crying songs.

We’re heading into the summer concert season, and the first time we heard “If We Want To,” we thought, “Get us into the field at a festival immediately!” Do you have any performances coming up that you can highlight?

I have a couple acoustic shows. I do a few parties during [Calgary] Stampede, but I’m just focusing on the single right now and getting all my interviews done—all the stuff that I was very uncomfortable with before, but I’m slowly getting better at.

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Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, New Music Friday

Love at First Listen with Riley Taylor

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Riley Taylor Interview Love at First Listen 2025

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

Whether headlining a show or touring with the likes of Kip Moore, Sacha, and Owen Riegling, Riley Taylor and his band approach every performance with the same attitude: be loud, proud, and always jam. With a 30-track debut album released earlier this month (April 18) fusing multiple influences and narratives, that’s an easy—and extremely fun—task. ‘Story to Tell,’ out now on Honky Tonk Record Co, is primed to fill every country playlist with its blend of bar songs, country storytelling, and celebrations of life, love, and everything in between. Soon, you will catch Riley on his Small Town Hometowns acoustic tour across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario or opening for Cooper Alan. Don’t see your city? More dates are already in the works (details on that below!).

Just before hitting the stage at his packed album release show at Rivoli in Toronto, Riley dished on making his album as relatable as possible, calming down to the sounds of Matchbox Twenty, and returning to play his favourite festivals.

With 30 tracks and an hour and 44-minute runtime, there are certainly multiple stories to be told on ‘Story to Tell.’ Can you describe the process of pulling these 30 tracks and stories together?

Especially with it being a debut album, [I] kind of have my whole life to choose from as far as what we want to focus on [with life] moments [and] certain things. I think we chose pretty well a lot of things that would encompass what has made me who I am today. And I think as far as what I would be curious to know from the fans’ perspective is, which one of these songs relate[s] to your story? I think we wanted to make a lot of it as relatable as possible.

With this album release show being your first big headlining performance and celebration of the project, are there any tracks you’re especially excited to share with fans live?

The first one that always comes to mind is “Fucked Up.” My grandmother wasn’t very happy with that title, but that one really stands out to me because I’m proud of it as a songwriter. It comes from a dark place, but there is a sense of optimism about it. And I think it translates well because I also think everybody’s felt at least some of what’s in there at one point or another. Outside of that, I adore “Off the Liquor.” It’s just a big, loud, fun energy song. I also like a lot of the old, more traditional sounding stuff that we recorded too. That was all done in an old school way with live recordings off the floor and it was a cool process.

Boots and Hearts Music Festival plays a big part in your story, with you winning their Emerging Artist Showcase in 2021. How did it propel you to go all in on music, ultimately bringing us here today?

Yeah, that was a really crazy, validating point where I wasn’t sure I could do this or if it was worth pursuing because I didn’t feel good enough. So, it meant a lot to me, and it was very eye-opening in the fact that these people know [the industry] and they thought there was something there. So, I’m still trying to find “it,” and I kind of hope I never do. I hope I’m always kind of chasing whatever that is.

When you talk about sources of validation like that, what is one of the best pieces of advice that you’ve received along your musical journey that you can pass along to the next gen of artists?

Just keep your head up and be kind. It doesn’t cost anything, and in this business, there are not a lot of things that don’t cost anything. And ironically, that tends to lead to more opportunities than not. Some people will throw you a bone just based on the fact they like you. So, I think that’s really important, along with just caring about the craft of it—putting your time into your songs and making sure that you know your stuff. And try to have fun along the way.

An artist, Riley Taylor, stands centre stage singing into the microphone on stage at Rivoli in Toronto.
Riley Taylor performing on stage at his ‘Story to Tell’ album release party held at Rivoli in Toronto on April 22, 2025: “I never thought I’d have an album—let alone a release party.” (Photo credit: Angela McLean/Love at First Listen)

You first released one of the tracks on ‘Story to Tell,’ “Good Things,” as part of the Boots and Hearts contest, but have since reimagined it with more drawl and personality. What inspired you to revisit and revamp it?

I’m glad you asked that. I don’t want to be misunderstood—I didn’t redo it because I hated the original. I still love the original, and it will always be special to me. I just always wondered [how it would sound] if we had a different style of production that was more twangy and rootsy. The first time we tackled it, the song had more of a pop production. I’ll always love the original, but the way we redid it made it easier to deliver live as well. It almost sounds like it’s live in the recording. That’s what I wanted to re-imagine, while keeping it true to the original.

On the album, you also cover three songs: The Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers,” Matchbox Twenty’s “3AM,” and Live’s “Lightning Crashes.” What about each of those songs resonates with you and led to them needing to be part of this project?

All three of those songs were just clear [studio] cuts. We played around with a few, but “3AM” was probably the one that’s nearest and dearest to me. Growing up in Alberta, my mom had this Matchbox Twenty CD, and I was a colicky baby. So, I don’t remember, but allegedly whenever “3AM” would come on, no matter if I was in a fit or if I was being bad or a little brat, I’d go right to sleep. When I got older and I started playing [music], I was looking at easy three-chord songs to play on guitar and that one came up, and I knew all the words. I was pumped up because it was the first one that I could play and sing at the same time, so I was like, “Mom, you’ve got to check this out!” She was blown away because I didn’t know that story about when I was a baby.

The other two, to be honest with you, are songs that I just love inexplicably. Something about them is so cool, and they just make me feel a certain way. So, when we were looking at songs that would be cool to cover, they stood out. They’re also songs that I think are undervalued nowadays. It’s a fun way to recirculate them.

With this series being about the music we love at first listen, who are some of your Canadian country peers whose songs you’ve loved at first listen?

Love at first listen for me… there are so many, but “Do It Anyway” by Jade Eagleson, “Home Less” by Owen Riegling, and “Pillow Talkin’” by Tyler Joe Miller.


Riley’s newest single “Hometowns” is quickly rising on the country radio charts with airplay across Canada and major looks on streaming services.

As the summer concert and festival season fast approaches, do you have any live shows or festival performances that you can tease?

We were just looking into getting the festival season booked up. This May, I’m going to be doing an acoustic tour across Alberta. We’re calling it the Small Town Hometowns tour and it’s going to be more of a stripped back, almost singer-songwritery atmosphere where I’ll get the chance to explain how each song came to be. The goal is to get introduced to those fans and say, “If you like this, maybe I’ll be back with a big band.” There’s one festival back home that I’m doing—FundyFest in Sussex, New Brunswick—and that’s always been one of my favourite places to play. It’s always been the most responsive crowd. Then, I’m heading back to Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Prince Edward Island for the kickoff party the night before the festival starts. There are a couple others that we’re in the middle of booking right now. My message is if you like what’s going on, you like the sound, and you want me to come to your town, reach out. We’re always looking to see where the fans are and gauge where we should go to next.

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Love at First Listen with Alex Runions

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Alex Runions Interview Love at First Listen 2025

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Runions isn’t just entering a new era of music with his latest album. On ‘Above the Clouds and On the Ground,’ the Saskatoon-based artist complements a refreshed folk-pop rock sound with a wide range of new influences gleaned from life outside the industry—from sobriety to marriage and fatherhood. The result: personal triumph, along with a rekindled love for making music. Personally and sonically, this is Alex Runions 2.0. As Alex shares with us, “All that personal growth and self-reflection and change really gave me the opportunity to look back, write a little bit more, write a little deeper, and it was a form of healing for me writing this album as well.”

In this edition of Love at First Listen, Alex shares more about the stories behind the songs, finding balance somewhere between the clouds and the ground, and why this might be his last album ever.

As we celebrate the one-month anniversary of your new album ‘Above the Clouds and On the Ground,’ what have been some of the most surreal moments since release day?

It’s been great feedback. Overall, it’s a bit of a different album from my previous pop country music. This is just a little bit more eclectic, a little more Americana. The idea was to really move people, make people feel those emotions good or bad, and I’m excited that it’s getting that type of response. Some of the best things with it are releasing my first music video in close to 10 years and just getting the music out to the world. It’s also been 10 years since my last album, so I think being really proud of my new work and releasing it exactly the way I hoped has been special and surreal.

Do you think that extended break between albums gave you a chance to fully live life and sprinkle those experiences into your music?

Absolutely, 100%. Some of these songs are 10 years old or more and are so special, but I’ve had so much personal growth, especially in the last five years. I got married. I became a father. This month, it’ll be five years sober. You know, life is sure great, and there was a lot of dismal and dark times leading up to there, but that’s a lot of times where the inspiration comes from.

How did you land on the album title and what does it mean to you today?

The idea popped in my head of being up in the clouds, being in love, and being optimistic, but knowing there are also those harsh realities of the real world that we all have to live in and be a part of. That’s the darker things in life, with drinking and tough relationships. Those are the kind of things that keep you grounded, and the self-reflection part, that’s all being grounded. This album is the dichotomy between the two, and kind of living in both worlds.

You touched on it there, but there’s beauty to being above the clouds sometimes and on the ground at others. Where do you find your happy medium?

I’m a big guy on routine. I love mornings. I love simple things. I look forward to my morning coffee the night before and love working out, being active, and spending time with my daughter, family, and friends. That’s really a big thing for me—to really give myself some time and be with people I love at the same time.

Your music touches on these personal milestones, but it has also inspired a lot of professional milestones, including a top 50 Canadian radio hit and multiple Canadian Country Music Week showcases. Do any of those milestones particularly stick out to you?

One of my biggest milestones was the CCMA Songwriters’ Series Showcase in London, Ontario in 2016. It was something I aspired to get to, and I was able to live in the moment and really enjoy it for what it is. It felt like I was accepted as well. That’s one thing along the way that I think I really longed for—just some acceptance. And to be accepted into a songwriters’ community like that was a great honour for me. Another milestone would be the year that I won the Saskatchewan Country Music Association Fan’s Choice Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. The year leading up to it was my second album, and I put so much work into booking shows and playing shows and the album itself, so that was probably the most I worked through those years. Just to get the recognition, it was a long time coming, and I’m still so grateful for that.

What’s next on your professional milestone bucket list?

Just to keep playing, to keep writing more. I was kind of scared that I never would after this album was done, but I’ve already started coming up with ideas and follow-up songs and reaching out to songwriters and getting back into it. It’s a little different having a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter at home; it’s a little tougher to rehearse, and even sometimes having the mental energy, [but] I wouldn’t change it for the world.

On that note, in your Instagram post announcing the release of this album, you mentioned this might be your last full-length release. Is that still where your head’s at, or are you coming around to more new music?

I think it would be a matter of singles; maybe a three-song EP here and there. We’ll see, depending on if there’s enough songs that I’m writing in that time. But I think looking at it realistically, right now, it feels like it might be the last one.

We’ll be tuned in to your socials to see what’s planned! With this now being three albums under your belt, what three songs from your full discography best represent your sound and story right now?

I can pick one off each album and say it’s the genesis of it. My first album, I’d say “Rollercoaster.” It was a love song I wrote that was very well responded to. That got me into songwriters’ circles and into writing in Nashville. It got me linked up with the producer that I did this album with, but we did it 10 years later. The second album, I’d have to say “South of the City,” only because that was the signature track. It was a slow one where people weren’t really into it and then all of a sudden they were, and so it sort of solidified things. I had a few singles along the way that did well, but then if I’m looking at this latest album, I’d have to say “Missing Piece” is my favourite song—maybe one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written.

Great picks. As people read this interview and listen to the album, what thoughts, feelings, and emotions do you hope they’re left with? Should there be a few tears shed and some hope inspired?

I hope people see that I’m genuine in the music [and] that inspires them to go and listen to it. I encourage people to listen to the album front to back, only because then they can understand what I’ve been through, and hopefully as they’re listening to it, it touches them in a way that, when it comes to the sad songs, it gives them permission to have an ugly cry, be sad, [and] connect with those emotions. I will say, predominantly, the songs on the album are kind of sad, and one is about my dog passing away. But for me, it was a big part of my life … and I know other people are going through it as well. I’m hoping people connect with these songs in whatever way they need to.

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