Kathleen Edwards

The songs of Canadian singer/songwriter Kathleen Edwards describe difficult characters and situations, and she backs these folky lyrics with an alt-country sound. Born July 11, 1978 to a prominent Canadian diplomat, Edwards gravitated to music at a young age, and supported herself as a musician instead of going to college. A spot at the 2002 SXSW festival led to her being signed and releasing her debut album, 2003’s Failer, which featured the Adult Alternative number 15 hit “Six O’Clock News”. Her sophomore album Back to Me charted in the United States, and the title track matched the chart performance of “Six O’Clock News”. The album also garnered her Juno Awards nominations for Songwriter of the Year and Best Adult Alternative Album. 2008’s Asking for Flowers climbed to number 15 in Canada and 102 in the US. 2012’s Voyageur, a song cycle that chronicled a love affair, did even better, going to number 2 in her home country, and landing in the top 40 in America on the strength of the Adult Alternative hit “Change the Sheets”. Feeling burned out, Edwards moved back to Canada and opened a coffee shop called Quitters. She returned in 2020 with “Options Open”, another Adult Alternative top 40 hit in the US, as well as the album Total Freedom.