Shaina Hayes unveils a live session of her song Early Riser 

Shaina Hayes, who is currently nominated for English Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, unveils a live session in which she performs the song Early Riser. The original version of the track is taken from Kindergarten Heart, her sophomore album released in February 2024 via Bonsound. The singer-songwriter’s next Montreal show will take place at the Fairmount Theater on April 19th. See the list below for all her upcoming tour dates.

This song is about missing my hometown on the east coast, and the simplicity of my early life, says Shaina about Early Riser. It is directed at a dear friend from childhood who also moved away.

In this new live session shot by Marc-André Dupaul, Shaina is accompanied solely by guitarist and frequent collaborator David Marchand, leaving much room for her delicate voice and the song’s intricate fingerpicking arrangements. Lighting and visuals were designed by Flavie Lemée.

With the release of Kindergarten Heart, Shaina Hayes garnered attention from Consequence, KCRW (NPR), The Line of Best Fit and Under the Radar, as well as an enthusiastic review in UK magazine Uncut. The album also landed on the year-end lists of Le Devoir, Radio-Canada, CISM, DOMINIONATED and Le Canal Auditif, among others. Since then, she has performed at various festivals, including FEQ, Le Festif! and Festival BleuBleu. She also opened for Elisapie and Daniel Bélanger a number of times.

Shaina Hayes’ latest album, Kindergarten Heart, is the follow-up to to coax a waltz, released independently in 2022. On both albums, the singer-songwriter worked with co-producers Francis Ledoux and David Marchand (from the band zouz). Together, the three worked to gently weave elements of nostalgia, wonder and lightheartedness into this collection of songs. The result is a sophomore album which is both whimsical and earnest, and whose soothing charm is also reflected in the record’s artwork, thanks to Lawrence Fafard’s pictures. In its final form, the album is about the act of looking back, either through an active lens to inform the current moment, or through a more passive lens, as a means of honouring one’s memories and the people they contain.

About Shaina Hayes

Raised in Shigawake, in the Gaspésie region of Québec, Shaina Hayes grew up listening to singer-songwriters like Feist, Joni Mitchell and Regina Spektor, traditional country artists like Hank Williams and Dolly Parton, and modern country stars including Shania Twain and The Chicks. After studying agricultural sciences at McGill University in Montreal, she returned to her rural hometown to record and co-produce her self-released debut album, to coax a waltz, which came out in April 2022. Following the release of her album, she started recording new songs, while also performing across Québec and opening for bands like The War on Drugs and The Barr Brothers. While she still maintains some engagement with her farming endeavours, Shaina Hayes has made the shift to devote herself fully to her music before the release of Kindergarten Heart in February 2024.

Follow Shaina Hayes : Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube

Tour dates