SPILL FEATURE: A STORIED CAREER REMAINS BRILLIANT WITH ‘BILLIONAIRE’, A NEW ALBUM ABOUT LOVING, LEAVING, AND NOSTALGIA – A CONVERSATION WITH KATHLEEN EDWARDS

A STORIED CAREER REMAINS BRILLIANT WITH ‘BILLIONAIRE’, A NEW ALBUM ABOUT LOVING, LEAVING, AND NOSTALGIA

A CONVERSATION WITH KATHLEEN EDWARDS

In terms of storied Canadian music careers, Kathleen Edwards has a GREAT one! From her shotgun debut in 2003, gracing stages across North America including South by Southwest and Austin City Limits, to Toronto’s infamous SARSStock stage in front of half a million people, and eventually sharing stages with megastars like Bon Iver, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan, it’s been nothing short of a wild ride for this humble and down-to-earth Ottawa songwriter whose music has always been profound and rich in substance.

Enter 2025: Edwards is on a press tour for her upcoming album Billionaire, doing the rounds of magazine interviews and radio spots, the standard fare for a touring artist. I caught up with her in downtown Toronto for a one-on-one chat to get the scoop on the new release. To put it plainly, this record is a gem, one of her best to date. It was put together with the help of U.S. country star Jason Isbell and Grammy-winning producer Gena Johnson, along with their hand-picked Nashville band. That’s a dream lineup most songwriters can only imagine. But hired talent aside, it all comes down to the songs, and Edwards hasn’t missed a single beat when it comes to her storytelling gift and ear for melody. As we’ve come to expect, these tracks brim with honesty and substance that reveal more with each listen.

When asked how the Jason Isbell connection came about, Edwards explained: “When I was writing for this project, I was also working on a covers EP. I covered Jason’s song “Travelin’ Alone” and sent it to his manager Traci [Thomas], whom I’ve known for some time. Word came back that Jason was blown away by the cover.” After some back-and-forth with Isbell’s team about the possibility of doing a record together, there was an excruciatingly long wait. When the word finally came down that Isbell’s team had accepted the project, Edwards broke into tears of joy. Soon after, Gena Johnson was added to the team (her credits include work with Dave Cobb, John Prine, and Willie Nelson), and the deal was sealed—Edwards was in very good hands.

PURCHASE/STREAM BILLIONAIRE

On the production side, you can hear the vintage glow in the air, from Edwards’s 1957 Les Paul Junior to beautiful textures laid down by Isbell and Johnson, who contributed organ, guitar, vocals, and more. Billionaire is simply a world-class album that delivers several standout songs, some powerful enough to move listeners to tears. “Little Red Ranger” is one of the most striking, telling the story of an Ontario kid who moves to Los Angeles in pursuit of the ultimate musician’s dream. “Save Your Soul” burrows deep into your psyche with its first-rate chorus and lush production, while “Little Pink Door” will leave you breathless with its simplicity and lyrical weight. Recorded in a single take, live off the floor, it captures raw magic. “We tried this song several times, but it never had the same spark as my phone demo,” Edwards added. “Gena said, ‘Jason sits there, you sit here, Jen over there—just play it live.’ That’s how we got it.” Moments like this keep the record authentic and deeply connective.

The title track “Billionaire” is another clear standout, loaded with strings, guitars, keys, and percussion showcasing the full depth of the talent in the room. Edwards brought in longtime friend Rob Moose, a world-renowned arranger and a fixture in the Bon Iver camp, to cut the string parts. “He made it beautiful,” she said. The track builds into a massive crescendo, layering more and more until it hits its emotional peak. It’s recommended listening at full volume on headphones or a big hi-fi system. Ten out of ten.

[L-R: KATHLEEN EDWARDS, ANDRE SKINNER]

In addition to the album, Edwards and longtime collaborator Ian LeFeuvre composed the soundtrack for the TIFF gala premiere, coming up on Sept. 13, of the Sarah McLachlan/Lilith Fair documentary Building a Mystery. Edwards joked: “My first question was, isn’t there already enough music in a documentary about a music festival?! Apparently not. I’m deeply humbled to have contributed to this film with my dear friend Ian.”

The road ahead looks wide open for Edwards as she reclaims her place with new music that feels as vital as ever. At 10 songs in length, Billionaire is the perfect snapshot of Edwards’s renewed creative energy. For longtime fans, it’s a sign that there’s still much more to come.

Edwards will embark on a series of performances this summer and fall, with stops in Halifax, and Burlington, ON, along with newly confirmed dates in New York City, and a return to the XPoNential Music Festival in New Jersey, among many others.

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Background Photo Credit: Kate York