New Brunswick’s Kylie Fox has been writing and singing songs for as long as she can remember. Both her parents loved to perform at parties, and she took that energy and ran with it. The literal lifetime of honing her craft is evident on Sequoia, a playful album that incorporates folk, jazz, and — most importantly — a newfound sense of self-worth. Fox tells us more about the inspirations behind her album below, and you can listen to the whole thing exclusively here on Adobe & Teardrops. Sequoia will be available everywhere else tomorrow, Friday the 13th.
I heard that a sequoia tree was on fire on CBC Radio. The story was about how firefighters worked through the night to try to protect a sequoia tree from a forest fire in California. It made me think about how humans adore old, beautiful things and will go way out of our way to protect them, like Notre Dame. I thought about how we preserve a lot of these efforts for when something is compromised, like our health, a loved one, our environment, our forest. I wrote the song “Sequoia” that week, about taking things for granted. I connect taking our trees for granted to taking my town and community, and then my relationship, for granted.
The album is an authentic artistic expression of my experience being a woman, falling in love, losing touch with friends, having friends pass away, and learning to practice gratitude, because things are ever-changing. I love “Flush” because it has the essence of a “Sesame Street” song that puts pep in my step, about the man I love. I love “Alberta” because it brings me to a time when I planted trees and learned how physically and mentally capable I was. I love “Ming Mei” because I believe I wrote it in collaboration with the spirit of my late friend, Ming Mei, who loved to write poetry and dance. I love “Certain” because it reminds me to stay put when I’m feeling the inclination to drop everything and drive into some hypothetical horizon. The words “Certain in You” are engraved on my engagement ring.
I loved recording the album. I chose to work with Daniel Ledwell, who has made important records with artists I admire like Jenn Grant, David Myles, and Fortunate Ones. He has a studio on his property on Lake Echo, Nova Scotia. We recorded it over Thanksgiving weekend, and the leaves were changing, the air was cooling, and I made a turkey dinner for the band. It was a cozy and creative process, and I was lucky that Kelly and Dan both were horn players, and coaching them through horn sections was a highlight for me. This album feels like me, but also feels like such a collaboration between me and my band. I’m excited to share the experience of releasing this project with them, and I’m excited to see which songs resonate with my audience.
Sequoia will be out tomorrow, Friday the 13th. You can pre-save the album here.
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