Canadian folk-pop artist Shaina Hayes announces new album Kindergarten Heart & shares new single 'New Favourite' via Bonsound
New album Kindergarten Heart is due out on February 23rd via Bonsound
On Feburary 23rd, Shaina Hayes is set to release her second album, Kindergarten Heart, via Bonsound. Today, the Canadian folk-pop artist has shared the first taste of things to come in the form of her new single, ‘New Favourite’.
While most parents encourage their children to take up a “respectable” career, for Shaina Hayes, the daughter of farmers in the Gaspé region of Quebec, things were a little different. “My folks always wanted me to be a musician,” she laughs, “so for me, rebelling meant getting a degree in agricultural science!”
With the release of Kindergarten Heart, Hayes proves Mom and Dad had the right idea after all. A captivating blend of gorgeous vocals, inviting melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics, Hayes’ second album fulfils the promise of her engaging 2022 debut, to coax a waltz. Call it folk-pop seasoned with alt-country, or simply pop – in any case, Shaina Hayes is making fresh, exciting music that needs to be heard.
'New Favourite' reminisces on the magic of new love, igniting that sensation in the present. Driven by a persistent guitar melody, the song starts simply and gains momentum as the rhythm section joins, swelling with bursts and fills. The verses climax, leading to a rich, vocal-heavy chorus that feels like stepping through the looking glass. This theme of purposeful remembrance, honouring memories to shape the present, runs throughout the album, with 'New Favourite' playfully introducing it.
Raised in tiny Shigawake, on the east coast of Quebec, Hayes grew up listening to singer-songwriters like Feist, Joni Mitchell and Regina Spektor, traditional country artists such as Hank Williams and Dolly Parton, and more modern country stars, including Shania Twain and The Chicks.
Attending McGill University in Montreal, Hayes pursued a degree in ag science, but also participated in the city’s bustling music scene singing in country and blues bands and studying jazz. She also sang backing vocals for the noise-rock band zouz, finding kindred spirits in the group’s Francis Ledoux and David Marchand.
Hayes released her first solo material in 2018, when she uploaded the song ‘Hollow’ to Bandcamp. To her surprise, the song garnered a strongly positive reaction prompting Hayes to return to Shigawake, to begin recording her debut album to coax a waltz in late 2019. The album was produced by Hayes, Ledoux (who also mixed and played drums), and Marchand (who also played guitar, steel guitar, bass and keyboards), building the music around her graceful voice and acoustic guitar.
Like everyone else, Hayes went into lockdown in early 2020. But the ag science major had a plan. “I was supposed to be running a farm for a restaurant in Montreal, but when the pandemic hit, all the restaurants had to close,” she remembers. “The restaurant had this land and rented equipment they couldn’t use, so I reached an agreement with them and started a CSA [community supported agriculture] farm.”
For three years, Hayes grew produce to sell to subscribers while she completed the album. Following the release of to coax a waltz in April 2022, she found her musical activities ramping up, and put farming on hiatus that fall.
Reteaming with Ledoux and Marchand, she started recording Kindergarten Heart in late 2022, completing sessions last year just as live dates opening for artists like The War on Drugs and The Barr Brothers began to demand more of her attention.
Though Shaina Hayes wants to resume farming eventually, Kindergarten Heart guarantees she’ll be a full-time musician for the foreseeable future, as the world discovers this charismatic performer.
Tracklist
Early Riser
Kindergarten Heart
Fun
Sidewalk
New Favourite
A Thousand Perfect Words
Heat Wave
Sun and Time
Fool Forlorn
Mastery
Shaina Hayes Online:
