Find Your Kindergarten Heart

I borrowed the title of Canadian singer/songwriter Shaina Hayes’ new album (out on February 23) for this newsletter issue because seeing the world with open eyes and curiosity is essential, especially during the winter season. We try to fill the winter months with exciting activities and projects so as not to give seasonal depression any chance.

Of course, music is always a good way of keeping spirits up (or sometimes letting yourself fall into a controlled sadness). Shaina’s heartwarming, bright songs are excellent winter music, so we have her latest one in this week’s playlist, plus a Q&A with her about her new album.

From that perspective, it is sad to hear that our favorite German (English-language) newsletter, This Mess Called Music, is going on a hiatus because its writer, Norman Fleischer, feels burned out. He’s engaged in many other activities, so I don’t know what exactly is cause and effect here. Still, from my point of view, the work for the glamglare site and newsletter usually has the opposite effect: keeping art and creativity in my life saves me from burning out by my day job and other tedious affairs of life.

Unfortunately, this means we could not see Norman’s comment on the change in Spotify’s payouts: songs with less than 1,000 streams yearly will not receive any royalties anymore. Practically, a few dollars, more or less, will not make much difference to the affected artists. But it reeks of a power grab by the major labels: skimming money off the bottom to give it to the rich artists.

A new report shows the numbers: 152 million tracks have less than a thousand streams. Even more stunning: 45 million tracks do not have a single stream! It begs the question of where those songs come from – after all, it is hard to believe that there are millions of incredibly lonely indie musicians out there who don’t even listen to their own music. Or are these completely hapless scamsters?

Lastly, NPR’s “All Songs Considered” is back. And what are they talking about? Dua Lipa, Usher, plus name-dropping Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. We miss Bob Boilen!

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Shaina Hayes Q&A

Your parents encouraged you to become a musician, but initially, you were reluctant. Do you remember the spark that made you start writing and performing songs?

I think that I always had a desire to be making music, but the path towards farming was always just a little more obvious to me, so it’s the one I followed. It took some time for me to gain enough confidence and to define my own voice enough to begin writing my own music. It also took finding myself in a position where I was surrounded by incredibly talented and supportive musicians who would help get me there. Once these things aligned, a path towards music-making finally made itself visible. The songs have been pouring out ever since.

Your upcoming album is called Kindergarten Heart. The title track is a beautiful song about finding back your childlike enthusiasm. Was there a specific experience that inspired this theme?

The themes of Kindergarten Heart were partly in response to the pandemic. Restrictions were particularly strict here in Canada which meant that there was a real social thaw required in order to come back to “normal.” For me, relearning how to lean into joy and fun required focus and intention. During this exercise, I found myself looking to my younger self, particularly my child self, in order to revive these feelings. This exercise also seems to be something that I frequently need to engage with since rolling into my thirties. At this age, I feel that there are times when the pressures and stresses of adulthood can reach a fever pitch. As a result, I regularly find myself needing to strip back a lot of the expectations and anxious tendencies I have developed over the course of my adulthood in order to return to a headspace that is calm and more rooted in enjoyment. Kindergarten Heart aims to be a snapshot of this exercise.

Montreal is a bilingual city, and French is considered the first language. How does this affect the music scene and you as an English-language songwriter? Also, at glamglare, we are fascinated by the eclectic music scene in Montreal. Do you recommend neighborhoods or venues where we can go to catch the creative spirit?

I feel that the people of Québec, and of Montréal in particular, have a heightened appreciation for the arts. Even when native French-speakers may not be able to fully understand the words of my music, I can tell by the energy at shows and even from online audience engagement that they are listening with so much attentiveness and openness. It’s really something special. While the anglo and franco scenes do have a tendency to exist somewhat in isolation of each other, the appreciation is present from both sides. Quai des Brumes, URSA, Casa Del Popolo and Sala Rosa are some great venues to catch up-and-coming Montréal bands. Some of my current musical crushes include (from the franco scene) Ariane Roy, zouz, and Arielle Soucy, as well as (from the anglo scene) Thanya Iyer, Land of Talk and Helena Deland.

You studied agriculture science and were about to run a farm when the pandemic hit. Do you have plans to bring music and food together in the Future?

That would be the dream. 2023 was the first summer in nearly a decade that I wasn’t full-time farming. This was largely due to things going so well with the music. I had an absolute blast touring the summer months with my wonderful band, but admittedly, I do really miss farming. I still grow a handful of crops - most of which are used to produce merch for my shows (honey, hot sauce, etc.) - but it’s a fraction of what I was once producing. I am stoked to ride the music wave for the moment, but do hope to eventually strike a balance where I will be able to dedicate myself to both of these loves simultaneously.

Kindergarten Heart comes out on February 23. What is next for you? Any plans for a tour, including a visit to NYC maybe?

We currently have some Canadian touring in the works for the spring and summer of 2024, but have yet to confirm any potential US shows. That said, we’re working on it! Definitely stay tuned for updates! ;-)

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

Elias Bendix moved with his family from Copenhagen to Addis Adeba. I would consider Denmark and Ethiopia two diametral opposite countries: the former is very rich, and you can coast comfortably through life; in the latter, not even bare survival is guaranteed. Elias’ move was probably not for artistic reasons, but it does provide him inspiration, like for his relaxed, yacht-rocky “Did My Light Go Out.”

A much shorter move, but still between two different worlds, did singer/songwriter Lily Hain: she took the leap from North Carolina to New York City. In “Oh God,” some level of disenchantment strikes her. “I had dreamt of moving to NYC since I was a little girl so this song touches on the realities of living in the big city versus the shiny version I had in my head,” she says.

In 2015, the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter MacKenzie Scott, aka Torres, released her second album, “Sprinter.” One stand-out track was the anger-laden “Strange Hellos,” which somehow established her as an artist with a chip on her shoulder. So it is good to hear where she arrived with “Wake to Flowers,” the latest single off What an enormous room, out next Friday: “Everything I have now is something I once fought and longed for—this song is my way of keeping myself aware of that all the time,” she explains.

Shaina Hayes already had a lot of screen time in this newsletter, so I just want to say that “Sun and Time” is for you if you miss summer.

Elke cannot resist a skillful guitar player, so she did not hesitate to put folk singer/songwriter Hannah Frances with her new song “Bronwyn” on the list. Using Joni Mitchell as inspiration, she honed her mastery of the instrument: She recalls: “This is how I want to play guitar, because it just feels so good.”

The Swedish band Agent blå has six members, so expect big sounds in their new song “Discount.” Singer Emelia Alatalo does not spend many words here, but she pours her heart into the track that makes you hope for a renaissance of indie rock this year.

Brooklyn band Psymon Spine also brings five people on stage but uses them for a lighter, synth-driven sound. “Acid Wizard” is from their album Head Body Connector, out on February 23. “It’s more unhinged than anything we’ve made before,” Noah Prebish describes the record, and that makes us want to catch them at Baby’s All Right on March 23.

Nine Photos From the QM2 (Part 3)

Enjoy the final round of photos from our Transatlantic crossing on board the QM2. With a little sunshine and calmer seas, one last time dressing up, dining in the magnificent Britannia restaurant, listening to the harpist at the Chart Room, saying goodbye to our Cunard cruise buddies, and eventually arriving at Brooklyn Terminal. These were seven unforgettable days on board the beautiful QM2.