Tough and sweet like gravel in honey, she can make you laugh and cry, think and ache – all in the same hour. Storvold’s music seeks to tell a story, to challenge us, to spark delight, and to touch a fragile part of the human spirit. Funny and fresh-faced, this story singer is quickly gaining attention across Canada as a voice to be reckoned with, harkening in a new generation of folk icons.
Maddie Storvold is the proverbial black sheep love child of comedian Steven Wright and protest singer Joan Baez. Born on an air force base in Northern Alberta, but raised a nomad, based in the Middle East, she had traveled to over 30 countries by the time she turned 18 and moved back to Canada to complete a degree in English & Philosophy at Western University. This wealth of diverse cultural experiences and the intimate study of the craft of words can certainly be heard in the singer’s music. Often compared to Joni Mitchell, Storvold possesses compassion and storytelling abilities far beyond her years, and delivers these qualities to audiences with a honeyed, impassioned voice and emotive fingerpicking.
After moving to Edmonton in 2016, Storvold immersed herself in the city’s vibrant arts community and recorded her debut LP, The Old Brag Of My Heart in bathrooms, basements, treehouses and kitchens, seeking to capture an authentic and unedited experience of each unique song. It was released to a sold out room and critical acclaim in the summer of 2017, charting Top 10 on Earshot folk/roots radio across Canada. The young folk singer released her second full-length album Freedom, Books, Flowers & the Moon in December 2018, again to a sold out room, but this time at the Telus World of Science planetarium, with a choreographed 4-storey dome dancing above the band.
In February 2019, Storvold released a ballad, “Don’t Say You Love Me”, written and produced by Bryan Adams. The single shot to #1 on the country charts in less than 3 hours, and peaked at #3 on the overall charts, surpassing Lady Gaga and P!nk.
As a live performer, Storvold has been described as having a “commanding stage presence, a quirky sense of humor, and a knack for capturing moments in song” (Vue Weekly), with audience members often expressing delight at seeing both a music and a standup comedy show in one act. A fast regular on the festival circuit, Storvold has quickly carved out a space for herself in the Canadian music scene. She has brought stories and songs to the Edmonton Folk Fest, Canmore Folk Fest, Tiny Lights (Ymir, BC), Bear Creek Folk Festival (Grande Prairie, AB), Wild Mountain Music Festival (Hinton, AB), Rock on the River (Timmins, ON), Festival d’ete (Quebec City), Cavendish Beach Music Festival (PEI), Calgary Stampede, Interstellar Rodeo, and many more.
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