Category: Uncategorized

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since I released Better Off into the world.

This song has always been about stepping into something new, finding the courage to move forward into better situations. And now, 12 months later, I can honestly say: I’m even better off than when this track first dropped! Life is taking off in ways I never imagined and I’m so grateful you’ve been along for the ride.

To celebrate the anniversary, I’ve re-released the original Better Off music video in a new vertical format, perfect for phones and reels. It was directed by the amazing Mike Robertson (@rikemobertson), and features Larissa Poho(@larissapoho) and Lucy, the Great Dane. The video is full of Edmonton landmarks that you may recognize!

If you haven’t added this track to your Summer 2025 playlist yet, now’s the time. A year later, it still hits.

Meanwhile, something new is brewing…

I just returned from a co-writing trip in Peterborough, where I had the absolute honour of working with the incomparable Hawksley Workman (@hawksleyworkman). We spent the week developing new material for my upcoming album and the creativity was flowing!

We were joined by Tristan Konkle (@tristanpjjkonkle) of Tapes in Motion, who will be helping record and mix the album this summer. And that’s not all — I also had the pleasure of co-writing with some incredibly talented artists including Skye Wallace (@skyewallacemusic), Van Camp (@vancamp.music) and the amazing Colleen Brown(@colleenbrownmusic) back home in Edmonton.

Creating music with these folks has been a dream and I can’t wait to share what we’ve been making. For now, I’m soaking up all the inspiration and momentum.

Thanks for being here,

Ellie

Thanks to CBC Edmonton ’s Radio Active for having me on this afternoon to chat about Colleen Murphy’s JUPITER—

I’ve had an incredibly gratifying experience, working on this new play with a team of skilled, truthful and generous human beings. 

And lucky us, we all get to collaborate with the best golden retriever in the biz, Monk!

Previews for this special show start tomorrow and we open on Thursday night at Roxy 124 Street as the last show in Theatre Network’s 50th season! The show runs until April 20.

I hope you get a chance to come see it at some point during our time in the Nancy Power Theatre- the show has so much heart, so much humanity and so much truth. 

Proud to be a part of it.

Link to article on 12thNight.ca

Link to article in Edmonton Journal

More information about the playwright

Jupiter imagery from Ian Jackson

Hi! Here are 3 things I’m excited about and working on:

1. Last week, rehearsals began for Colleen Murphy’s Jupiter alongside an incredible team of brilliant artists at Theatre Network. We had the pleasure of workshopping this beautiful show on Thursday and Friday, which will open on April 3 at the Roxy 124 Street.
2. This Wednesday night, I’ll have the honour of hosting Off the Page at Skirts Afire– you’ll get the chance to see workshopped versions of works in progress from femme perspectives in #yeg. I attended this event last year, and it was fantastic to see previews of so many different stories and perspectives.
3. Last year, Larissa Poho gifted me this beautiful shirt that she created for Folk Lore Tattoo– I am so pleased that Larissa and I finally get to collaborate together (she’ll be lighting designer for Jupiter). I also love seeing other folks wearing this same shirt around town and knowing that we are all big fans of Larissa, because she’s so cool!

That’s all for now! 

Enjoy your Monday!

Much love,

Ellie

Due to a scheduling conflict, Tayler Grace will be filling my spot on March 14 at Key of Me as part of SkirtsAfire!

INSTEAD, you can find me hosting Off the Page on Wednesday, March 12 at the festival. I am very grateful to SkirtsAfire for finding another opportunity to include me in the festivities. 

I highly recommend checking out the festival, running March 6-16. It’s a fantastic mixture of art from diverse backgrounds, perspectives and mediums and I’m proud to have been a part of it in years past. 

Here’s a picture from last year’s A-Line Variety Show, which I had the honour of privilege of hosting. 

Looking forward to seeing you at the fest in March! 

The year is already filling up and taking off! 

I hope that wherever this message finds you, that you’re enjoying the (slightly) warmer weather today. Most of all, I hope that you’ve got things to look forward to in your life. 

For me, I am feeling incredibly grateful that 2025 is already providing lots of exciting opportunities that feel aligned with my passions and pursuits!

I just uploaded a little calendar of events for the next handful of months, and I wanted to share it with you, in the event that you like to see things organized (like I do).

Next weekend, I’ll be performing on Valentine’s Day at Salisbury Greenhouse, as part of Ravenwood Experience’s Concert Series! I’ll be playing mostly original tunes (and a handful of covers) with my pals Vicky Berg and Gareth Gilliland. We hope you’ll join us and share in a night filled with love and great music!

The night after, I look forward to hosting the 10th and final Love Fest at the Aviary with Mercy Funk and plenty of other awesome local music acts! It’s going to be a night to remember and I am truly honoured to be the host for the night.

Here’s a link to an awesome local playlist, featuring Love Fest alumni over the years.

Speaking of awesome local playlists, Silver Skate Festival starts this weekend and runs until February 17 at Laurier Park.

To celebrate local musicians, the festival has put together a playlist (featuring yours truly!) of Treaty 6 based musicians to highlight, which can be heard throughout the park during the festival. 

This same playlist can be heard outside City Hall, daily between 11-2 and 6-9!

If you’re looking for a tune to soundtrack your late afternoon, I just posted a live performance of What I Need from a show in October with my full band. I find it’s the perfect song for these long, introspective winter days.

You can watch it here onYouTube, where all my other music videos live!

Thanks for letting me share some warmth and good news with you!

The most exciting news of all is yet to come and I look forward to letting you all in on the secret once the right time comes!

I SENT MY FIRST NEWSLETTER TODAY!

This was something I had on my goals list for last year, but better late than never!

With the landscape of social media becoming less engaged, less personal and more focused towards algorithms and advertising, it can feel like a tall order as a solo artist to find new ways to engage, connect with and grow my audience. 

How does one make themselves heard through all of the noise? 

I’ve decided to revisit the newsletter approach! Mostly because I find it’s a really helpful way for me to stay connected to what my artist pals are doing!

Amy Dixon is a great example! She has always done a really great job of her newsletters and that has inspired me to begin this new venture- it’s more direct, it’s more personal and I love being a pen pal!

So, here goes! I’ve got a link to my newsletter sign up in my link tree and in my stories! If you’d like to be part of my pen pal club, I’d love to have you!

Yours truly,

Ellie 

Here’s the link to join!

Friends and lovers, you can catch me at Salisbury Greenhouse on Friday, February 14, performing my original tunes and some covers as part of RavenWood Music Festival’s Concert Series! 🌺 ♥️ 🎶

Bring your loved ones and let’s celebrate Valentine’s together with some live local music in a beautiful setting!

Tickets + info:
https://www.ravenwoodexperience.com

Speaking of beautiful settings, the Silver Skate Festival is coming up February 7-17 at Laurier Park and they’ve put together a local playlist (with some tunes by yours truly!) to play at the park while folks mill around and enjoy the winter festivities! ⛄️

In addition to Silver Skate, City of Edmonton has been using the playlist outside of City Hall daily from 11am-2pm and 6pm-9pm! Check it out next time you’re walking by! ❄️

It makes me so happy to have these opportunities to share my music with folks and grow my audience- thanks for receiving the good news! 🗞️

Exciting things are on the horizon! 🪩

The Critics in your head are lying to you.  

These pins started out as merch in collaboration with The Tesse Rae for my solo show Fake n’ Bake. My Critics were some of the main characters in the show, which explored personal themes of disordered eating, addiction, mental health and recovery.

In the first year I did the show, 10% of merch proceeds went towards Canadian Mental Health Association, Edmonton. The Critics pins were by far the biggest hit of all!

In fact, I remember needing to order more halfway through the run because the message on them resonated so strongly with people.

“Oh, my sister/brother/best friend/mom/partner needs this pin!” 

“Can I get 10 of these to give to people I love?” 

In the second year, I shifted to selling the Critics pins by donation, with 100% of the proceeds going to CMHA Edmonton. By the end of that summer, we had raised over $1,700 for the Canadian Mental Health Association.

In the fall of 2023, I partnered with all four locations of The Makers Keep, as well as The Tesse Rae in Highlands, to sell these pins by donation. %100 of profits from all pins sold go towards the Canadian Mental Health Association. 

Last summer, I had the privilege of learning more about this incredible organization. The CMHA provides vital support for individuals in our community, creating a safe, welcoming space where people feel empowered to address their mental health challenges. They are a fantastic organization that I will always continue to support. 

I’m proud to share (with thanks to the ongoing support of The Makers Keep and The Tesse Rae), we’ve raised over $2,068 for the CMHA.

The pins are still available by donation at the locations above and I also have a stash of pins and fridge magnets if anybody wants one. 

I’ve mailed them as far West as Vancouver and as far East as London, Ontario! 

I am THRILLED to announce that I’ve received funding to record a FULL LENGTH ALBUM!

I cannot stress enough how important this funding has been to me, in being able to step up my game as an artist and also, to be able to pay others in the process!

Any time that a granting body is willing to take a chance on me as an artist, it is incredibly validating and instrumental in providing the passion and impetus to keep going. So much gratitude to Edmonton Arts Council for all of the opportunities you provide for the creatives in our community.

I am beaming with light and wonder as my musical career continues to unfold. I cannot wait to begin this new chapter of growth and discovery as an artist!

In the meanwhile, I’ll be celebrating my music with some UPCOMING SHOWS:

Friday, January 10 at Felice with Travis Matthews, Angela Bégin and Bailey Sutton

Wednesday, January 15 at The Common with the New Standards band

Friday, February 14 at Salisbury Greenhouse as part of the RavenWood Music Festival concert series

Friday, March 14 at Chianti Cafe as part of SkirtsAfire’s Key of A series

Hope to see you at one or all of these!

In the interim, thanks to all who have taken the time to listen, to come out to a show, to watch a music video. It’s all very inspiring and exciting and I will continue to share as this process unfolds- thanks for being here!