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St. Vital

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This article was published 03/04/2024 (571 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the release of a new instrumental EP, local singer-songwriter Shay Wolf has come full circle.

“My hope is the music can move people without the need for my voice,” Wolf said.

In 2023, Wolf released her debut EP, Stay. Recorded at Private Ear Recording with John Paul Peters, Stay features four intimate songs, with Wolf’s voice front and centre. The new, instrumental EP, released on March 29, strips the tunes back down to their instrumental core. The new record is available to stream online.

“I’ve always been a dreamer. Someone who lived in the ‘what could be’,” Wolf said. “The songs on the Stay EP all have this essence of longing that kind of consumed my life for a while. I loved everything that the songs grew into and became. The EP celebrated its first birthday in March, so I decided to release the instruments as a full-circle moment, a nod to the music I dedicated myself to growing up. It feels special to have that instrumental release.”

Wolf, who was born and raised on a farm in rural Saskatchewan and now lives in St. Vital, trained as a classical pianist before deciding to pursue songwriting as a young adult.

“It was a beautiful time, but also a lot of time alone,” Wolf said of the hours spent at the keyboard in her youth. “I started songwriting in 2016. I always loved to sing, though I was always quite shy to sing in front of people. That’s also when I started to share my music with people.”

In finding her voice, Wolf found a new path for self-expression.

“(Stay) was a culmination of songs for the person I was,” she said. “Every artist probably says this, but I’m writing songs for a new project that’s maybe a little different.”

While Stay is firmly rooted in the singer-songwriter tradition, by way of indie rock, Wolf said her new songs are further exploration in pop soundscapes.

“I’ve been told my voice is my unique quality. It’s kind of haunting. I’ve been compared to artists like Birdy or Sarah McLachlan,” Wolf said. “The songs I’m writing now are inspired by Coeur de Pirate and Charlotte Cardin.”

With a handful of live performances coming up in western Manitoba this month, music lovers can expect to see Wolf play a number of local festivals this summer. For more information, visit shaywolf.com