{Meet} Canadian Singer/Songwriter Shelley Hayes

 

 

 

I recently had the chance to chat with Canadian singer/songwriter Shelley Hayes about her new album Opening Hearts and Apertures and her favourite places for vintage treasures in Rural Ontario!

RURALIST -Tell me about your new album Opening Hearts and Apertures.

SHELLEY – I had just finished up touring with Revival Dear and decided to take a bit of time off to write. I hadn’t really intended on working on a solo project, but the songs kept coming, and I started to get a vision for an album of my own. I teamed up with producers Saam Hashemi and Noel Webb to make a full length album. Just as we began recording, Revival Dear decided to call it quits, so my energy really shifted, and this little side project became so important to me. We recorded the album over a year in the Cowboy Junkies studio. They were extremely kind, and actually even donated their space to us. I’m so grateful for all the support I had.

RURALIST - What music are you listening to these days?

SHELLEY- There is so much good music out there right now. Off the top of my head…
There’s a great Canadian rapper named D-Sisive. Kanye West is brilliant, Video Games by Lana Del Rey is intoxicating, Cults are super cool. I love Andrew Bird, Edward Sharpe, Emma-Lee and Good Lovelies. And of course, my number one favorite, Neil Young.

I’ve known Shelley for many years and she’s artistically talented in more ways than one.  Shelley has a flare for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary whether it’s through music, art or design (I guess when you’ve got it you’ve got it).  

Here’s an example of Shelley’s most recent design project. I love how she’s managed to turn this drab powder room into something pretty stunning.  With a coat of black paint and only a few pennies Shelley made her tiny bathroom into something spectacular!  Having an eye for a good find, Shelley shops at the Aberfolye Antique Market, the St. Jacobs Antique Market (one of my favourites as well), Southworks in Cambridge and the shops in the little town of Shakespeare.  I love the swan faucet! 

 

Check out the official music video for So Young, and my personal favourite, Recipe for Disaster. 

Also, see what the CBC is saying about Shelley here!