Harvest Profile: Kylie Fox
By: Adam Bowie
2024-09-03
Kylies Background
Music fans on the East Coast are starting to get used to seeing Kylie Fox’s name on the marquee, or on the show poster. She’s increasingly in-demand. The talented singer-songwriter’s career has been building for several years now, and she seems poised to take another step forward in her musical journey in the months to come, thanks to the scheduled release of her second album, Sequoia, in September.
Based in Fredericton, Fox has the intriguing ability to mix an old-school folk vocal with modern soundscapes and insightful songwriting. That lines up with Fox’s planned performance at this year’s Harvest Music Festival – a special tribute to the legendary Joni Mitchell’s folk/jazz masterpiece, Court and Spark.
After you get a taste of Fox’s immense talents, you’ll want to catch her next show so you can
enjoy her own artistic mastery. Based on the anticipation for her forthcoming album, I think
you’ll have lots of opportunities. As always, you can buy tickets to her Harvest performance,
or any other show, here.
Q&A
AB: Some people have nostalgia for a movie or a TV show they watched as a kid. Can you share a movie or a TV show that was special during your childhood?
KF: I would consider The Muppets Christmas Carol the most highly rated film in my household growing up and we still make an event of watching it each year. The music is so good and Michael Caine is heartbreaking.
AB: Is there a sport or a sports team that you follow closely? If so, why?
KF: I have watched a lot of second-hand golf but I can’t say that I have a particular passion for watching any sport, unless it’s my nephew’s hockey game.
AB: What artist are you currently listening to these days? What do you like about them?
KF: Chappell Roan is taking over, and for good reason. Not only do I genuinely love every song on her album, but her stylist is killing it and she’s the most exciting thing that has happened in mainstream music, for me, in a while.
AB: Is there a song out there that you consider perfect? For example, I might suggest that George Jone’s “She Thinks I Still Care,” or Al Green’s “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?” are perfect songs because the music, the lyrics, the production on those tracks are just so incredible.
KF: My first impulse is to answer with “Hard Candy Christmas,” by Dolly Parton, and “Woman of Heart and Mind,” by Joni Mitchell.
AB: What’s one good tip for budding songwriters?
KF: Stop making excuses why you don’t have time to write songs. Schedule it! Not every song is going to hit you while you’re on a bus.
AB: You’re on vacation with your family and the kitchen is fully stocked. What
are you making, and why did you choose that?
KF: I am really big on vacation breakfast and would ensure that omelettes and fresh fruit and even fresher sourdough was present. Then, over breakfast, I would discuss with Ryan Barrie what he would want to cook for us later. And it would be tacos every time.
AB: Was there a book, or any other piece of writing, that was influential in your life? Why did that piece have such an impact?
KF: The Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling is unfortunately problematic, but she created a world that affected so many childhoods with magic and wonder and possibility and characters that felt like friends and family.
AB: Was there an individual who played a pivotal role in your career, who really helped you take another step as an artist, or in the business? If you could thank them or recognize them publicly, what would you say?
KF: I started working with my manager, Joe Bamford, in January, and he has made my career more exciting, and my workload lighter. He’s been connecting a lot of dots that have been out of reach for me on my own. We went to Toronto together in June and met some very cool movers and shakers in the industry. He has saved a place on his wall for my accolades and I hope to fill it soon. Maybe I will write him a song.
AB: Is there anyone, alive or dead, that you’d want to interview, or spend time with, so that you could soak up the wisdom and expertise that they have? Why them?
KF: I’d love to hang out with Brandi Carlile or Taylor Swift. They are incredibly innovative business women and artists and are great models of musicians who are always evolving and delivering great music and great shows.
AB: Video games – yay or nay? If so, what game is your favourite, and why?
KF: Nay. My brother owns a VR headset and I climbed Everest once and that was pretty cool.
AB: What three things are always in your fridge, or in your pantry?
KF: Hummus, Oatmeal, Sriracha.
AB: Who helped foster your love of music?
KF: Both of my parents, in different ways. My mom sang to me all the time, made up songs that accompanied bedtime, or certain lunches. My Dad sat at the head of every Fox Family kitchen party singing Lightfoot and Prine and taught me to love Joni MItchell word for word.
AB: What’s your favourite sandwich or wrap?
KF: Tuna, 100%. If mom makes it, it’s best. Ryan, second-best.
Adam Bowie used to write stories and a weekly music column for the Daily Gleaner
newspaper. He’s also a former juror for the Polaris Music Prize, the Juno Awards,
the East Coast Music Awards and the Music New Brunswick Awards. Now, he works
in communications and volunteers with the Harvest Music Festival.