Andrea Nixon is ready to let loose her apron strings and hit the road with new songs and homespun stories
As anticipation builds for her forthcoming album Barbed Wire Dreams, Andrea Nixon is sharing a new single, “Earthquake,” a song as emotionally devastating as its title suggests. Rooted in a swampy blues groove, “Earthquake” follows the previous two samples of Barbed Wire Dreams, “Outskirts” and “Blind Spot,” in showing off the Edmonton, Alberta singer/songwriter’s creative evolution since her acclaimed 2017 debut album Diary Of A Housewife.
When asked to describe the new single’s message Andrea says, “‘Earthquake’ is the transformative tale of a woman scorned. Written by a team that spans the continents and collaborated through Covid, I believe this song has a powerful story to tell and packs a pretty hefty musical punch.”
On the new single Andrea teamed once again with longtime collaborator Bobby Cameron, who produced and co-wrote the track with Australian-based songwriter Jenny Trindall. The recording features world-class musicians Chad Melchert on drums, Travis Switzer on bass, Bobby Cameron on guitar and Mark Puffer on background vocals. The recording was captured at Edmonton’s newest state-of-the-art facility Dept. 9 Studio, with engineer Stew Kirkwood.
When it comes to writing, Andrea has never been one to fall back on clichés. Instead, she weaves stories with universal themes into song, leaving the listener feeling both understood and represented. Andrea captures this brilliantly on “Outskirts,” aided by award-winning tunesmith Robyn Dell’Unto (The Good Lovelies’ “I See Gold”) as part of Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI)’s Artist Entrepreneurship program at the National Music Centre.
As an artist who believes that life and music are inseparable, Andrea’s aim is always to create positive change through her art and encourage others to find their own sense of power and connection. As an example, with “Blind Spot” Andrea asked listeners and industry figures alike to consider the voices that remain in the blind spot of contemporary culture and make space for often-muted perspectives. And from January 2019 to January 2021, Andrea sat on the Board of Directors of Country Music Alberta where she served her community, working to support performance and educational opportunities for members.
At the heart of it all, however, is Andrea’s irresistible voice, a vehicle she uses to boldly explore the landscape of heartache, angst, joy and humour with eyes wide open and heart in hand. Her work ethic and signature style have landed her appearances at the ACMA Awards’ Fan Fest, Rogers Hometown Hockey, CCMA and Canadian Music Week showcases, and opening slots for Jessica Mitchell and others.
As anticipation grows around Barbed Wire Dreams, Andrea is poised to continue building on the success of her debut album, Diary Of A Housewife, which spent 14 consecutive weeks on Earshot’s national Folk/Roots chart. At that time FYI Music News described her as “following in the footsteps of trailblazing artists such as Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton,” and indeed, Andrea has managed to do all of this while raising her family and handling the responsibilities that come with being an independent recording artist.
It’s more than a lot of people could take on, but for Andrea Nixon it’s all part of her ultimate goal to spend her life connecting with others in that magical space found under cover of song.
As anticipation builds for her forthcoming album Barbed Wire Dreams, Andrea Nixon is sharing a new single, “Earthquake,” a song as emotionally devastating as its title suggests. Rooted in a swampy blues groove, “Earthquake” follows the previous two samples of Barbed Wire Dreams, “Outskirts” and “Blind Spot,” in showing off the Edmonton, Alberta singer/songwriter’s creative evolution since her acclaimed 2017 debut album Diary Of A Housewife.
When asked to describe the new single’s message Andrea says, “‘Earthquake’ is the transformative tale of a woman scorned. Written by a team that spans the continents and collaborated through Covid, I believe this song has a powerful story to tell and packs a pretty hefty musical punch.”
On the new single Andrea teamed once again with longtime collaborator Bobby Cameron, who produced and co-wrote the track with Australian-based songwriter Jenny Trindall. The recording features world-class musicians Chad Melchert on drums, Travis Switzer on bass, Bobby Cameron on guitar and Mark Puffer on background vocals. The recording was captured at Edmonton’s newest state-of-the-art facility Dept. 9 Studio, with engineer Stew Kirkwood.
When it comes to writing, Andrea has never been one to fall back on clichés. Instead, she weaves stories with universal themes into song, leaving the listener feeling both understood and represented. Andrea captures this brilliantly on “Outskirts,” aided by award-winning tunesmith Robyn Dell’Unto (The Good Lovelies’ “I See Gold”) as part of Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI)’s Artist Entrepreneurship program at the National Music Centre.
As an artist who believes that life and music are inseparable, Andrea’s aim is always to create positive change through her art and encourage others to find their own sense of power and connection. As an example, with “Blind Spot” Andrea asked listeners and industry figures alike to consider the voices that remain in the blind spot of contemporary culture and make space for often-muted perspectives. And from January 2019 to January 2021, Andrea sat on the Board of Directors of Country Music Alberta where she served her community, working to support performance and educational opportunities for members.
At the heart of it all, however, is Andrea’s irresistible voice, a vehicle she uses to boldly explore the landscape of heartache, angst, joy and humour with eyes wide open and heart in hand. Her work ethic and signature style have landed her appearances at the ACMA Awards’ Fan Fest, Rogers Hometown Hockey, CCMA and Canadian Music Week showcases, and opening slots for Jessica Mitchell and others.
As anticipation grows around Barbed Wire Dreams, Andrea is poised to continue building on the success of her debut album, Diary Of A Housewife, which spent 14 consecutive weeks on Earshot’s national Folk/Roots chart. At that time FYI Music News described her as “following in the footsteps of trailblazing artists such as Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton,” and indeed, Andrea has managed to do all of this while raising her family and handling the responsibilities that come with being an independent recording artist.
It’s more than a lot of people could take on, but for Andrea Nixon it’s all part of her ultimate goal to spend her life connecting with others in that magical space found under cover of song.
