Kaeley Jade
Kaeley Jade is a Métis singer/songwriter, actor, and multidisciplinary artist based in Edmonton, Alberta (amiskwaciwâskahikan).
Blending lush imagery and hooky melodic lines to create her own brand of pop-forward indie folk music, Kaeley Jade has performed at venues and festivals across Canada. Past performances include BreakOut West, Coldsnap, the JUNOfest, Canadian Music Week, and the Tkaronto Music Festival, and she has shared the stage with Digging Roots, Preston Pablo, Billy Joe Green, Anders, Delhi 2 Dublin, and Grammy-winner Bill “Birdsong” Miller. Kaeley moves between ballads and bops with ease, and she brings an electricity to the stage whether she is playing an intimate acoustic set or playing alongside her full five-piece band (Gabriel Gagnon on guitar/vocals, Katie Demuynck on piano/vocals, Kelsey Wood on electric bass/vocals, and Jordan Poirier on drums/vocals).
Since dropping her debut EP, Years Ago, in 2020, Kaeley has been making waves in the Canadian music scene—her music has received radio play across the globe, has been reviewed by publications worldwide, and has been featured in several film and television productions, including Hockey Night in Canada (Sportsnet). Her artistry has been recognized on a national level with an Honourable Mention in the 2023 SOCAN Indigenous Songwriter Awards, and she is a Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Award Winner and 3x Nominee.
Alongside her career as a singer/songwriter, Kaeley also works as a professional actor for theatre and film; she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from the University of Alberta and is the current Festival Director of the Ukrainian Village Music Fest. An artist keen on expanding her knowledge across disciplines, Kaeley is a current member of the 2022/2023 cohorts of the Citadel Theatre RBC Horizon Emerging Artist Program, where she is specializing in sound design and composition. She is also enrolled in the N’we Jinan ArtWorks Young Professional Artists Program, and she is an alumnus of the RBCxMusic First Up Program and Manitoba Music’s Indigenous Music Residency.
Kaeley’s involvement in the music, theatre and film ecosystems have sparked a desire to seek opportunities to weave her disciplines together, allowing her to compose original music for several theatre and film projects, design the concepts behind her albums and music videos, and design her merchandise. Kaeley recently joined forces with award-winning playwright Trevor Schmidt to create the critically-acclaimed musical Two-Headed/Half-Hearted, a country-folk musical described as a “prairie-gothic song cycle about mythology and mermaids for conjoined twins.” An eighteen-song musical featuring themes of sisterhood, identity, and family, Two-Headed/Half-Hearted saw its worldwide premiere at Northern Light Theatre in April 2022, featuring Kaeley in the role of Venus. Her innate talent for working in multiple disciplines demonstrates a depth and fullness in her debut full-length album, Turpentine.
Produced by the JUNO-nominated team at Velveteen Music, Turpentine explores the multifaceted experience of falling in love. Taking inspiration from a roster of artists that include The Lumineers, Fleetwood Mac, and Maggie Rogers, the album travels through raucous, danceable tracks like “Painless” (which hit #1 on the international charts of the Indigenous Music Countdown), intimate and conversational ballads like “The Letter” and “Turpentine,” and raw and emotional albums like “Just Like You” (which features a performance from award-winning folk artist Julian Taylor). Turpentine invites us to love fiercely, to strip away the armour we wear, and to find strength in our vulnerability.
Outside of her artistic endeavours, Kaeley spends her free time enjoying the great outdoors—she loves yoga, hiking, volleyball, and camping—painting, drawing, and spending time with her family, her friends, and her pets.
