Canadian Music Scene

With commanding lyrics and radiant vocals, Canadian artist Rachel Hickey delivers her spellbinding take on Folk-Rock with stunning creativity and captivating ease. Effortlessly flowing across the genres of Indie, Pop, and Rock, Rachel’s reflective and riveting songwriting draws in listeners with her magnetic vulnerability and masterful vocal performance. Introspective, melancholic, and brimming with clever metaphors, Rachel’s exceptional songwriting offers listeners a glimpse into her deepest emotions, as well as their own. Her first two EP’s received critical acclaim from across the country, earning Rachel features in coveted publications including Exclaim! Magazine alongside airplay across the CBC Radio One network. With continued artistic evolution, Rachel’s latest record weaves traditional Folk with an enchanting use of atmospheric instrumentation, enveloping harmonies, and a driving groove. Citing artists including Florence Welch, Joni Mitchell, Julia Jacklin, and The War on Drugs as her musical inspirations, Rachel’s music creatively blends their influences to make a sound all her own. As she gears up to release her debut full length album titled “The Eve of St. Agnes”, heavily inspired by the world-famous poem late this summer, Rachel has just released her first single from the project, “High”, on Friday, March 24 2023.

Written and performed by Rachel herself, the artist also co-wrote the music alongside Kitchener-Waterloo artist and producer, Brandon Fehderau, who also engineered and mixed the track. The single was mastered by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel Mastering in Toronto, ON.

About “High”:

Skillfully written and sonically grand, Rachel Hickey’s “High” is a musical journey in selfdiscovery. Initially penned as a song about high expectations, the song later revealed itself to its writer as a lyrical quest to discover who she is without outside influences. Riddled with cleverly written and often contradictory metaphors, “High” travels deep into the core of identity and personality from a self-described “recovering people-pleaser”, faced with the monumental, often-ignored question of “who am I and what do I want?”. From its delicate, acoustic opening with an airy and elegant guitar melody wrapped in Rachel’s warm, suede cloaked vocals, “High” sonically expands to a grand, atmospheric, and urgent track with a driving drum groove and enveloping harmonies. Unknowingly confronting her fears of acceptance and worthiness - both from herself and others, the artist sings “I am the forest just before dark/Get out while you can when your vision is sharp/I am a tall evergreen/ But if you don’t like where you’re standing/Then you should just leave” as the instrumentation expands to sonically compliment the ominous feelings portrayed in the lyrics. Expertly crafted with words both poignantly self-reflective and expressively potent, Rachel Hickey’s “High” is a cathartic musical experience, both for the writer and listeners alike.

A song three years in the making, Rachel hopes that listeners will draw their own meaning from the song - relating to the music and metaphors in whichever way speaks to them most.

Quote:

Ultimately, “High” turns the mirror directly on the listener, observing and questioning their own fears and identity… Who am I? Who was I? Who will I become? - Rachel Hickey

Biography:

Rachel Hickey is a Canadian singer-songwriter who makes melancholic folk-rock songs that will swallow you up and break your guard down with her unforgettable voice.

Following her 2021 debut EP Getting By, Rachel’s sophomore 2022 EP So Long further evolves her indie/folk sound and earned her coverage in Exclaim! magazine as well as plays on CBC Radio One. Rachel’s musical style can be described as folk-focused with a blend of indie, pop, and rock music inspired by artists like Florence Welch, Joni Mitchell, Julia Jacklin, and The War on Drugs. Often focused around guitar, Hickey’s feeling-packed sound incorporates moonlight-soaked vocals, atmospheric supporting electric guitars, bass, synth and traditional drums, using storytelling and descriptive imagery to captivate listeners. Rachel is currently performing live across Ontario in support of her latest EP and is preparing for her debut full-length album, “The Eve of St. Agnes”, due out in June 2023.