Carleigh Aikins has become a sought after session and live vocalist/collaborator throughout North America – a far cry from her days carpooling to Toronto to sing pay-to-play all-ages shows from her hometown of Barrie, ON.

 

Sneaking in to local bars to perform before she was of legal age, Carleigh first cut her teeth with the band Fox Jaws. Hustling their way 60 miles south from Barrie to “the city”; they would eventually support acts such as Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, quickly integrating in to Toronto’s burgeoning music scene as a band to watch. 

 

Carleigh’s distinct vocal fry and diverse ability was undeniable, and would lead her from Toronto clubs to singing on world stages including Royal Albert Hall (London), The Ryman (Nashville), Chicago Theatre (Chicago), The Orpheum (Los Angeles), L’Olympia (Paris), plus multiple appearances at Red Rocks (Colorado), The Fillmore (San Francisco), The Roundhouse (London), Massey Hall, Molson Amphitheatre and Rogers Centre in Toronto, among countless others. She now appears on recordings totalling over 120 million streams.

 

Aikins began touring extensively when she joined her hometown boy Afie Jurvanen’s project Bahamas; making national late-night and radio appearances while touring with Jack Johnson, Robert Plant, Michael Kiwanuka, City and Colour and playing with Neil Young and Willie Nelson on prestigious world stages. She appears on the Canadian Gold Record Barchords’ hit single Lost In The Light (100+ million streams on Spotify alone), the JUNO winning record Bahamas Is Afie, Bahamas iTunes Sessions, iTunes Festival London LIVE and guested on Jack Johnson's From Here To Now To You LIVE. 

 

Forming deep connections with countless musicians on the road, Aikins was recruited to join the well-established Denver band Paper Bird; and found herself splitting time between Ontario and Colorado. Shortly thereafter John Oates (Hall & Oates) brought them to Nashville, co-producing their self-titled record with David Kalmusky (Journey, Keith Urban), released on Thirty Tigers. Paper Bird shared bills with Jose Gonzales, Andy Shauf, Iron & Wine and Hall & Oates at Red Rocks; and toured North America with many acts including Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and Grammy Winners The Infamous Stringdusters. The band performed with The CO Symphony at Chautauqua Auditorium shortly before disbanding to pursue new projects. 

 

In the meantime, when Jonathan Russel and Josiah Johnson were between tours with their band The Head and The Heart, they’d scoop Carleigh up to play intimate three-piece shows in living rooms and art galleries across America. Their fans also saw her guest on THATH sets in prominent North American venues. She appears on Johnson’s forthcoming solo record.

 

In the interim Aikins somehow found time to perform with numerous live line-ups, including Macy Gray and Galactic, Patrick Watson, Donovan Woods, Dan Mangan, Hannah Georgas, the Weather Station, La Force ft. Feist and spent time in New York singing with Madrid band Gold Lake. She’s also guested with Shakey Graves, Lucius, Calexico, The Weakerthans, Yukon Blonde and Leif Vollebekk to name a very few. 

 

Over a decade later, Carleigh has surely put in more than her ten thousand hours on stage. She currently tours Canada/US with Royal Wood; having played Massey Hall, The NAC and Roy Thomson Hall (with the TSO). Best known for her uncanny delivery of Janis Joplin – she is a member of the Toronto super-group Dwayne Gretzky; who’ve supported The Rolling Stones and Gordon Lightfoot, and played the greatest hits of all-time to thousands of fans across North America. 

 

Carleigh has made more appearances than any other vocalist on the Canadian CBC q, and is featured in numerous episodes of CBC First Play Live.

 

Carleigh Aikins’ original song was featured in the 19th season of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy; and her voice also appears on songs in other national television shows such as The First Time, The Originals, Casual and multiple episodes of The Ranch.

 

Carleigh is now focused on giving due pause to recording under her own name; allowing her powerful voice to take center stage. A recipient of the prestigious Canada Council for the Arts Recording Grant; she emerges with a collection of her own soulful pop/rock songs produced by Marcus Paquin (Arcade Fire, The National), with Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith, Bahamas), and members of The Barr Brothers, Patrick Watson, The Mynabirds and Zeus.

 

Aikins is poised to find herself far from home once again; showcasing that homegrown talent she’s been harvesting for years on stages around the world.

 

“Every musician I know owes Carleigh a favour. We’d cross paths at a summer festival, or five. She’d sing in a band that was performing, or three. Never center stage. Didn’t matter. She would inevitably end up the focal point. It was never her name on the badge around her neck, but everybody knew her, and she knew everybody. Carleigh was my favourite part of every band she didn’t lead, on or off the stage. She is a magnet. It turned out she’d been writing songs the whole time, making wildly creative demos. She was stockpiling ideas. Like a student who takes a decade to complete a dissertation that revolutionizes their field. Watching Carleigh sing makes me feel like a teenager. It doesn’t feel like a musician-friend trying to have a go. It feels like an action for the sake of the action. It feels like joy. “ 

– (Dan Mangan, Artist, Arts & Crafts Records)