Maddie Storvold (Winner - CTV's The Launch)

Doors: 6:30 p.m. Show: 7:00 p.m.

About Maddie Storvold

Maddie Storvold is the proverbial black sheep love child of comedian Steven Wright and protest singer Joan Baez. Born on an air force base in Northern Alberta, but raised a nomad, based in the Middle East, she had traveled to over 30 countries by the time she turned 18 and moved back to Canada to complete a degree in English & Philosophy at Western University. This wealth of diverse cultural experiences and the intimate study of the craft of words can certainly be heard in the singer’s music. Often compared to Joni Mitchell, Storvold possesses compassion and storytelling abilities far beyond her years, and delivers these qualities to audiences with a honeyed, impassioned voice and emotive fingerpicking.

In 2019, she won CTV’s The Launch, receiving the opportunity to record and release a ballad, “Don’t Say You Love Me”, written and produced by Bryan Adams. The single shot to #1 on the country charts in less than 3 hours, and peaked at #3 on the overall charts, surpassing Lady Gaga and P!nk. Her tenure on The Launch, and the impact of the single only supplemented her already-acclaimed catalogue of mature songs and dedicated fanbase in Western Canada.

“SUNSTORM”

Storvold’s third full length album, Sunstorm, tracks an evolution: the blossoming of the right things in the ruins of the wrong ones; the beauty that can emerge from the wreckage of the things you thought you wanted. The album’s title points toward the prairie phenomenon of a “sun shower”: spontaneous and delightful and almost always short-lived. This idea encompasses an essential part of being human that composes the through-line of the project - never knowing what will arrive, or when, or how long it will stay, but revelling in the delight of it, anyway.

Produced by indie heavy hitter Graham Lessard (Timber Timbre, Stars, Basia Bulat), Sunstorm takes 10 folk songs and layers them with complex instrumentation. The diverse stories were written across the span of 4 years, encompassing a fraught, long-distance relationship with another musician, a national television debut and win, a major commercial country record deal as a folk artist, an manic period of touring and momentum, and the eventual drop from the record label, a month before the WHO declared a pandemic.

As a live performer, Storvold has been described as having a "commanding stage presence, a quirky sense of humor, and a knack for capturing moments in song" (Vue Weekly), with audience members often expressing delight at seeing both a music and a standup comedy show in one act. A fast regular on the festival circuit, Storvold has quickly carved out a space for herself in the Canadian music scene. She has brought stories and songs to the Edmonton Folk Fest, Canmore Folk Fest, Tiny Lights (Ymir, BC), Bear Creek Folk Festival (Grande Prairie, AB), Wild Mountain Music Festival (Hinton, AB), Rock on the River (Timmins, ON), Festival d’ete (Quebec City), Cavendish Beach Music Festival (PEI), Calgary Stampede, Interstellar Rodeo, and many more.

Tough and sweet like gravel in honey, she can make you laugh and cry, think and ache - all in the same hour. Storvold’s music seeks to tell a story, to challenge us, to spark delight, and to touch a fragile part of the human spirit. Funny and fresh-faced, this story singer is quickly gaining attention across Canada as a voice to be reckoned with, harkening in a new generation of folk icons.