Kathleen Edwards has never been afraid to rewrite her own story.

After nearly two decades as one of Canada’s most acclaimed singer-songwriters, she walked away from the music industry altogether, burned out by its demands and determined to reclaim joy outside the spotlight. She moved back to Ottawa, opened a coffee shop called Quitters, and found the space to rebuild her life apart from constant touring and the vulnerability of being on stage night after night.

But the music never truly left. That period of healing and rediscovery eventually gave way to 2020’s Total Freedom and now to her sixth album, Billionaire. Produced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson, the album recalls the lyrical bite of her 2003 debut Failer while carrying the weight of lived experience. It’s also another impressive entry in a catalog that has been nominated for multiple JUNO Awards and Americana Awards and praised by outlets from Rolling Stone to The New Yorker.

On this episode of The Resistance, Kathleen reflects on the career leaps that didn’t happen, the unplanned joys that surfaced, and the creative armor she’s learned to carry along the way.

VISIT: Kathleen Edwards