About
Alex Southey (he/him) is a singer-songwriter based in Toronto/Tkaronto, Canada.
Southey began as a solo acoustic artist in 2019. With each subsequent release (2019's winter folk Christmastown LP, the 2020 bells-and-whistles follow-up You're Not Just A Body to Me LP, the 2021 simultaneously weighty and spry ...And the Country Stirred, and finally its 2022idiosyncratic, glitchy little brother My Nights On the Island EP) Southey has developed an increasingly passionate fanbase, along with positive recognition from Domionated, Exclaim!, The Manitoban, CBC Radio, CHCH Morning Show, and more.
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In late 2021, Southey developed a backing band consisting of Christina Dare on bass and backing vocals, Gab Lavoie on synth and piano, and Craig McCann on drums and percussion, which took his performances from intimate displays of songwriting craft all the way to an emotive full-band in-your-face experience you'll have playing in your head long after it's finished.
Since then, Southey has released two singles (the tongue-in-cheek indie rocker "Open Season", and the yearning art pop"Soften" to positive reception), performed one of the Horseshoe Tavern's first "back to normal" shows in March 2022, performed twice at NXNE in June, and is planning to release another EP, Common Fantasies, in early December 2022.
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Southey released Common Fantasies EP on December 16th, 2022 on Bandcamp prior to a wider release in order to promote his his music in a way that doesn't benefit Spotify as much. He then released it everywhere else the following Wednesday, December 21st, 2022. Uniquely, it is also available in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, Tidal, and any other service with that feature.
Common Fantasies led to Southey receiving the most press and college play of his career, charting on at least 11 different stations across Canada (CJTR Regina, CFRC Kingston, NCRA, CFRU Guelph, CJRU Toronto, CiTR Vancouver, CJAM Windsor-Detroit, CKHA Haliburton, CHRW London, CICK Smithers, and COVE FM Hubbards) and appearing in Exclaim!, Dominionated, Canadian Beats, and more.
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The week of January 9, Earshot chose southey as their "Artist of the Week". Southey entered the National Top 50 on Earshot at #28 the week of Feb 28, 2023. On February 15 Southey announced he'd be performing with his band at NXNE 2023 in Toronto. Southey landed at #135 on Earshot's Top 200 Artists of February 2023.
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On March 13, 2023, Southey spoke live to CJAM FM in Windsor, ON about his upcoming plans.
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On May 6, 2023, Southey made the decision to pull all but his upcoming single off of streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music due to their negative impact on musicians' livelihoods. "I have no interest in continuing to perpetuate this manipulative, demeaning, valueless system."After a bit of promotion, he will take "Never Listen" down as well.
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On Thursday, July 13, Southey released "Never Listen". On Friday, July 14, he celebrated by headlining a show at the Horseshoe Tavern.
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Southey announced The Red Hat Tour for Fall 2023. He's traveling all the way from Ontario to Quebec to British Columbia. Find dates here.
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**Additionally, Southey runs an open mic at Toronto's Imperial Pub, just off of Dundas Square. Every Tuesday, 8:30pm to 12am.
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