Fresh off a landmark 2025, Toronto R&B artist Aqyila shares Bloom (re-imagined), a four-track remix bundle that reinterprets her JUNO Award–winning single “Bloom” across an array of genres.
Originally released in 2024, “Bloom” quickly became a viral success, resonating globally for its message of growth, healing, and self-worth. Now, Bloom (re-imagined) expands the song’s emotional universe, offering four distinct perspectives on one of the most defining tracks of Aqyila’s career.
“Putting out this remix bundle feels like giving “Bloom” a second life,” says Aqyila. “It really shows how far a song can travel and reignite itself in new ways. More than anything, it’s my way of celebrating the magic with my fans! Thank you!”
Brisbane based Alt Rock Maestro John Drake has just released his highly anticipated debut album called ‘Separation Songs’, which premiered exclusively via
AAA Backstage.
The album was recorded with ARIA-winning engineer Cody McWaters and longtime friend/producer Chass Guthrie. Tragically, Chass was diagnosed with terminal cancer during the recording process and passed away shortly after the album was completed.
“It was September 2022 when Chass Guthrie, producer, career musician and my friend of over 15 years and I started working on my debut solo Record. It was also around the same time that Chass quietly shared with me the news that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Chass was a phenomenal Musician, probably the finest I had ever played with, what he could get out of a piano astounded me, it was like listening to an orchestra in one man. Working around his chemo schedule, relationship and family commitments as best he could Chass never stopped and insisted on finishing this record. I dedicate this record to him, my friend and soul brother. Chass Guthrie RIP.”
John Drake crafts cinematic songs merging classic melodies, Rock n Roll poetry with tinges of Soul and Country. Drake draws influence from the likes of Sam Fender, Chris Stapleton, The War on Drugs, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly and Radiohead.
Over the past year, Drake has released multiple singles taken from his new record and has received coverage from the likes of The AU Review, ABC Country and MMM Country, whilst gaining airplay on well over 200 radio stations across the globe.
Debut album Separation Songs is available now on all streaming services.
Hamilton, ON’s Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature are following up on their debut single, “Istanbul,” with “She Never Knows,” a high-voltage garage-rock burner that pairs blistering blues riffs with deeply reflective songwriting. Written years ago and resurfacing with renewed clarity, the track wrestles with avoidance, identity, substance use, and the quiet heartbreak of watching someone you love slip away from themselves.
“This is a song about seeing a close friend resort to substance abuse to avoid confronting their reality,” Duxbury explains. “As I’ve moved forward through my life, I have seen so many close people go through similar issues; my dad, close friends, and even bits in myself. Avoidance takes many forms. Sometimes it’s substances. Sometimes it’s just lying in bed and not wanting to face the world.”
Toronto-based indie-folk troubadour John Muirhead shares his new single, “Loved You Well,” a tender and reflective meditation on unrequited love, yearning, and the quiet spaces where connection almost blooms. Rooted in simplicity and intimacy, the track captures those fleeting, ordinary moments that linger long after they’ve passed; the ones that live rent-free in our hearts because nothing ever fully came of them.
“‘Loved You Well’ is about replaying moments that never quite turned into anything,” explains Muirhead. “It was inspired by a real date where, on paper, nothing important happened. But that’s exactly the point. Sometimes the absence of something becomes the thing you can’t stop thinking about.”
Recorded in a single, immersive day, the song is deliberately stripped back to feel as if Muirhead is performing in the same room as the listener. Acoustic guitar and vocals form the foundation, with piano, pedal steel, and harmonies by Clayton White layered organically to preserve character and intimacy. “We captured something special,” Muirhead says. “I wanted the song to feel like being alone with your memories, wondering “what if…””
Jack Biilmann is back with the release his smouldering new single called Outlaw. Told from the POV of a bandit influenced by watching old westerns with his Father as a boy, Biilmann doesn’t miss in delivering grit, grooves and hooks to excite his loyal listeners with his dark Country, Blues & Rock flavours with a new level of polish.
The track also boasts backing vocals from one of Australia’s best vocalists Ashleigh Mannix who is currently on the road with Ocean Alley. Outlaw is the first official offering from Biilmann’s new and upcoming album release, which is set for release later this year.
After ten years of prolific touring, world famous Fender and Maton guitars endorsements, millions of streams, ARIA/AMRAP/AIR chartings, praise from USA guitar sensation Joe Bonamassa, five albums and a reputation for a hell of a live show, Biilmann has earned his place as one of Australia’s most talented artists for appreciators of Blues, Country & Rock.
Freshly signed to Frankdon Music Publishing, endorsed by Fender/Maton guitars and Badcat amplifiers, the new single is just the beginning of the album rollout ahead of the LP’s release in spring with Pat Quinn Quirke (Guitar), Jono Warren (Drums) & Alec Coulson (Bass) creating a formidable live band that is a hot commodity on the Australian festival scene with performances at Wanderer Festival, Queanbeyan Music Muster, Thredbo Blues Fest, Zestfest and
Peak Festival to name just a few.
New single called Outlaw is available on all major streaming services.
JACK BIILMANN SHOW DATES
March 6 – Fun Time Pony, Canberra, ACT
Free Entry | 18+ only
April 17 – Fun Time Pony, Canberra, ACT
Free Entry | 18+ only
Following years of writing, teaching, and performing music rooted in connection and self-reflection, London, Ontario–based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marty Kolls shares “Drive,” a hypnotic, consistent pop single that captures the quiet momentum of moving forward through uncertainty. Optimistic yet grounded, the track reflects on awareness, contemplation, and the importance of continuing on even when the road ahead isn’t fully visible.
Inspired by both time spent behind the wheel and her work as a songwriting instructor, “Drive” grew out of a lesson Marty taught her students. Beginning with a steady, driving rhythm, the song came together as she paired it with lyrics written during another class exercise.
“I started with the driving rhythm, and it fit well with lyrics I had already written,” she explains. “I put myself to the test of writing all of the assignments along with my students. It was a great source of inspiration to be presenting for them at the same time as they presented to me.”
