Award-winning songwriter and recording artist Donovan Woods and long-time manager Michelle Szeto have launched their new label, End X Music (End Times Music), distributed via The Orchard.
The Toronto and Nashville-based imprint has signed Cassidy Mann as its first artist, whose first label single, “Election Night,”is available now. Growing up in the Prairies of Winnipeg, Mann’s parents bought her a guitar at the age of 9 as a birthday present. By 14, she focused on songwriting, and her emerging talent led to a nomination for Aboriginal Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.
Written with co-producer Roman Clarke, the track captures the transformations many people experienced over the four years of the prior U.S. presidency.
“Michelle and I were introduced to Cassidy Mann and her songwriting through a songwriting workshop,” says Woods. “I’m so sensitive to word choices and Cassidy’s thrilled me over and over, immediately. Natural songwriters have a ruthless eye for telling detail and they make you feel—they don’t tell you how to feel. Cassidy’s a natural. Her work came to us as a fully-formed artistic point-of-view. It’s all there, and it’s been a joy to watch it gather steam.”
“Since Donovan and I started working together over 5 years ago, the idea of sharing what we’ve learned and the relationships we’ve built with another artist has always thrilled us,” Szeto recalls. “We never questioned the hard work that would come with it, but rather, we didn’t think we would ever agree on an artist. When we independently came across Cassidy and sent her music to one another, it was a coincidence we couldn’t ignore. Cassidy’s songwriting and production skills are beyond her years, and we’ve been endlessly impressed with her creative instincts.”
“My favorite thing is to write about tiny things that make the bigger picture more important somehow.” Mann says of the new song, “Trump’s Presidency was hell for a lot of people and you hear about that a lot, especially from a political standpoint. I think it’s a really important conversation, but throughout all of it, I was also craving the more intimate stories. I wanted to explore the idea of how the whole overarching narrative of that time affected people’s personal relationships.
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