Katie Tupper

SHORT BIO

Beneath the painted hues and infinite prairie skies of Saskatoon — a city in the heart of Canada — lies a soulful, creative spirit that proves there's much more to the so-called 'fly-over states' than grassland and grain silos. Katie Tupper embodies that spirit and is determined to show there's an entire world of boundary-pushing, genre-defying artists at work within the often overlooked region. Tupper's 2022 debut EP, Towards The End, received glowing acclaim from tastemakers like Zane Lowe and indie music press like Ones To Watch, Exclaim, Under The Radar, and FLOOD Magazine. She appeared on eTalk and recorded a filmed television performance for CBC. Tupper is one of three participants selected to be part of the 2023 Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class.

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SHORTER BIO

Beneath the painted hues and infinite prairie skies of Saskatoon lies a soulful creative spirit that proves there's much more to the so-called 'fly-over states' than grassland and grain silos. Katie Tupper embodies that spirit and is determined to showcase the boundary-pushing and genre-defying artists at work in the often overlooked region. Tupper's debut EP, Towards The End, received glowing acclaim from tastemakers like Zane Lowe, Ones To Watch, Exclaim, Under The Radar, and FLOOD Magazine.

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FULL BIO

Beneath the painted hues and infinite prairie skies of Saskatoon — a city in the heart of Canada — lies a soulful, creative spirit that proves there's much more to the so-called 'fly-over states' than grassland and grain silos. Katie Tupper, a neo-soul musician, embodies that spirit and is determined to show there's an entire world of boundary-pushing, genre-defying artists at work within the often overlooked region.

Katie Tupper unveiled her "fantastic" and "beautiful" debut single "Live Inside" with Zane Lowe, Apple Music's global creative director and host in September 2021. On "Live Inside," Tupper ruminates on notions of identity and what it means to let someone change your appearance, to surrender into your relationship and allow your partner to become a piece of who you look like everyday.

"How Can I Get Your Love?" Tupper's second single, which rose in the CBC Music Top 10 chart, deals in a blanketing mixture of Neo-soul and exquisite folk, seeming to speak for a region neglected all too often, displaying just how richly her music roots through the native meadows and grasslands (or as she refers to them here, "fields of butter"). It's a song that at once speaks of all the possible partners we miss out on from sheer cluelessness, and ultimately centers around a single, great passion.

Then in January of 2022, Tupper released "Danny," a song with swelling strings and twinkling keys exquisitely backing up an instantly catchy, syrupy drumline. Her voice soars over the track, telling a story of heartbreak and resentment, digging into that feeling of having so little left to lose that there's hardly anything worth salvaging.

All songs are featured on her debut EP, Towards The End, which has received over 4 million streams.

Following the release of Towards The End, Tupper was selected as one of four participants to be part of the 2023 Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class, as well as one of 2023's RBCxMusic incubator artists.

On June 30, 2023, Katie Tupper shared her JUNO-nominated sophomore EP Where To Find Me, after a series of singles. "Woman No" is the devastatingly beautiful first single. "I wrote this song to my younger self," explains Tupper. "I'm hoping it will defy time and space and tap into the brain of my teenage self. I want to give her advice to act on everything I was feeling rather than doing what looked right or seemed to be the correct choices." The track was featured in an episode of the final season of Netflix's wildly popular series Workin' Moms, released on the same day. The EP received a nomination for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 2024 JUNO Awards. In addition, it has received over 4 million streams.

"She Said" is the third single from Where To Find Me. Produced by Connor Seidel, along with the entire EP, the track is a wall of Katie; beautiful chorus of her oohs and aahs sets the foundation for her smokey soulful voice to soar. Speaking on the track, Katie reflects, "I had really long hair and cut it short – a few weeks later, someone that I was interested in told me they loved long hair. Most of our relationship was me trying to decide if there was any hidden subliminal flirtation going on in their words, or if it was just someone being friendly and complimentary. I still don't really know"

The final track on the EP, "All of Me" is a mid-tempo ballad about the weight of certain confessions as Katie delves deeper into her true sexual identity. "Where I grew up in Saskatchewan it was always easy and normal for me to navigate feelings for men. Confessing feelings or desires felt safe and easy. It wasn't until I was a bit older and living in a different part of the world that I realized my feelings for women. And these confessions of feelings and love felt so much more heavy. Admitting to feelings for someone felt more like admitting to a part of my identity along with the feelings. Small words and glances held a lot more weight than they did in the past."

In March 2024, Katie released her most recent single, "Need Nothing" a mid-tempo song about unconditional love, which peaked at #1 for 2 weeks on CBC Music Top 20. In addition, SOCAN awarded her with a No. 1 Song Award for co-writing the track.

In addition to her JUNO nomination, Katie received an award for the Western Canadian Music Awards for 2024 BreakOut Artist of the Year, as well as a win for SaskMusic Awards 2023 R&B Artist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for She Said. Live Inside, Comfort, and Little Love were all featured on the SiriusXM 'About To Pop' on the Poplandia channel. Tupper's music has been featured in multiple shows, such as Cost of Loving You on AMC+'s Pantheon, and The Things I Tell You (unreleased) on CBC's Coroner.

Thriving in live spaces, Katie Tupper has a large roster of performances and festival runs under her belt over the course of her career: Where To Find Me Tour, a sold-out headlining tour across Western Canada, 2 sold-out Toronto headline shows at the Drake Underground, and support for City and Colour & Ben Harper at Budweiser Stage. In addition, she has supported acts such as Busty and the Bass, Haley Blais, Basia Bulat, The Franklin Electric, Elliot Maginot, and Soran. Festivals previously played include The Great Escape 2023, Ottawa Blues Fest, Winnipeg Jazz Fest, School Night Los Angeles, M for Montreal 2023, Regina Folk Fest, Harvest Moon Festival, and Highlands Music Festival.

As she finalizes her new music, Tupper is set to play multiple upcoming festivals across Canada including Hillside Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, NESTFEST, FONO Fest, and CityFolk Festival.