Peterborough-based singer-songwriter Evangeline Gentle has just released the latest single, “Drop My Name”, from their forthcoming debut full-length album.
The self-titled LP comes out on Rae Spoon’s label Coax Records on Friday, September 13th.
“It showcases a talent to be watched carefully,” writes Kerry Doole of FYIMusicNews about the latest single, which is also the opening track on the new album.
VIDEO: “Drop My Name” – Evangeline Gentle
“Gentle’s voice grabs you instantly with its purity and expressiveness,” Doole adds, “and the lyrics boldly promote self-worth, with lines like ‘I’m nobody’s toy, nobody’s second-best.'”
The 22-year-old Gentle, self-described as queer and a social activist, is about to head out on tour this fall to support their new record.
In August, Gentle opened for Juno award-winning roots singer-songwriter Donovan Woods at a concert presented by the Peterborough Folk Festival at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre. Gentle performed several songs from the new record and, despite the lingering effects of a bad cold, wowed the crowd with their powerful voice and evocative lyrics.
Gentle was born in Peterhead, a small fishing town in Aberdeenshire on the northeast coast of Scotland, and emigrated to Peterborough with their family at 11 years old. Gentle was involved in the integrated arts program at PCVS in Peterborough and participated in Rock Camp for Girls, and honed their musical chops playing at venues in downtown Peterborough including The Spill (now closed).
Since then, Gentle has released two EPs (including What’s Golden is Good in 2016) and has shared the stage with musicians such as Basia Bulat, Craig Cardiff, Matt Andersen, and Terra Lightfoot. In 2015, Gentle was named the Peterborough Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist.
Three years in the making, Gentle’s 10-track LP was produced by Jim Bryson at his Stittsvile studio Fixed Hinge and mastered by Grammy-nominated Philip Shaw Bova, with musical support by percussionists Pascal Delaquis and Matt Greco and vocalist Carleigh Aikins.
VIDEO: “Sundays” – Evangeline Gentle
Gentle’s musical career hasn’t been an easy journey. As a descendant of the Codona family, the greatest circus stars of the first half of the twentieth century, Gentle seemed predestined for a career as a performer. However, they began to question that future recently and almost didn’t see the latest record through to completion.
“During the three years I spent writing this LP, I trudged through periods of deep self-doubt, often wondering if I should give up,” Gentle says. “As a child I believed performing was my inevitable fate.”
“Somewhere along the road to adulthood I internalized a lot of messaging about my queerness as something that made me inherently less gifted and valuable as an artist,” Gentle explains. “Each song on this record is a landmark on the journey toward re-establishing my childlike ambition and spirit.”
For more information about Gentle including their upcoming tour dates, visit www.evangelinegentlemusic.com.
VIDEO: “The Strongest People Have Tender Hearts” – Evangeline Gentle
