Photo Credit : Briony Douglas // DOWNLOAD HI-RES
Equally at home in folk and country music – as an in-demand songwriter for the likes of Tim McGraw (“Portland, Maine”) and Lady A’s Charles Kelley (“Leaving Nashville”) – and even Electronic Pop with his vocals featured in Dabin & Nurko’s “When This Is Over”, Donovan Woods continues to evolve and work with artists across disparate genres.
Recently, Woods released “IOWA”, a bucolic meditation on dreaming of a place you know doesn’t exist. For the track, Woods found a kindred spirit in Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan. Together they find power in grace and economy as their voices entwine.
And as he continues to collaborate, his own songs have become more dimensional, digging into new sonic textures. “Being Together”, his latest single, further defies expectations of what a Donovan Woods song sounds like. Initially acoustic, it unfurls with snatches of distorted instruments that are both dizzying and luminous. Co-written with Steve Robson (Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Maisie Peter) and produced by Robyn Dell’Unto (Lu Kala, Rose Cousins), the single arrives today complete with a video from German illustrator Philipp Frohnapfel.
“Time heals all wounds because it gives you perspective but it also helps you just forget some stuff, which can be nice,” says Woods. “‘Being Together’ is a song about that. Philipp’s striking line art compliments that notion beautifully. It appears and disappears so easily, its movement seems dependent on its transience. You can’t move on without losing some of what was.”
WATCH AND SHARE “BEING TOGETHER” HERE
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“Being Together” Single Art // DOWNLOAD HIGH RES
MORE ABOUT WITHOUT PEOPLE
Late at night, when a hush fell over the house after his kids went to bed, Donovan Woods got to work on his latest album, Without People. In a makeshift recording studio at his Toronto home, the acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter tracked his vocals and guitar alone and then emailed files to producer James Bunton. As Woods’ new songs took shape, backing musicians sketched out their own parts in isolation from their respective homes.
This is not how Woods, winner of the 2019 JUNO Award for Contemporary Roots Album Of The Year (Both Ways) and whose global streams have surpassed 220 million, prefers to create music. “So much of what I like about making records is the spontaneity of making music in a room together, and we missed that,” Woods says. “But we tried our best to re-create that feeling.”
WATCH AND SHARE “WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER” HERE
Out now on Wood’s own Meant Well label, Without People has been acclaimed as “a nuanced experience” (American Songwriter), a thoughtful exploration of “fleeting interpersonal moments now under the microscope” (NPR/KUTX) and “various aspects of human connection” (Rolling Stone), and for striking “a gentle, poignant note” (Billboard). It was so successful, in fact, that it led to a deluxe edition in 2021 and digital streams well beyond 20 million.
WATCH AND SHARE “IOWA” VISUALIZER HERE
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So much of the album’s allure is rooted in how Woods connects with his collaborators and imparts the intimacy so many of us crave. You hear it in the way the harmonies pile up in gossamer layers on “Seeing Other People” and in the tenderness of “She Waits for Me to Come Back Down”, Woods’ evocative duet with rising singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt. On “Lonely People,” buzzed-about British singer Rhys Lewis delicately echoes Woods’ sentiments about wanting to be alone – until you’re suddenly lonely.
“I dove in deeper on this album than I ever have,” Woods says, “and I can say that I tried my hardest to write truthfully about the people I’ve loved and the things I did wrong, and add my little verse to the story of what it feels like to be a person.”
WATCH AND SHARE “WHATEVER KEEPS YOU GOING”
FEATURING J.P. ROBARTS P.S. MUSIC PROJECT CHILDREN’S CHOIR
PRAISE FOR DONOVAN WOODS
“Woods' brand of folk-pop is both grand and unassuming” – The Line of Best Fit
“Donovan Woods is no stranger to making music that tugs at the heart-strings.” - The FADER
"He’s got a knack for slice-of-life storytelling that blends heartache and hooks." - Rolling Stone
“Capturing the early optimism of new-found love, the singer pours his heart out for this emotional and moving tune.” - Wonderland
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