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Leith Ross
BornOttawa, Ontario, Canada
OriginWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Genres
Years active2020–present
Labels
Websiteleithross.com
TikTok information
Page
Followers449.7K
Likes7.9M
Last updated: April 16, 2023

Leith Ross is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[1] They recorded their debut EP, Motherwell (2020), while studying at Humber College, and subsequently found success on TikTok, most prominently with the song "We'll Never Have Sex" in August 2021.[2][3] In 2022, they were signed to Interscope and Republic Records. They have toured both nationally and internationally with Lord Huron, Andy Shauf, and Helena Deland, and received the inaugural John Prine Songwriter Fellowship at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. Their debut album, To Learn, was released on May 19, 2023.

Early life

Ross was raised in Manotick, Ontario, which they have described as "conservative and cut-off".[4] They are of Scottish descent, having been named for the district of the same name in Edinburgh, and were raised Catholic.[1][4] They grew up the middle child of an older brother and a younger sister and have said they were an "obnoxious and loud singing kid" as a child.[5] Ross spent much of their teenage years online, including managing Ariana Grande and Doctor Who fan accounts on Twitter and Instagram.[4] As a child, they were exposed to country music and to traditional Celtic music from their mother's childhood in Glasgow.[5]

Ross wrote and performed songs from the age of 12.[6][7] After finishing high school, they moved to Toronto and attended Humber College, where they pursued a degree in the school's Jazz Vocal program.[6][8][5][4] Following graduation, Ross briefly moved back home before relocating to Winnipeg to pursue a music career.[4]

Career

While at Humber College, Ross wrote their debut EP, Motherwell, as a final project for their degree. They recorded the EP live in one afternoon with the help of classmates,[9][8] and it was released on the indie label Birthday Cake Records in 2020.[7] Ross' first featured performance was at Toronto's Burdock Music Hall, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.[9] In June 2021, to combat the pandemic's impact on touring and smaller artist, the collective Folk Music Canada, Ross, and Danish singer Ida Wenøe organized an album that featured rising Canadian folk artists like Ross, Jenn Grant, and The Once alongside international artists from Australia and the Nordic countries of Europe.[9] Ross and Wenøe later jointly opened for The Bros. Landreth on the group's 2022 European tour.[9] Unable to tour during the pandemic, Ross turned to TikTok and other social media to promote their music, joining the app in early 2021.[9][10] Their first video was a cover of "Honey" by Kehlani and led We Are: The Guard to describe their voice as “delicate as dewy cobwebs.”[11]

Ross' song "We'll Never Have Sex" went viral on TikTok in the summer of 2021, receiving over 41 million streams on Spotify.[12][2][7] As of 2022, the audio was used nearly 40,000 times in videos by other TikTok users.[13] Several fellow musicians praised the song, including singer-songwriter Allison Ponthier, who called it "a gorgeous, beautiful song that so many people can relate to",[14] and English rock band Crawlers, who cited the lyrics as an inspiration on their own song "Fuck Me (I Didn’t Know How To Say)".[15] Exclaim! included Ross as one of "8 Emerging Canadian Artists You Need to Hear", calling the song "gorgeously vulnerable",[3] while Them listed it in "Our 24 Favorite Songs by LGBTQ+ Artists in 2022" and noted its particular resonance with asexual listeners.[16] In 2022, Ross was signed to Interscope and Republic Records, and "We'll Never Have Sex" was released as a single in March.[17] In the fall of 2022, Ross performed headline shows across North America. Throughout 2022, they supported Lord Huron in Canada and Andy Shauf and Helena Deland in Europe on tour.[18] Ross was the recipient of the inaugural John Prine Songwriter Fellowship at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival.[19][20][21][22]

In April 2023, Ross released the track, "Music Box", about which Clash wrote, "there’s a sense of precision to Leith Ross’ work which illuminates their delicate lyrical touch."[23] Ross announced their spring 2023 headline tour dates across North America, the UK, and Europe.[24] Ross's debut album, To Learn, was released on May 19, 2023.[25] In September 2023, Ross will play All Things Go Festival.[26] As part of an interview coinciding with Ross's 2023 tour, NME called them "Gen Z's new favourite indie songwriter" and stated that Ross is "a voice for their generation".[4]

Artistry

Ross' music has been characterized as indie folk[3][9] and has drawn comparisons to Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Feist, Clairo, Adrianne Lenker, Julia Jacklin, and Haley Heynderickx.[3][8][17][4] They have named childhood influences including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Lucinda Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae, India Arie, Hilary Duff, Avril Lavigne, and Selena Gomez.[5] Their music has been noted for its yearning quality and introspective lyrics that explore queerness, anxiety, sexual violence, and relationships.[1][27][28]

Personal life

Ross identifies as non-binary, transgender, and queer,[29][6][9][4] and uses they/them pronouns.[30] They came out as gay during their first year of college and came out as transgender two years later.[6]

Discography

Leith Ross discography
Studio albums1
EPs1
Singles8
Music videos5

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
SCO
[31] 		UK
Sales
[32] 		US
Curr.
[33]
To Learn
  • Released: May 19, 2023[25]
  • Label: Republic
  • Formats: CD, Vinyl, Digital
 37 87 81

EPs

Title Album details
Motherwell
  • Released: October 16, 2020[8]
  • Label: Birthday Cake
  • Formats: CD, digital

Singles

Title Year Album Refs
"Everyone I've Never Met" 2020 Motherwell [27]
"Tommy" [34]
"I'd Have to Think About It" 2021 Non-album single [5]
"We'll Never Have Sex" 2022 To Learn [17]
"Orlando" [10]
"(You) On My Arm" 2023 [1]
"Guts" [12]
"Music Box" [23]

Music videos

Title Year Director
"Everyone I've Never Met" 2020 Leith Ross
"Tommy"
"Grown Up"
"We'll Never Have Sex" 2022
"Orlando"

References

  1. ^ a b c d Murray, Robin (2023-02-10). "Leith Ross Celebrates Queer Love With '(You) On My Arm'". Clash. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  2. ^ a b Pasterchick, Cate (2023-02-25). "Five TikTok Songwriters That Should Be On Your Radar". Beyond The Stage Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  3. ^ a b c d Gregory, Allie (Nov 8, 2021). "8 Emerging Canadian Artists You Need to Hear in November 2021". Exclaim!. Retrieved Apr 16, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, Sophie (2023-04-24). "How Leith Ross became Gen Z's new favourite indie songwriter". NME. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  5. ^ a b c d e Chennupaty, Mallika (2021-12-20). "Interviewing Leith Ross: A Natural Instinct". Grain of Salt. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  6. ^ a b c d Severs, Sophie (July 12, 2022). "Spotlight: Leith Ross is Happily Here, Proudly Queer, and Playing in Your Ears". The Luna Collective. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  7. ^ a b c Donelson, Marcy. "Leith Ross Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  8. ^ a b c d Currie, Jordan (Oct 16, 2020). "Leith Ross Turns Vulnerable Songs into Universal Sentiments on 'Motherwell'". Exclaim!. Retrieved Apr 16, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Sharp, Morgan (2021-06-14). "Tough time for indie music sector gives birth to cool new collaboration". Canada's National Observer. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  10. ^ a b Phillips, Jai (Nov 11, 2022). "New Music Friday: Viral Sensation Leith Ross Debuts New Single "Orlando"". Popdust. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  11. ^ Grant, Jess (2021-10-01). "Featured Find: Leith Ross Is Taking Over TikTok With Their Profoundly Powerful Songwriting". We Are: The Guard. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  12. ^ a b Pasterchick, Cate (2023-03-24). "Leith Ross Releases New Single "Guts"". Beyond The Stage Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  13. ^ Gilligan, Eilish (2022-04-22). "Is The Pop Bridge Becoming A Lost Art Form?". Junkee. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  14. ^ Fuentes, Tamara (2021-10-12). "Singer-Songwriter Allison Ponthier Is the Queer Country Artist the Genre Has Been Waiting For". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  15. ^ Daly, Rhian (2022-05-20). "TREMORS// Crawlers are the compassionate new rock band to believe in". The Forty-Five. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  16. ^ Staff (2022-12-06). "Our 24 Favorite Songs by LGBTQ+ Artists in 2022". Them. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  17. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (2022-03-25). "Leith Ross Shares Coy New Single 'We'll Never Have Sex'". Clash. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  18. ^ Beloraga, Kelia (2023-02-12). "Leith Ross Reaches Out on Heartfelt New Song "(You) On My Arm"". Out Now. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  19. ^ Weber, Julia (2022-05-03). "Leith Ross announced as recipient of John Prine Songwriter Fellowship". ACRN.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  20. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (2022-07-25). "Legendary Surprises, Rising Stars, and Powerful Voices: The Best Things We Saw at Newport Folk Festival 2022". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  21. ^ Krinsky, Alex H. (2022-07-26). "Newport Folk Festival 2022 Flourishes with Momentous Sit-Ins". Relix. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  22. ^ Templeton –, Ken (2022-09-27). "Newport 2022". Red Line Roots. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  23. ^ a b Murray, Robin (2023-04-21). "Leith Ross Shares Dreamy New Single 'Music Box'". Clash. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  24. ^ LaPierre, Megan (Feb 13, 2023). "Ottawa's Leith Ross Maps Out First Tour". Exclaim!. Retrieved Apr 16, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Orion, Zoe (2023-03-23). "New Music from the Inbox: Joy Oladokun, Temples, Feist, and more!". A Journal of Musical Things. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  26. ^ Blistein, Jon (2023-04-18). "Lana Del Rey, Boygenius, Maggie Rogers Lead 2023 All Things Go Festival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  27. ^ a b Rudas, Matthew (June 10, 2021). "Leith Ross / Everyone I've Never Met". Early Rising. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  28. ^ Connor, Stevie (2023-03-20). "Canadian Singer-Songwriter Leith Ross Releases New Single Ahead Of Debut Album". The Sound Cafe. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  29. ^ Pellegrino, Poppi Fella (Nov 20, 2020), Queerator Episode 1 – Leith Ross: Gaytorade and Sensitive (podcast), YouTube, retrieved 2023-03-30
  30. ^ Alper, Eric (2022-11-12). "Canadian Singer & Songwriter Leith Ross Unveils New Single "Orlando"". That Eric Alper. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  32. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  33. ^ "Top Current Album Sales: Week of June 10, 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  34. ^ Haughey, Ryan (2020-10-15). "EP Review :: Motherwell :: Leith Ross". Stylus. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
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