A Chat with Kailan McGee (10.07.26)
Hailing from Ontario, Canada – Cobourg to be exact – singer-songwriter Kailan McGee has always had a passion for music, and with her original material, she shares this zealous earnestness with international audiences. We speak with McGee about her 2026 album, Lady Of The Moon, what drew her to music, advice for new musicians, and much more.
OSR: Cliche, but what drew you to music? What made you decide to pursue a music career?
McGee: Clichés are the foundation of truth, in my opinion, so I am happy to answer this one!
When I began writing music, I had no idea what to expect or what was to unfold. First and foremost, I started creating for myself as a tool to heal from people, events, or situations that had hurt me in the past. It was pretty hilarious, in fact, because when I got into the studio, I just couldn’t stop! My debut album ended up having 21 original songs on it because of that fact! I had this very deep and primal urge to get out everything and anything that was bothering me in the slightest at that time. So, when I began, I didn’t know I would pursue music, as I was doing it for me.
Obviously, when you create music, the end goal is to have your music resonate with others – but, for me, that was secondary. Once 13 tracks from my debut album, titled The Songstress’ Empire, charted on various charts, across various genres in Canada and the US, I started to feel like maybe this could be something bigger than just myself.
Once I received a message from a young girl in high school in the States somewhere, and she said my song ‘Bout the Blue’ (which is track 5 on The Songstress’ Empire and is about walking hand-in-hand with depression, and allowing the space to walk yourself through depression) helped her through her deep/dark emotions. It was then that I had already felt like I had done my job in music.
I then received a nomination for a CIMVA award here in Canada for my video ‘Long Live The Night’, and I made this music video using only a white nightgown and a candle as props as I walked barefoot through the (freezing cold!) woods in the fall. I did not take home that award; however, this moment was the realization that I was now on the right path.
Months later, I received 3 nominations for Artist of the Year, Country Artist of the Year, and Country Song of the Year at the 2026 NMAS. I took home the award for Country Artist of the Year, with the award recognizing my genre-blurring approach to songwriting. This was another proud moment where it felt that the Universe was telling me that I am right where I am supposed to be.
And so, next stop was expanding my skill by deciding what was next! I have always LOVED and admired the work that goes into the creation of a concept album. And so, with mastering the art of visceral songwriting, I decided to try my hand at a cohesive, imaginative world that I created from the ground up!
OSR: You recently released your album, Lady of the Moon, and you mention that it revolves around the 8 phases of the moon. Can you elaborate on the theme, message and melodies of the album? Also, what inspired you to use this particular concept?
McGee: Sure thing! So, this album came about in layers. First of all, I just want to note how cool it is to be an artist, as we have the complete ability to create something from nothing! To me, knowing that I can take all of these aspects from my world, all of these pieces of music, literature, and art, and allow the absorption of inspiration to form something new in my world, is the definition of power to me! Some of the pieces of inspiration for Lady of the Moon were: Tusk era Fleetwood Mac, Mirage era Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks’ debut solo record Bella Donna, the Practical Magic novel series by Alice Hoffman, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and spooky tales of witches and folklore of mythological creatures.
I began by seeing a recurring theme in German folk tales of the Black Forest, and so this became the ideal backdrop for the concept record I wanted to write. Once the location was decided, I looked into photographs of the Black Forest to set the tone for my imagination. From there, I kind of lost my mind in the process! Haha.
I began creating mind maps to develop these characters. And as this process unfolded, I began to build the story. Once I had written what became the title track of Lady of the Moon, I decided I wanted to have only female characters, with the moon representing female energy. I then decided it would be cool to have the track sequencing be the 8 phases of the moon, rather than numerical.
I sat, surrounded by papers (over 70 pages to be exact!), on my living room floor, as I slowly developed these characters, landscapes, and lore for this album. Once the characters were fully developed and within their stories, I took these ideas into the studio. Once in the studio, these characters that I worked so hard to develop came to life right before my eyes. These characters were suddenly almost tangible, and so I really wanted the music to thematically represent the cinematic feeling I had in the depths of my heart and soul.
This album was produced by Kevin Comeau. Guitars by Darrell Wallace. Bass and keyboard by Kevin Comeau. Drums by Graham Shaw and Jacob McGee-Gauthier. Recorded at: Chalet Studio in Ontario, Canada.
OSR:. What do you hope people take from the album?
McGee: I get this question a lot.
To me, this is a difficult one to answer, because art is subjective. I always say that music is the closest thing that we have to time travel, in that we can hear a certain note, voicing, or phrasing, and be transported back to another place in time. Music is very special in that way. So, I don’t like to tell anyone how to absorb my art.
I created this album for people to escape from the throes and hardships of everyday life so that they may enter a mystical realm lit only by moonlight.
OSR: What does the album mean to you? What do you take from it?
McGee: This album means the WORLD to me. I worked so unbelievably hard at developing this cohesive universe from the ground up! This album was a test of my creative ability! Once I master something, I want to move on and do something else. It is really important for me to stay uncomfortable in songwriting because art shouldn’t be comfortable.
I take from this album that I can do anything I set my mind to! This album is confirmation that my creative abilities know no bounds and that I have done this for myself. This album is my most proud accomplishment to date.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
McGee: What a loaded question!
“If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out!” – Levon Helm
Music is a drug. A literal mind-altering state of consciousness. A tool both audiences and artists alike use to get through life. Music makes time move differently. Music brings people together. Music has the ability to reverse dementia. Music has the ability to both let us drift to another realm, or bring us forefrontally to the “now” in this realm. Music is a universal language of love, and if we use it right, it holds the highest and purest form of power.
OSR: What was the production of the album like? Did you face any challenges, or was it all smooth sailing?
McGee: The production of this album was sooo much fun! Like I have said previously in this interview, the characters came to life in production! It was the closest thing to magic I have ever seen!
We weren’t without challenges, however!
I will say that ‘Clairvoyance’, the last track on the album ( represented by the waning crescent moon phase), began as what I believed to be the weakest song on the album. The magic of the song revolved around that of an Em scale, and I knew I wanted it to be an atmospheric outro to the album, but with my guitar playing, I couldn’t get it to sit as magically as I had wanted to. Once my guitar player, Darrell Wallace, added his spectral-sounding flare to the track, it INSTANTLY became one of my favourites on the record. It is so interesting how more heads on a problem are always better than one. I am so incredibly blessed to have worked with such amazing musicians on this album. They always know exactly what the song needs, and when I explain my visions, they say, “say less” and bring them flawlessly to life.
OSR: You released an album last year called The Songstress’ Empire. How do you feel Lady of the Moon differs from The Songstress’ Empire? Is it an honest representation of you as a musician at this moment?
McGee: The Songstress’ Empire will always be an honest representation of me. Just like all of my art will be!
In particular, though, The Songstress’ Empire holds the spectrum of MY human emotion from that time, which is something that I really value. On some of the tracks, I faced challenges articulating my feelings for subject matter that had deeply impacted me. On other tracks, events that made me feel betrayal or anger came to light so easily that the words came faster than my pen could write! This album made me realize who I am as a songwriter, and so it will always be a deeply cherished body of work to me. Don’t get me wrong, though, I always want to strive to be doing something better than I did the last time, or at the very least, something different that tests my brain’s capabilities!
Lady of the Moon was a huge shift in genre (even after my genre-hopping debut!), but more importantly, it represents that shift and testing myself, which I have previously touched on in this interview. This album was about creating a fictional world, whereas The Songstress’ Empire was writing about my own world.
OSR: If you had to introduce a new listener to your music, which song would you recommend?
McGee: This is a tough question, because as artists, we typically value all of our work! However, in the case of what song would sum up where I stand currently, I would have to go with the title track of Lady of the Moon, as this character walks you through the realm I have created and introduces you to the other characters on this album, as well as sums up the themes of this album. That being said, there are so many genres in my discography at this point that I am almost certain that there is something for everyone.
OSR: If you could give new artists advice, what advice would you give?
McGee: BE YOURSELF!! Literally EVERYTHING else has already been done. Every single one of us is trying to carve a little piece of the Universe out for ourselves with our art. We are all trying to leave a piece of us behind in a world where it is so easy to be forgotten about. Don’t let this discourage you! Put your head down, make your art, and let it take you for a ride.
In the days of Spotify playlists, I see so many artists use the formulaic approach to songwriting in attempts to beat the algorithm. But one thing that I will tell you is that the algorithm will shift, the internet will change, but authenticity never goes out of style.
OSR: What does the future hold for Kailan McGee? Any new releases?
McGee: Actually, yes! So, my next album, which I wrote in 2.5 weeks back in January, and this album is currently in pre-pro! This is another concept album, but it comes with another writing shift. This album is all about tragic characters, “monsters” and “villains” throughout Greek Mythology and looking at them through a sympathetic lens. Why did they become monsters? So this is taking characters whose stories have existed throughout various translations over centuries, and allowing a new light to be cast upon them!
You can stay tuned to my socials: @kailanmcgee for more details about the release of this next album, as well as upcoming shows!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
McGee: Yes! Thank you for taking the time to read this interview! Thank you for supporting independent music. What I spoke about earlier in this interview, about music (especially independent!) holding so much power, exists because of people like YOU who support, and immerse yourselves in our world!
And thank you to The Other Side Reviews for this opportunity to share!
Many thanks to Kailan McGee for speaking with us! Find out more about Kailan McGee on her Spotify.
