Leif Vollebekk

Leif Vollebekk’s warm voice and intimate, poignant folk songs have made him one of Canada’s most appealing songwriters. Born in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, in 1985, Vollebekk learned to play guitar, violin and piano as a child and, as a teenager, found kindred spirits in mid-20th century songwriting icons like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. He wound up finding his sound while writing songs during a trip to Iceland and a subsequent move to Montreal. His debut, 2010’s Inland, was sparse, earthy and poetic, with songs like the rambling “Quebec” nodding to the work of Jeff Buckley. He blossomed further with 2013’s North Americana, opting for fuller production without sacrificing any of his trademark warmth on thoughtful, romantic narratives like “Off the Main Drag”. He brought in synth and soulful percussion for 2017’s Twin Solitude (as on the heartsick “Elegy”), and in 2019, he went even bigger for New Ways, crafting flowing D’Angelo-indebted tracks like “Hot Tears”.