Kailan McGee knows how to surprise. The young artist from Cobourg, Canada, burst onto the music scene with a 21-track debut album spanning several genres, collected dozens of chart entries, nominations, and the title of Country Artist of the Year at the New Music Awards. The logical move after that would be to take a break. But not in McGee’s case. Instead, she locked herself away with a notebook, filled more than seventy pages, and released a completely different record during April’s full moon-Lady of the Moon. Eight songs, eight lunar phases, female characters, and the mythology of the Black Forest-a whole parallel world imagined from the very first note to the very last line. The artist herself calls the new release the greatest work of her career so far. We spoke with Kailan about creative freedom, her love of concept albums, inspiration, and why she deliberately avoids creative comfort.

Kailan, we’re delighted to meet you! Thank you for taking the time – I imagine that after releasing your concept album about the Moon, your schedule is probably just as mysterious as the phases of that very satellite. To start, how would you introduce yourself to someone who isn’t yet familiar with your work?

I would first introduce myself as an artist, and then as a musician. This is simply because the craftsmanship that goes into my work is, first and foremost, an artform. I am very unique, in that, I have a hard time sticking to one path or one lane- and I certainly don’t want to fit into a box, musically.  Something that David Bowie said in an interview has shaped the way that I view myself as an artist and how I view where I am with my craft. 

He said, “I think it is terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfill other people’s expectations. I think they generally produce their worst work when they do that. Another thing that I would say, is that if you feel safe in an area that you’re working in, then you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel that you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, then you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” 

This has literally shaped the way that I view myself as an artist, and how I view art in general. In the days of Spotify playlists, and people releasing formulaic singles in attempt to sync up with the algorithm, I just want to keep testing myself and my imagination. I just want to keep expanding my own view of art! Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with trying to achieve your success by following a formula that has worked for others– but, for me, I don’t want to stay comfortable, and I want to keep pushing myself so that I know what my brain is really capable of. So, if you’ve just hopped aboard, buckle up- because even I don’t know where I am going. But, the next stop will certainly be different from the last.

You’re from Cobourg, Ontario – a charming, quiet lakeside town. Usually, places like that produce either great poets or people with incredible patience. What do you think Cobourg planted in your creative foundation?

Growing up in Cobourg definitely shaped who I am as an artist, however, I think that creativity is so deeply a part of me that no matter where I was, it would have been a natural extension of my path. Cobourg is where I was introduced to music class- and even then, I had trouble staying in one lane. My public school, Terry Fox Public School, had a fantastic music program! However, I couldn’t decide on an instrument. As often as I was allowed I wanted to try a new instrument. I did everything from saxophone (both alto and tenor), to bass guitar, to clarinet, to bassoon, to French horn, and beyond! And so, this really brought me into my own capacity for diversity within music. But even still, with all of that diversity, I still didn’t know that I would write my own music one day. 

Poetry became the first step in my musical journey and I used it as a coping mechanism to get through life’s trials and tribulations. Until one day, I picked up the guitar. I had a guitar chord poster chart that I taped up on an old gigantic art canvas (so I could move around with it) and that sat in my bedroom. I played with sounds that felt like how I was feeling. After that first day, my first song was written. This song is called Failed Love, and this song found a home on my debut album, The Songstress’ Empire. It is still one of my favourite songs I have written to this day. 

Your family surely played a big role in your development. How did your loved ones react when they realized you were seriously choosing the path of a musician?

My family has been so supportive of this journey! They always knew I was the artistic type. I always liked to express myself with how I dressed, and I always liked being different- so I am pretty sure that they saw this coming! Jumping back to before I even have memories, I am told my grandfather would take me around, and take my little fingers and touch them to flower pedals, tree bark, and vinyl records. Just like he did that for physical objects, he would also say, “This is Johnny Cash. Or, this is Kris Kristofferson. You need to know their impact on music someday.” And so, music was entering my brain before I had the capability of retaining it. My family says that I would even draw and create visuals to music when I was sitting in my highchair as a small child!

My grandmother is also an incredible singer. Her great big beautiful voice bellowed through the house on the mornings that I would visit my grandparents. And I always knew I wanted to sing because of her.  My mother is huge into vinyl collecting, as well! And so her tastes have helped me to develop my own. And my brother is a drummer, so as you can see, music is within us all- and so I am incredibly supported!

Let’s go back to January 2025. Your large-scale debut album brought together 21 tracks across different genres – a bold move, to say the least, for a debut. Weren’t you tempted to play it safer and calmer?

Haha! No! I was not thinking about how other people would absorb this album at all! This album was for me and only me. When this album was being written, I got into the studio, and literally could not stop writing. This album was multi-formatted, and this was completely unintentional. A lot of people in various interviews have asked me if the multi-formatted approach to songwriting was a tactic to recieve more radio play– and while I did recieve a lot of recognition for this multi-formatted approach, it was indeed not a tactic. Instead, it was as simple as these songs deciding their own genres as they were coming out of me. I knew as I was writing them the sound I was going for, and so I just allowed this to unfold organically. And then, The Songstress’ Empire was born.

It was a waterfall of songs, and an ocean of emotion that was crying to come out of me in these writing sessions and I just simply could not stop. These sessions were healing me more than I cared about the absorption from others, and so I just kept going and going and going and going and going… 

13 songs from a single album landed on the charts in Canada and the US simultaneously. That’s practically an occupation of the airwaves! How did you take that news – was it a feeling of triumph, or more like mild panic – “now what”?

It was unexpected and surreal. Given that I had written the album for me, and that it was sitting well with others, it felt like a proud moment. It felt like I had mastered the art of writing about visceral experiences. And so, I only felt myself inspired to move on and start in the next lane- which was writing a purely imaginative concept album. 

The album brought several prestigious nominations at once – a pretty impressive result for a debut work. Which moment was the most emotional: when the first email about the nomination arrived, or when you realized this wasn’t a coincidence, but a pattern?

The first nomination was for my music video for Long Live The Night, which was a low budget video where only a nightgown and a candle were used as props- so, this felt like another proud moment. I did not take home that award, but the nomination made me feel as though I was on the right path. 

It was months later when I recieved the nominations for: Artist of the Year, Country Artist of the Year, and Country Song of the Year, that I felt the most accomplished in my songwriting. Again though, knowing that I had written the album for me, without a formulaic approach, and that it was being well recieved for others was what I was most proud of. When you can write something that heals yourself, and others simultaneously, this feels like the greatest reward one can recieve from songwriting. I took him the award for Country Artist of the Year at the 2026 New Music Awards, with the award acknowledging my genre-blurring approach to songwriting.

Let’s talk about Lady of the Moon. Eight tracks – eight lunar phases, the story unfolds in the mythical Black Forest in southwestern Germany, and all the heroines of the album are women, since the Moon has traditionally been linked to the feminine. Tell us, where did it all begin – with the concept of the phases, with the location, or with the characters?

This idea started with the spark of inspiration to write a concept album. I didn’t know what about yet, but I knew I wanted to write one. I have always loved concept albums and the vast creativity it takes an artist to develop a cohesive storyline of this nature. So, when it became time to sit down and do the work, it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had with songwriting! 

The cool thing about being an artist is that you can write love letters to the things you love, respect, and are inspired by! And so, I wanted this album to be a mash-up of everything I love and hold dear to my heart. I decided to go for inspiration musically from Tusk era Fleetwood Mac, as well as Stevie Nicks’ debut solo record Bella Donna- and on top of that, I wanted to introduce notes from my favourite novel series Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I began reading spooky folklore as a way to set the tone for my imagination, and Germany’s the Black Forest seemed to be a reoccurring location- and so, this seemed like the perfect place to use as a backdrop for the idea. I then began creating the mind-maps, character development, and poetry for the birth of Lady of the Moon.

Seventy pages of notes – that sounds like defending a doctoral dissertation in mythology. And yet you call Lady of the Moon your greatest creative achievement to date. How does an artist know that all those sleepless nights weren’t in vain? Is there a moment when a calm thought appears inside: “Yes, it worked”?

One thing about me, is that I don’t like to view any part of the creative process as “in vain”- if it is pushing my boundaries, it is worth it! And “sleepless nights” wouldn’t be how I would describe it either… I quite like my sleep! Haha

I definitely looked like a mad scientist sitting in the middle of my living room floor frantically writing out the brain downloads for character ideas as they came to me, though! Once I had an idea, I hit the ground running with it, and never looked back until I had the 8 tracks for the 8 moon phases. Once the characters were in place, and the songs were developed, from there I worked on the sequencing, and began refining the ideas. Once the songs got into the studio, I knew the characters so well that as the songs came to life, it was as if these characters did, too! Suddenly tangible, like a movie without a screen- this was the defining moment in self-gratitude for allowing myself the space and time to develop something from nothing. This was when I felt the most acconplished as a songwriter and storyteller. 

Being the author, performer, and producer of your own concept all at once means total control. How hard is it for you to delegate? Can you calmly trust the mixing of a track to someone else’s ears, or do you stand behind the sound engineer with the look of a strict inspector?

This is a great question! 

Given that my mixing engineer and producer is my husband, I feel like my music is in great hands. He knows how deep I dive into my heart and soul in songwriting, and so he, better than anyone else, knows what I need and what I want to see. He breathes life into these ideas effortlessly. This comes from his expansive skill, and also how well he knows me. Still, though, I stand behind during mixing to ensure I am getting my vision across. It is important to be there for the mixing process, in my opinion, because, just like most things in this life, two heads on it are better than one! 

After the myths of the Black Forest, it’s hard to imagine where your creative imagination will take you next. Should we expect a concept album about the mysteries of the ocean depths, or will you decide to master cosmic synth-pop about Martian chronicles?

Well, martian chronicles sounds so fun! You may have just sparked an idea here! 

Very recently, I wrote a song about feeling like an alien so maybe you are not so far off! Haha! 

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