Powder Blue, the highly anticipated new album from
Begonia—the solo project of alt-pop Canadian artist
Alexa Dirks—is out now on
Birthday Cake Records; listen
HERE and watch the album trailer
HERE. In addition, Begonia unveils the music video for feature track “
The Only One” today, directed by
Gwen Trutnau; watch it
HERE.
The album was written and produced by Begonia, Matt Peters and Matthew Schellenberg (Royal Canoe) with contributions from Jason Agel (Björk, Kelly Clarkson, Prince) and Joe LaPorta (FKA twigs, beabadoobee, Solange). The new collection of songs wrestles with life’s thornier moments in more evocative ways.
Of “The Only One,” Begonia recalls, “you know that feeling when you think everyone around you is having more fun in their lives than you, so you force yourself out of bed and into the world only to realize you just want to be at home back under the covers? That feeling of running up to the club doors like you are about to enter the best night of your life, but then you end up waiting at the back of the line freezing cold wishing you’d never gone out. I wrote this being like…‘I can’t be the only one, right?’”
When describing the namesake behind the new album, Powder Blue, Begonia turns to vivid imagery: her baby blanket, the airiness of clouds on a summer day, chlorine-filled water in a hotel pool, circa-1970s Elvis Presley wearing an ill-fitting jumpsuit and her collection of faded denim jackets.
Ahead of the project, Begonia shared album singles “Married By Elvis,” “Cold Night” and “Right Here” which received critical acclaim from CBC, Wonderland, The Line of Best Fit, Indie88, Daily Star and Globe & Mail. In celebration of the new album, Begonia is set for a run of U.S. shows in select cities this spring. The dates include a performance at New York’s Mercury Lounge as well as further shows at Los Angeles’ Hotel Cafe, Nashville’s The Basement, Portland’s Hawthorne Lounge and Seattle’s Sunset Tavern. More dates to be announced soon.
Powder Blue follows Begonia’s 2017 EP Lady In Mind and debut album Fear, released in 2019 to widespread critical praise. Fear received a nomination for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2019 Juno Awards and also earned Begonia a nod for Polaris Music Prize.
As Begonia, Alexa Dirks creates bold, surprising pop that is tempered with sensitivity and wisdom. In her music, Begonia leans hard into a sense of arrival. Whether it’s learning to come into her own or processing a brutal heartbreak, Dirks’ intimate lyrics and audacious sound allows for her audience to relate to the messiness of life with an honesty that is refreshing. Despite the turmoil from which it emerged, Powder Blue represents Dirks feeling settled by coming to terms with her past and present—from religious conflict, to exploring sexuality and managing mental health, the new album finds Dirks wresting with life’s thornier moments in more evocative ways.
