Ontario musicians think outside the box
In the digital revolution, singer-songwriters value Canadian resources and connections more than ever.
Ontario’s rising faith-based musicians desire connection with their listeners. That’s what I heard when I spoke with four artists at various stages of their musical careers. They all felt isolated at different points across their musical journeys.
When Emily Ruth, a singer-songwriter based in Newmarket, Ontario, began her career, she had to trailblaze: “There are people in Ontario who are recording worship music from their churches,” explained Emily Ruth. “I wasn’t seeing a lot of people doing singer-songwriter, storyteller, Christian music. That can be very discouraging when you don’t know who [to talk to for] advice on what to do next or what avenues to pursue.”
Some of the industries most at risk from artificial intelligence (AI) are creative ones, including music. The Times shared a statistic from last November: “about 50,000 AI-generated tracks are uploaded to the platform [Deezer] every day.” Deezer surveyed 9,000 people in eight countries and found that only 3 percent could distinguish between human and AI music. In response to controversy, Spotify announced in May that it would begin verifying human artists by looking at their social media and touring schedules. The artists I spoke to had concerns too.
“I hope that ultimately, radio stations and places that could promote music would continue to support artists,” said Emily Ruth. Her music has a folk/roots style and her first album, Beloved, was released in 2022. Since then she has continued to put out new original music.
For faith-based artists, developing a single or an album often involves sharing raw, vulnerable experiences and highlighting a word God has spoken to them or proclaiming what God has done in their life.
“God just gave me that gift,” said Sarah Cali, an up-and-coming artist with a lot of heart and passion for the Lord. “It’s not something I grew up with. It’s not like I grew up and said, ‘I want to be a singer-songwriter one day.’ It was simply – I love Jesus, I love to worship.” Cali put out her first album, Inside of Me, last year. She has performed at local venues in Ottawa and has been featured by broadcasters like CHVN in Winnipeg.
Faith in every space
The role of the artist is integral to sharing faith. In a polarizing time, music transcends and speaks to people wherever they are. “The role of the artist is, in part, to ask questions and to prod in uncomfortable spaces,” Ruth Chan said. “We can be a bridge, especially in faith communities. If we can create art that says something, but also holds the space for discussion, I think that’s really vital right now.” Chan is a full-time musician known as Heather is Growing.
Heather is Growing’s debut EP released in 2023. Her recent singles, “Some Healing” and “Lavender,” were released in 2025.
Julie Doucette, a rising musician and singer-songwriter in the contemporary Christian music space whose two most recent singles include, “You Won’t Let Go” (2025) and “The Other Side of My Yes” (May 2026), spoke about a similar idea. “Something I love about creativity, and art, is [that] it can help us express and communicate things, and share ideas and truths about faith with other people, and bond over a common understanding.”
It’s important to think outside the box, Cali said – Christian music doesn’t have to be boring. And it’s not limited to a certain style of music in a church building. Performing at a local bar, restaurant or community centre is a way for these artists to get their name out there and to reach people where they are through their music. It’s not always easy, though.
“In Canada, it seems like there is somewhat less of a culture towards the arts,” said Emily Ruth. House concerts, where an artist performs in someone’s private residence, are Emily Ruth’s ideal way to allow an audience to connect with the stories behind her songs, but she has found it difficult to plan house concerts in Canada compared to other countries.
New resources
Streaming has made music so accessible that sometimes we forget that there are real people behind the streams. Cheryle Dueck, founder of Gospel Music Industry Hub (GMIHub), said “we have seen that most artists are in a silo situation. They feel like they’re alone, and they have to conquer the world alone, but they don’t have to be alone because GMIHub is set up to encourage community.”
GMIHub was developed in 2019 to support Christian music in Canada. They are a free resource that aims to connect local musicians, industry people and producers so that knowledge exchange can happen.
“I realized there’s a miscommunication, or misunderstanding, between these two parties,” said Dueck, referring to the gap between aspiring artists and industry professionals. “Each one thinks the other one either doesn’t want to help or doesn’t want to receive the help.” Two artists I spoke with mentioned an online community, called Kingdom Music Academy, that teaches artists how to produce music. They both had great experiences but wished it was more localized: “I feel like we need to have more collectives in Canada that champion Canadian artists,” said Cali.
Supporting local artists is a good way to start. We can all champion any of these four artists by streaming their singles or full albums on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you listen to music, attending their events, and following them on social media or visiting their website.
Each of these four artists said they love hearing stories about how their music makes an impact in a listener’s life, so where and when appropriate, let an artist know what their work means to you.
