Northern Stars: A Friendly Guide to the Greatest Canadian Musicians

Canada has a population smaller than California, yet it keeps handing the world some of its most loved songs. From smoky jazz clubs and prairie coffee houses to sold-out stadiums and the top of the streaming charts, Canadian artists have shaped folk, rock, pop, country, jazz, and classical music for more than sixty years. This is a warm tour through some of the greatest of them, with a few surprising facts along the way and a ready-made playlist at the end.

Songwriting Poets

Joni Mitchell was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, and grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where she taught herself guitar and started turning her feelings into music. Her 1971 album Blue is still treated as one of the finest records ever made. Here is a fact that surprises almost everyone: as a child, Mitchell survived polio, which left her left hand weak, so she invented her own guitar tunings to make playing easier. She ended up using more than fifty of them, and those unusual tunings became the secret behind her one-of-a-kind sound.

Leonard Cohen came from Montreal and was already a published poet and novelist before he recorded a single note, releasing his first album at the age of thirty-three. His song "Hallelujah" barely made a ripple when it arrived in 1984. Over the next several years, other singers fell in love with it and covered it again and again, and film and television carried it to millions, until it grew into one of the most beloved songs of the modern age. Cohen was famous for his patience as a writer, and he reportedly worked through dozens of draft verses before he felt it was finished.

Neil Young was born in Toronto and helped shape rock music three times over: with Buffalo Springfield, with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and as a solo artist behind classics like "Heart of Gold" and "Rockin' in the Free World." He is one of the rare musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Off stage, he has a passion you might not expect. Young is a lifelong model-train fan who holds seven United States patents for train inventions, and he designed some of them so his son, who has cerebral palsy, could run the trains too.

Gordon Lightfoot, from Orillia, Ontario, wrote warm, story-shaped songs like "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Sundown" that felt personal and huge at the same time. One of his most famous, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," tells the true story of a cargo ship that sank on Lake Superior in 1975. Bob Dylan counted Lightfoot among his favorite songwriters, which tells you everything about how respected he was.

The voices that filled arenas

Celine Dion grew up in the small town of Charlemagne, Quebec, as the youngest of fourteen children, singing in her family's piano bar before she was ten. Her recording of "My Heart Will Go On," the love theme from Titanic, turned her into one of the most famous voices on the planet.

Shania Twain was born in Windsor, Ontario, and raised in the mining town of Timmins. Her 1997 album Come On Over became the best-selling country album of all time, blending country with pop in a way that had never quite been done before.

Anne Murray, from Nova Scotia, opened doors for the artists who came after her. With her 1970 hit "Snowbird," she became the first Canadian woman to earn a gold record as a solo artist in the United States, and she is often described as the singer who paved the way for stars like Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and Sarah McLachlan.

Bryan Adams, born in Kingston, Ontario, gave the 1980s some of its biggest sing-along anthems, from "Summer of '69" to "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You," and he has sold tens of millions of records around the world.

Jazz and Classical Greats

Oscar Peterson grew up in Little Burgundy, a historically Black neighborhood in Montreal, and became one of the greatest jazz pianists who ever lived. His speed and touch were so remarkable that Louis Armstrong called him "the man with four hands." His composition "Hymn to Freedom," inspired by the civil rights movement, is still performed today.

Glenn Gould, born in Toronto, was a piano prodigy who did something almost unheard of: he made a classical recording that turned into a popular hit. His 1955 version of Bach's Goldberg Variations became a surprise sensation. He was also known for humming along as he played, so softly and so often that you can still hear him on his records.

Rock and Alternative Icons

Rush, formed in Toronto, turned three musicians into one of the most respected rock bands ever, mixing big ideas with even bigger musicianship on songs like "Tom Sawyer." The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

The Band brought together four Canadians and one American drummer, and they backed Bob Dylan through the years he shocked the world by going electric. Their own songs, like "The Weight," helped shape the warm, rootsy style now called Americana.

Alanis Morissette, from Ottawa, changed the sound of the mid-1990s with Jagged Little Pill. The album won the Grammy for Album of the Year and became one of the best-selling debut records in history.

Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax and gave the world gentle, powerful songs like "Angel." She also created Lilith Fair, an all-female touring festival that became one of the biggest concert events of the late 1990s and raised millions of dollars for charity.

k.d. lang grew up in the tiny prairie town of Consort, Alberta, and won hearts and a Grammy with "Constant Craving." In a lovely full-circle moment, she sang Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, one Canadian legend honoring another.

The new global wave

Canada's newest superstars have not slowed the pace one bit. Toronto rapper Drake, Toronto singer The Weeknd, and Justin Bieber, from Stratford, Ontario, have spent the last decade near the very top of global music. On Billboard's ranking of the Top Artists of the 21st Century, which covers the years 2000 through 2024, all three landed in the top ten, with Drake at number two, The Weeknd at number six, and Bieber at number eight.

They are far from alone. Carly Rae Jepsen handed the 2010s one of its catchiest earworms with "Call Me Maybe," Avril Lavigne brought pop-punk attitude with "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi," and the next wave keeps arriving through voices like Alessia Cara of Brampton, Ontario, and Shawn Mendes of Pickering, Ontario. Add in crooner Michael Bublé, jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall, indie favorite Feist, and the twin duo Tegan and Sara, and it becomes clear that Canada's musical roots keep growing in every direction.

A fun fact~

The very first single by a Canadian band to reach number one on the United States Billboard chart came from Winnipeg's The Guess Who in 1970, and the song was called, of all things, "American Woman." A Canadian group's first American chart-topper turned out to be a playful song about America itself.

Did you know? Canada joined Eurovision Song Contest!

Canada's music story reached a famous world stage when the country joined the Eurovision Song Contest, the giant yearly event where nations send original songs to compete in front of a massive global audience.

Canada earned its place after its public broadcaster, the CBC, became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, the group that runs the show. That puts Canada on the short list of countries from outside Europe to take part, following the path that Australia opened. Here is the sweetest twist of all: a Canadian had already conquered Eurovision long before the country officially signed on, because Celine Dion won the contest in 1988 while singing for Switzerland, edging out the United Kingdom by a single point.

The playlist: Made in Canada

An eclectic playlist of Canadian music, hit shuffle if you'd like~

1. "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
2. "From Time" by Drake
3. "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
4. "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell
5. "Suzanne" by Leonard Cohen
6. "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young
7. "If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot
8. "American Woman" by The Guess Who
9. "The Weight" by The Band
10. "Snowbird" by Anne Murray
11. "Hymn to Freedom" by Oscar Peterson
12. "Goldberg Variations, Aria" by J.S. Bach, performed by Glenn Gould
13. "Tom Sawyer" by Rush
14. "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams
15. "Constant Craving" by k.d. lang
16. "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan
17. "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain
18. "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne
19. "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
20. "Starboy" by The Weeknd
21. "Sorry" by Justin Bieber
22. "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire
23. "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Bublé
24. "greedy" by Tate McRae
25. "I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado
26. "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies
27. "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell
28. "1234" by Feist

Listen to the YouTube Playlist here

Sources:

• Joni Mitchell (born Fort Macleod, raised Saskatoon; childhood polio; more than fifty guitar tunings): The Canadian Encyclopedia (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/joni-mitchell); PBS NewsHour (pbs.org/newshour/arts/joni-mitchell-biography-songwriting-woodstock-bob-dylan); Songwriters Hall of Fame (songhall.org/profiles/joni-mitchell)
• Leonard Cohen (Montreal; poet and novelist first; debut album at 33; "Hallelujah" released 1984 and famous later through covers): Encyclopaedia Britannica (britannica.com/biography/Leonard-Cohen)
• Neil Young (born Toronto; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; seven U.S. model-train patents, some designed to help his son): The Current, Minnesota Public Radio (thecurrent.org); MIT Lemelson Center (lemelson.mit.edu/resources/neil-young)
• Gordon Lightfoot (born Orillia; "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" recounts the real 1975 Lake Superior sinking; admired by Bob Dylan): Rolling Stone (rollingstone.com/music/music-features/gordon-lightfoot-dead-obituary-1234716529)
• Celine Dion (born Charlemagne, Quebec; youngest of 14; "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic): TV Insider (tvinsider.com/people/celine-dion)
• Shania Twain (born Windsor, raised Timmins; Come On Over is the best-selling country album of all time): The Canadian Encyclopedia (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/shania-twain)
• Anne Murray ("Snowbird"; first Canadian woman to earn a solo gold record in the U.S.; paved the way for later stars): Apple TV artist profile (tv.apple.com)
• Bryan Adams (born Kingston, Ontario; global hit maker): Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Adams); Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (cshf.ca/songwriter/bryan-adams)
• Oscar Peterson (Little Burgundy, Montreal; "the man with four hands"; "Hymn to Freedom" inspired by the civil rights movement): The Canadian Encyclopedia (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/oscar-peterson); National Arts Centre (nac-cna.ca/en/bio/oscar-peterson)
• Glenn Gould (born Toronto; 1955 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations was a surprise popular hit): Encyclopaedia Britannica (britannica.com/biography/Glenn-Gould)
• Rush (formed Toronto; "Tom Sawyer"; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2013): The Canadian Encyclopedia (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rush-music-group)
• The Band (four Canadian members plus American drummer Levon Helm; backed Bob Dylan when he went electric): Encyclopaedia Britannica (britannica.com/topic/the-Band); PBS NewsHour (pbs.org/newshour/arts/garth-hudson-last-surviving-member-of-the-band-dies-at-87)
• Alanis Morissette (born Ottawa; Jagged Little Pill won the Grammy for Album of the Year and is one of the best-selling debuts ever): Canadian Sky (canadiansky.co.uk/holiday-ideas/top-10-canadian-musical-artists); List (list.co.uk)
• Sarah McLachlan (born Halifax; created Lilith Fair): Encyclopaedia Britannica (britannica.com/biography/Sarah-McLachlan); Canada Post (canadapost-postescanada.ca)
• k.d. lang (grew up in Consort, Alberta; "Constant Craving"; sang "Hallelujah" at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics): Biography.com (biography.com/musician/kd-lang); Wikipedia via TMDB
• Drake, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber (from the Toronto area and Stratford; three Canadians in the top ten of Billboard's Top Artists of the 21st Century, 2000 to 2024): Billboard Canada (ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/drake-top-artists-21st-century-chart); CBC and CP24 (cp24.com; cbc.ca)
• Alessia Cara (Brampton) and Shawn Mendes (Pickering): CBC and CP24 (cp24.com; cbc.ca)
• The Guess Who ("American Woman" was the first single by a Canadian band to hit number one on the U.S. Billboard chart, in 1970): Far Out Magazine (faroutmagazine.co.uk/first-band-canada-top-us-charts)