Hey, I’m Skye – when I was young, my mom had a recurring dream that felt incredibly real. She began to feel as though her waking life and dream life were separate existences and started having trouble deciphering which world was the real one. At a certain point, she felt as though something asked her to choose between the worlds – she chose ours, and from that point on she was never able to return to that dream existence again.
My new song ‘What Is Real?’ is about the death of reality, the feeling that your understanding of the world is being ripped out from underneath you. In the end, no one can really tell you what is real.
‘What Is Real?’ explores our concept of reality and its delicate balance that can be disrupted by a dream, a shift in perspective, or a world-upending change. I wanted the song to challenge listeners to let go of their personal narratives and get a little weird.
This new single is from a set of songs I co-produced and co-wrote with Hawksley Workman, following up my previous single ‘Tough Kid,’ a song signaling the death of fear. Hawk and I played all the instruments on this track and it was mastered by the Elisa Paengsang of CPS Mastering.
“It means a lot to me to have had my hands planted firmly on the helm for this song – these last two songs I’ve released have been co-produced with Hawksley Workman and I’ve had the opportunity to step into my power and strangeness in the producer’s seat.
Women producers increased from 3.5% in 2022 to 6.5% in 2023, which is huge – but we’ve got to keep working toward gender parity and ensuring women and gender non-conforming producers are firmly represented in the studio setting. Taking on this role and joining the world’s growing ranks of femme/non-binary producers has given me a big wave of empowerment.”
A little about Skye:
With a voice like a soaring instrument, unflinching lyricism, and a swaggering live show shaped by years on the road, Toronto alt-rock artist Skye Wallace is a singular force on a mission to melt faces and elevate heart rates. Sharing stages with respected acts like Matt Mays, Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, and Television, Skye and her high-voltage backing band have achieved cult-following status under the dim light of clubs all over the world.
Dubbed a “national treasure” (Sad Mag), “one to watch” (Globe & Mail), and fuelled by “raw passion and musical power” (CBC), if you don’t know about Skye Wallace, you’re about to.
I’ll also be performing at “Our Music Fest” on March 7th at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, and then on to a sold out show on Friday, March 8th at Division 88 – the first in a series of intimate small venue shows I’ll be throwing in Toronto over the coming months. Folks who sign up for my newsletter are the first to know when they go on sale!