Mo Kenney (born 1990) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

singer/songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted t ...

based in Dartmouth,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. Catching the ear of noted Canadian rocker

Joel Plaskett William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genre ...

while still in school, Kenney released their first album in 2012, which Plaskett produced. Kenney is known for their lyrical prowess and engaging stage presence. Called "Nova Scotia's rising star" by ''The Scene'' magazine, they have toured with Plaskett as well as with

Ron Sexsmith Ronald Eldon Sexsmith (born January 8, 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the songwriter of the year at the 2005 Juno Awards. He began releasing recordings of his own material in 1985 at age 21, and has s ...

. In 2013, their song "Sucker" won the prestigious

SOCAN Songwriting Prize The SOCAN Songwriting Prize, formerly known as the ECHO Songwriting Prize, is an annual competition recognizing the best in Canadian emerging music, both anglophone and francophone. Established in 2006, the competition was designed to recognize so ...

Background

Kenney began playing guitar when they were 11. They became interested in music via

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

; among their favourite artists in their early teens were

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, Pink Floyd, and

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

. When they found themself grounded for two months by their parents at age 16, began writing songs in earnest and listening to singer/songwriters such as Elliott Smith. Smith in particular inspired Kenney to learn finger-picking. At around the same age, they also began to draw inspiration from the indie rock world, thanks to exposure to the films of

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...

, and the adventurous soundtracks he favors.

Career

Kenney first began recording their songs at a small recording studio housed at the Shambhala School, a non-denominational private school in Halifax, when they were 17. Joel Plaskett visited the school one day to talk about playing and recording music, and listened to what they had recorded. Two years later, Plaskett's manager called Kenney with the news that they were invited to attend

Gordie Sampson Gordon Francis Sampson (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer from Big Pond, Nova Scotia. Beginning his career as a performer on his hometown island of Cape Breton, both in bands and on his own, Sampson has gone on t ...

's Songcamp in

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

. Kenney later began working on their first recording with Plaskett, starting in April 2011. Although hampered by severe stage fright when first beginning to perform, Kenney now impresses critics with their at-ease and affable stage presence. Among their notable international performances to date, Kenney played at the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival in October 2012 and at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton in May 2013. Their debut album, entitled ''Mo Kenney'', was produced by Plaskett and recorded at his studio in Dartmouth. The album was released in September 2012 by New Scotland Records and

Pheromone Recordings Cadence Music Group, formerly MapleCore Ltd., is a music company founded in 1999 and located in Toronto, Canada. Cadence Music Group has multiple divisions, five record labels Cadence Recordings, Open Road Recordings, Pheromone Recordings, Physi ...

. Plaskett co-wrote two of the album's songs with Kenney. The two of them are the only musicians who play on the album. Mo Kenney at Hillside Festival 2015

In March 2013, the album received an

East Coast Music Association The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...

award nomination for Rising Star Recording of the Year. In July 2013, Kenney's song "Sucker" won the

for the best song by an independent Canadian musician, sponsored by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. Also in 2013, Kenney won three Music Nova Scotia awards: pop recording of the year, female artist of the year, and new artist recording of the year. They received a similar designation, new/emerging artist of the year, at the

Canadian Folk Music Awards The Canadian Folk Music Awards are an annual music awards ceremony presenting awards in a variety of categories for achievements in both traditional and contemporary folk music, and other roots music genres, by Canadian musicians. The awards progr ...

. The awards for their debut album continued into 2014, when ''Mo Kenney'' picked up four ECMA award nominations, winning the award for pop recording of the year. Also in 2014, ''Mo Kenney'' was released in England, Ireland, and Germany. In September 2014, Kenney released their second album, ''In My Dreams'', which was again produced by Joel Plaskett and released by New Scotland Records and

. The album delivered Kenney an ECMA award for Pop Recording of the Year for the second straight year. Kenney did a cross-country tour supporting the release of ''In My Dreams'', and went to perform on Joel Plaskett's Park Avenue Sobriety Test tour in the Spring of 2015, both opening for Plaskett and accompanying band on guitar and backing vocals for half of every show on the tour. ''In My Dreams'' was released in Ireland, the UK, and Germany in September 2015. On September 29, 2017, they released their third album, ''The Details''. In April 2019, Kenney released a follow up single entitled "Ahead of Myself". In 2021 Kenney released ''Covers'', an album of

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of songs by artists such as

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

Daniel Romano Daniel Tavis Romano (born 1985) is a Canadian musician, poet and visual artist based out of his hometown of Welland, Ontario. He is primarily known as a solo artist, though he is also a member of Attack in Black and has collaborated with Julie D ...

Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

, Guided by Voices,

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

and

The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel '' Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as fr ...

.Stephen Cooke
"Mo Kenney’s got this covered: new album offers fresh takes of favourite tunes"
''

Halifax Chronicle-Herald ''The Chronicle Herald'' is a broadsheet newspaper published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada owned by SaltWire Network of Halifax. The paper's newsroom staff were locked out of work from January 2016 until August 2017. ''Herald'' management con ...

'', February 24, 2021.

Discography

albums

* ''Mo Kenney'' (2012) * ''In My Dreams'' (2014) * ''The Details'' (2017) * ''Covers'' (2021)

singles

* "Eden" (b/w "The Great Escape") (7-inch vinyl) (2012) * "Telephones" (2014) * "Ahead of Myself" (2019)

Awards and nominations

* 2018 ** Nova Scotia Music Award Winner Solo Recording of the Year – "The Details" ** Nova Scotia Music Award Winner Rock Recording of the Year – "The Details" ** Nova Scotia Music Award Nomination Recording of the Year – "The Details" ** Nova Scotia Music Award Nomination Entertainer of the Year ** The Coast "Best of Halifax" – Best Songwriter (Silver) ** The Coast "Best of Halifax" – Best Solo Artist (Silver) ** ECMA Award Winner Solo Recording of the Year - "The Details" ** ECMA Award Nomination Rock Recording of the Year - "The Details" * 2016 ** JUNO Nomination Adult Alternative Album of the Year - "In My Dreams" ** International Acoustic Music Awards Nomination Best Female Artist – In My Dreams" ** The Coast "Best of Halifax" Award Winner – Best Female Solo Artist ** ECMA Award Nomination Album of the Year - "In My Dreams" ** ECMA Award Nomination Solo Recording of the Year - "In My Dreams" ** ECMA Award Winner Video of the Year - "Telephones" ** ECMA Award Nomination Fans' Choice Video of the Year - "Telephones" * 2015 ** The U.S.A. Songwriting Competition 1st Place Winner (Folk) – "I Faked It" ** Nova Scotia Music Award Winner Recording of the Year – "In My Dreams" ** Nova Scotia Music Award Winner Pop Recording of the Year – "In My Dreams" ** Nova Scotia Music Award Winner Solo Recording of the Year – "In My Dreams" ** Nova Scotia Music Award Winner Music Video of the Year – "Telephones" ** The Coast "Best of Halifax" Award Winner – Best Female Solo Artist ** Unsigned Only Songwriting Competition Semi-Finalist – "Telephones" ** ECMA Award Winner Pop Recording of the Year - ''In My Dreams'' ** ECMA Award Nomination Song of the Year - "Telephones" ** ECMA Award Nomination Fans' Choice Entertainer of the Year * 2014 ** The U.S.A. Songwriting Competition Top 20 Honourable Mention Winner - "Sucker" ** The U.S.A. Songwriting Competition Folk Category Finalist - "Sucker" ** CBC Shortlist Award Nomination Best Song/Earworm of the Year - "Telephones" ** ECMA Award Winner Pop Recording of the Year - ''Mo Kenney '' ** ECMA Award Nomination Songwriter of the Year - "Sucker" ** ECMA Award Nomination Solo Recording of the Year - ''Mo Kenney '' ** ECMA Award Nomination Fan's Choice Entertainer of the Year ** Music Nova Scotia Award Nomination Entertainer of the Year * 2013 ** 2013 English

Winner ** Canadian Folk Music Award Winner New/Emerging Artist of the Year ** Music Nova Scotia Award Winner New Artist Recording of the Year - ''Mo Kenney '' ** Music Nova Scotia Award Winner Pop Recording of the Year – ''Mo Kenney '' ** Music Nova Scotia Award Winner Female Artist Recording – ''Mo Kenney '' ** Music Nova Scotia Award Nomination SOCAN Songwriter of the Year – "Sucker" ** ECMA Award Nomination Rising Star Recording of the Year – ''Mo Kenney '' ** Ottawa Folk Festival Supernova Award Winner ** CBC Radio 2 Top 100 Songs of 2013 - "The Great Escape" (#73) and "Sucker" (#34) * 2012 ** CBC Radio 3 Bucky Award Nomination Rookie of the Year ** iTunes Best Singer Songwriters of 2012

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kenney, Mo 1990 births Living people Canadian singer-songwriters Musicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian Folk Music Award winners Canadian folk-pop singers Canadian LGBT singers