THUNDER BAY – Four years ago, Coleman Hell was riding high and a star attraction at the inaugural Wake the Giant Music Festival.
Fast forward to 2024, and the Thunder Bay-born singer is looking to capture the magic all over again, touring in support of his latest album, Joyride, and once again, was a crowd favourite at his hometown event.
It was an honour to be asked, he said on Saturday, after tearing through an hour-long set that featured plenty of new offerings to go with more familiar fare, including hit songs Fireproof, which opened his appearance, and Two Heads, a song that cracked the top 10 south of the border.
“I think it’s really important to have events that centre youth, specifically how this (festival) is centring on Indigenous youth, and making everyone feel heard and safe and seen and respected in their community. That’s really important. No one should not feel that in the place they live,” Hell said.
“So, I think people coming together in honour of that is really special and honouring all the great Indigenous artists that are in Thunder Bay and from in and around Thunder Bay as well. It’s just great to be one of the people here.”
The 35-year-old, who now calls Toronto home, said the new album is jam-packed with positive, upbeat, uplifting music.
Coming out of the pandemic, it’s the type of sound he thought the world needed to hear.
“I thought the last few years, with people coming out of isolation, you find yourself glued to your phone and a lot of that can bring you down. A lot of it’s serious stuff and you want to take it seriously. But you also have to leave room for joy. You’ve got to be able to feel happy for your own health and the people around you,” Hell said.
“This album is kind of a big, huge expression of joy and I want to bring joy to the crowd that I’m playing for. It’s pretty simple, I guess.”
Hell said having two hit songs so early in his career was a blessing, but it also left a lot to live up to as a songwriter.
It’s not something he takes for granted.
“You just make music, you don’t think this is who I am every time you make a song. But then when something gets so big, people associate you with that one thing. Sometimes it can be a little tricky, but at the same time, what a blessing,” the indie-pop singer said.
“How powerful and amazing is it that that many people have connected with anything that I did. A lot of people don’t get the chance to have one song do that well. I’ve had two, arguably three because Devotion did all right. I plan to keep doing this forever, no matter what. Who knows what will happen next.”
