How Regina musician Andy Shauf developed such a devout fan base

Over the past decade, Andy Shauf has emerged as one of Canada's most celebrated singer-songwriters.

The Saskatchewan musician has earned multiple Juno Award nominations, and endorsements from the likes of Barack Obama and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. 

As Shauf gets set to release the second album from his band Foxwarren, journalist and podcaster Vish Khanna joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explain how this lowkey musician has developed a fervent fanbase, and how this new record pushes his artistry into new territory.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Elamin: When we think about the singer-songwriter realm, it's a crowded field. It's a crowded field just generally in music right now. What do you think sets Andy Shauf apart from everybody else?

Vish: I think there's a few things going on with Andy. First of all, he creates these very orchestral pop soundtracks for his songs. He plays virtually every instrument himself. He's exacting — by his own admission, a bit of a control freak in the studio — and so he likes to do everything himself where possible.

And then the songs themselves, or the albums I should say, often have a conceptual framework. The songs are interconnected. They are narrative-based. I think Andy's a really wonderful storyteller. He attacks every album as though it's like a film or a book, and the songs end up feeling like scenes or chapters. I think his dedication to his craft and wanting to be better, and exhibit this ambition, but actually pull it off — I think those are things that are real hallmarks, and some of the reasons why he stands out.

Elamin: Yeah, it's one thing for a songwriter to aim to do that. It's another for a songswriter to actually accomplish it…. His album The Party, that's the album that landed on the Polaris Music Prize short list. That song alone generated more than 35 million plays for Andy on Spotify. It's kind of this slow, patient song that sort of feels like a lot of the antithesis of what pop music is right now. Vish, when you think about this song and think about Andy's career, how do you think he's managed to thrive in an environment that is so TikTok-driven, in a way?

Vish: I mean, he's authentic, and I think people really pick up on that. He's not social media-shy, necessarily; he's not a Luddite. But I think he often lets the work speak for itself. And I think his fan base is really engaged with him. There's something about Andy. He's very charming. He's very self-effacing. As I said earlier, his storytelling is so riveting that you feel compelled to check out everything he's doing, and also look for little clues and try to figure out, what's he up to?... 

I think he's very confident, but he's also very unassuming. He's very self-critical. You want to root for him as a fan. Like, he seems very human. I mean, he does do fun things. He handed over the keys to his Instagram to somebody in his orbit, recently…. It's not him. And they're kind of silly. I can't even explain them. They're abstract, and silly and meta…. They're often signed like, "not Andy." You know what I mean? So he's on socials, but I think really the work is what's resonating with people, which is refreshing. It's not about gimmickry. He's just really great at what he does, and people respond to that.

Elamin: First of all, the only other fan base that I know of who follows an artist's work and they listen to the music and go, "What are they up to? They're up to something" — that's Taylor Swift, buddy. That's the relationship that you're describing, which is to say, like, living in the work, but maybe in a slightly different kind of dimension.

Vish: Well, there's also Beyoncé, the Beyhive, you know? And I will tell you, I engage with Andy's work in public, and I often hear about it from people. More than almost any guest on my own podcast, when Andy's on, I hear — good or bad. People want to tell me what they think. And I think that is also a marker of people's real fanaticism, but also just they love him. They actually love him, and they don't want to see him wronged.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Vish Khanna produced by Stuart Berman.