Augusta Ray Recently Shared New Single, “Your Ex”
Her name is Augusta, but you can call her “Gus.” Growing up in Toronto, Ontario on a solid diet of eclectic music acts such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Shania Twain, shaped her unique country-rock sound. Her incredible vocal talent, accompanying her beautifully-crafted songs and energetic, engaging stage presence, has made her the darlin’ of the stage everywhere she goes.
For over the past nine years, Gus has been splitting her time between Toronto and Nashville.
In April, she released her latest single, “Your Ex,” which you can check out on all streaming platforms.
Listen to “Your Ex” below and learn more about Gus via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey there lovely people! My name is Augusta Ray, but most people just call me “Gus.” I’m a Canadian country music artist based out of Toronto, ON, and Nashville, TN. I’m also a world traveller, a writer of songs, a picker of strings, a fur mama to my two redheaded dogs (Gibby & Ozzy), and an enthusiast of red lipstick!
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
I think as a woman, there are two stages to any breakup; the ‘sad, reflective stage,’ and the ‘I’m gonna go all Carrie Underwood on your car’ stage. My newest single “YOUR EX” is definitely the latter. This song isn’t about taking a baseball bat to your ex’s headlights, but rather how sometimes finding happiness is the result of cutting toxicity out of your life, and how THAT is actually the best possible revenge.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
These days, I’m spending a lot of time writing about ME; Things that I have been through, places I’ve been, and people I’ve met. Whereas when I was younger and just starting out, I used to write about episodes of Dr. Phil I used to watch, relationships I never had, and about how I’d been done wrong when I hadn’t been. I know for a fact that ever since I started travelling the world, meeting men, and being screwed over (by a couple of these men), there’s been an unmatched sort of authenticity and a greater feeling of pride in my work that I hadn’t felt before. It’s the coolest thing. Shoutout to my exes for the inspiration (hehe)!
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
For the longest time, I was told that only anybody who IS anybody gets to play the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. When I went to music city for the first time as a thirteen-year-old, I thought of it as a kinda “good old boys club” thing. I used to not even be able to get in to see a show there, so the fact that I’ll be making my third appearance on one of the most famous stages in songwriting/country music history blows my mind. I never get nervous before playing shows, but whenever I’ve been getting ready to hop on the Bluebird stage, I’ve felt like I’ve needed to faint, cry and throw up all at once. There’s no way around it. Looking forward to being back on August 13th. Also looking forward to playing a bunch of dates in my home province of Ontario this summer! Can’t wait to see some new and familiar faces out and about!
What’s your goal for 2023?
If I’m singing, playing, and travelling I’m happy- but if I’m singing, playing, travelling, and connecting with people, I’m my happiest. My plan for this year? Do as much of this as possible, because if I ain’t doin’ it, I ain’t me.