Kelowna/Vancouver’s HALEY K TURNER’s Highly Anticipated Alt.Folk Single “Can’t Find Her” Explores Feelings Of Regret
“Can’t Find Her,” Haley K Turner’s new single feels more sinister than the organically crafted folk-pop songs on her debut album in from the dark, heard on CBC and radio across Canada.
Recorded at Monarch Studios with Juno-nominated producer Tom Dobrzanski (Said the Whale, The Zolas), the foreboding alternative folk song exudes a cold undertone. Uplifted by a clever arrangement of pop strings, Can’t Find Her blends rhythmic guitar (Adrian Glynn) and drums (Flavio Cirillo) with blunt lyrics that expose the way our mundane differences distract us from experiencing joy in long-term relationships. Or rather, the repercussions of infidelity.
Having grown up in Kelowna, the now Vancouver-based singer-songwriter infuses the visual aftermath of mass wildfires while posing a compelling question about our carefully crafted lives; what happens when we abandon them on a whim?
Turner, an indie artist, and mother with a flair for talking about hard things, rarely relies on smoke and mirrors to entice listeners into connecting with her music. It’s notable how gracefully Haley floats around genres in her releases to date while maintaining a strong identity as a songwriter. Centering around emotionally impactful lyrics that showcase a versatile artist who weaves in and out of great sadness and blind hope. Digging deep into the crevices of our lives where struggles with body image, equality, motherhood, and loss exist yet effortlessly brightening our connections to one another.
Precariously balancing the creation of music with motherhood, Haley’s releases are solely determined by what parts of herself, and her music feel right to share with her listeners at a specific moment in time.
This approach inspired the live video for Blue and Yellow released in April 2023 featuring Aline Daigle (Rumour Mill) and Adrian Glynn (The Fugitives). Addressing the war in Ukraine with a reminder that we have been here before. “History doesn’t owe us anything, it’s up to us to make it worth something.” And in May, Haley quietly shared a personal folksy song dedicated to her late Grandmother that features both her dad and her daughter, a lifelong dream of hers. All The Little Rocks beautifully offer insight into her personal life.
Haley’s spirited side shines through her authentically moving songs, especially in her delightful live performances where her ability to bring you to tears is softened by her mesmerizing sense of humour and enlightening self-deprecation.
Listen to “Can’t Find Her” below and learn more about Haley K Turner via our mini-interview.
You’ve been in this space before, and good to see you again! What’s been going on since your last single?
Thank you for your previous support in 2020, it still brings a smile to my face to have had you feature my debut LP in from the dark. You were one of the first places to support the release and you have a special place in my heart because of that.
So much has happened over the past few years. I could speak personally about my own experiences and all the ways in which the pandemic impacted things, but there have also been many negative and positive cultural shifts in our communities that matter very much to me. I have been ruminating on what has happened and is still transpiring but I am still processing it all and letting it come out in my songwriting without pressuring myself with deadlines. Musically speaking, I shared a holiday single in 2021 and a live studio video of a new song titled Blue and Yellow that I am very connected to. It was inspired by an image I saw of people protesting the war in Ukraine when it began. There was a banner of Yoko Ono’s exhibit titled “Imagine Peace” that hung just above all the people holding blue and yellow signs asking for peace. I was in awe. Given the dramatic rise in Racism, Antisemitism, and hate of all forms, Blue and Yellow was written as a reminder that “History doesn’t owe us anything. It’s up to us to make it worth something.”
Tell us about the process of writing and recording “Can’t Find Her?”
I went into the studio with a personal goal for Can’t Find Her, hoping to try some new sounds. I really really love the song Alice off of in from the dark, and I wanted to explore sounds more similar to that for this tune. Can’t Find Her makes me nervous though. It deviates from my usual approach of writing music that may dive into tough emotions but is meant to leave people feeling lighter or more connected. This one is more of a “look what you’ve done” kinda vibe and I’m not sure how it’s going to land. It has me on edge.
Can you talk about your musical community and collaborators for the song?
Yes please! When I recorded in from the dark, I hadn’t made music in over 8 years. I was resurfacing from hiding away and building my family and I only knew one person in music at that time who I had met years earlier at an open mic. Adrian Glynn (The Fugitives) then introduced me to Tom Dobrzanski, the owner of Monarch Studios who I made this recent single with along with the album. Working with Adrian and Tom at that specific moment in my life had more of an impact on me than they will ever know. Since then, I have been very fortunate to work with some outstanding and more importantly kind Canadian musicians. I think it is imperative to work with people who genuinely make the experiences enjoyable. All of these musicians brought their energy into these projects and allowed me the freedom to explore my own creatively without judgement. As for songwriting, I haven’t had the opportunity to co-write with anyone as of yet. Songwriting has always been a very personal experience for me and I wrote Can’t Find Her in the comfort of my own home alone. But I am currently very curious about exploring new ways of making music and I would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with other songwriters.
What sparked the move from Kelowna to Vancouver?
Hopes and Dreams! Seriously though, I was always a kid with big dreams of doing something meaningful and I moved to Vancouver without any friends or family to pursue a career in Film and T.V. A craft I really enjoyed at the time. It would probably take a longer conversation to fully explain why I removed myself from that industry to focus on music, but it very much had to do with my experience as a 20-something female being asked to lose a lot of weight or “dumb down my look” in order to fit into the industry’s expectations at that time. It was not a healthy situation for me and I needed to remove myself for my own wellbeing. I am pretty stubborn though and I didn’t want to stop being an artist entirely so I opted to focus on writing music which allowed me to have more control over the content and image I put out into the world. It has taken me a very long time to process that time in my life, but I think it profoundly impacted my music and my commitment to writing the way I write. I am still making sense of it all, but I think I am close to being able to articulate the destructive elements I experienced as a female in entertainment and I am passionate about advocating for change so younger generations don’t have to put up with it.
What’s the one song by a Canadian you wished you wrote?
With music, I always connect with the human first, then the lyrics. I am seeing more and more songwriters release music that I feel incredibly connected to and I often wish I was a part of the collaborations that created those songs. The things people are willing to talk about these days are offering deeper insight into our human experiences and as a mom and person who cares deeply about the state of our world, I am grateful for all these artists. So I can’t name one song I wished I had written, there are too many to name. I can tell you of some songs I am currently in awe of that I think are incredibly moving though. The Returner by Allison Russell. The strings convey a feeling I can’t explain in words and she is an incredible artist. Jill Barber’s song Homemaker, the lyrics represent the experience of so many fellow moms in my community and it makes me feel seen and less alone. Over The Edge from Aline Deanna’s upcoming album gives me chills because it describes one of life’s experiences that most of us will inevitably ponder at one point or another in our lives.