Ontario Singer-Songwriter Discusses Her New Single, Musical Influences, and Unconventional Path Into Music
Richmond Hill, Ontario singer-songwriter Katie Dauson brings together country, rock and roll, rockabilly, folk, and blues in a musical career shaped by unexpected turns, family influences, and a lifelong love of songwriting.
Her single “Fresh Sugar” is a country-rock love song inspired by the feeling of finding someone who makes everything else fall into place. Written on her father’s birthday after listening to a Raspberries record, the song reflects Dauson’s instinctive approach to songwriting and her affection for classic rock and roll.
Recorded at Cleveland Sound Lab in Vaughan, Ontario, with producer and engineer James Nickle, “Fresh Sugar” was released through Frog & Bog Records. Dauson wrote and composed the song, performed the vocals and rhythm guitar, and designed its artwork.
Who Is Katie Dauson?
Katie Dauson is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Richmond Hill, Ontario, whose music spans rock and roll, country, rockabilly, blues, folk, and bluegrass.
Before pursuing music, Dauson studied physics and astronomy at York University and worked at the university’s observatory. Her journey also included time at the David Dunlap Observatory and studies in creative advertising and video game design.
A turning point came when she performed her original song “Virtual Sky” at a local open mic, an experience that helped redirect her creative ambitions toward music.
Family also plays a role in Dauson’s creative process. In her interview with Canadian Beats Media, she discusses writing “Fresh Sugar” on her father’s birthday and sharing her musical ideas with her parents and producer.
Below, Dauson discusses the inspiration behind “Fresh Sugar,” her songwriting process, her family, and the musical influences that have shaped her career.
In Conversation with Katie Dauson
Hi, Katie! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Thank you. I’m a Canadian singer-songwriter from Richmond Hill, Ontario. I currently have eight studio albums and multiple singles available for your listening pleasure. Everything is available in hard copy from my website, katiedauson.ca as well as on all digital services. I’m a multi-genre artist, covering everything from folk to rock and roll, as well as country and rockabilly and blues. When I’m in the recording studio, I only record music that I’ve written, even though I listen to a lot of music in general that’s not mine, obviously, preferably on vinyl.
“Fresh Sugar” apparently came together on your dad’s birthday, after one spin of a Raspberries record handed you the hook and title at the same time. Walk me through that moment. Did you actually stop the record mid-song, or did it play all the way through before you moved?
I was listening to the Raspberries album, Side 3 on vinyl when the title and hook of Fresh Sugar came to me. Quick side note: the vinyl cover is a really cool die cut cover in the shape of a basket of raspberries, and the music on it is just as good. What happened was side B of the record was spinning, and the first song of the side called, I’m a Rocker, which has nothing to do with the way Fresh Sugar sounds. The title, Fresh Sugar just popped into my head, and then I started singing to myself “you’re just like fresh sugar baby, it’s the sweetest thing I know, your lovin’ drives me crazy, and you electrify my soul”. I didn’t stop the record; I let it play through to the end because it’s a great album. But, I did keep singing the hook to myself over and over so I wouldn’t forget it. When the record was finished, I scribbled down those lyrics that I knew would be the hook, then my Dad went out to pick up his birthday dinner, and while he was out, I wrote the song. I didn’t want to initially give any hint that I was going to write a song; I wanted to surprise my Dad with a hopefully, good song.
You wrote this one in the family room of your house, which you’ve said is where you write almost everything. What is it about that specific room that makes it the place where songs actually happen for you?
My turntable and stereo system are in the family room, as well as a coffee table. I think just the idea of having that turntable there helps inspire me to write music in that room. I keep an acoustic guitar nearby too, so that I can write the music for the lyrics of the songs. It really just boils down to being comfortable to spill my guts in music in this room.
You wrote, composed, sang, played rhythm guitar, and even designed the artwork for this single yourself. At what point in your process do you decide something’s finished, when there’s no one else’s voice in the room to weigh in?
I don’t live alone, and I always bounce my music and ideas off my parents as well as my producer, James Nickle, whose opinion I value greatly. He’ll always give me very unbiased reviews of songs when I send them to him. As for the artwork, it’s more of an afterthought, when I’m getting ready to do a release, whether that be for an album, or a single.
Your sound pulls from rock and roll, rockabilly, surf rock, country, folk and bluegrass, with influences ranging from The Beatles to Fats Domino to Gordon Lightfoot. How does a song like “Fresh Sugar” decide which of those influences gets to lead?
All the artists I enjoy listening to may inspire me, but they are not the ones that choose any direction for any specific song for me. I don’t sit there and think about exactly what genre a song is going to be while I’m writing it. It just is what it is. I tend to have a feeling after I’ve written the song and played it a few times on guitar what the final product should sound like, but that comes after the initial writing process.
Upcoming Shows:
October 23, 2026, El Mocambo Tavern, Toronto, Ontario
For more from Katie Dauson, revisit our coverage of her single “Get Ready.”
