From Cabaret to Studio, Kelly Clipperton Finds Renewal with “Summer’s Gone”
Toronto’s own Kelly Clipperton has long embodied the role of Renaissance man, and with his latest release “Summer’s Gone,” he cements his place among the great survivors and visionaries of Canadian music. His artistry, spanning four decades in theatre, film, fashion, and song, proves that endurance and reinvention are not just survival tactics, but an ethos of creation itself.
“I honestly didn’t know I had this live piece in me,” Kelly reflects on his cabaret triumph Let’s Assume I Know Nothing, And Move Forward From There. Directed by Naomi Campbell, the show sold out The Monarch Tavern in May 2024 and returned for a two-week run at Factory Theatre the following March. “It proved to be the vehicle that pulled everything I do together,” he says, from designing costumes and projections to embodying his own grandmothers on film.
This instinct for integration has defined Kelly’s entire career.
“I’ve worked as a producer, songwriter, playwright, singer, designer, actor, stylist, photographer, filmmaker and former PSW,” he explains, tracing a path that has landed him on the covers of NOW, eye, Xtra!, Capital Xtra!, The Star, The Globe and Mail, Boom, Prairie Dog, Windsor Star, Fab and Out. His band Kelly & The Kellygirls released seven recordings between 2004 and 2014, toured across Canada, the UK and the US, and reached indie chart success with the singles “Catherine Deneuve and the Deus Ex Machina,” “Better Times” and “Vodka + Cynicism.”
“Summer’s Gone” arrives as Kelly’s first new single in over a decade and signals the beginning of a fresh era. Written in the afterglow of his cabaret’s closing night, it channels the bittersweet rush of endings that spark new beginnings. “As I was saying goodbye to the team on the closing night of my show, I had an overwhelming feeling of: this will never happen again. Not like this at least,” he recalls. “It felt like saying goodbye to new friends you made during summer camp.” The next day, the song poured out of him in a single sitting at the piano.
The track blooms with shimmering imagery and aching memory. “Live inside my gaze and wave goodbye / never get lost please come along,” Kelly sings, his voice carrying the heat of nostalgia. Elsewhere, his lyrics ache with clarity: “Crystallize and baby your summer’s gone.” There’s longing, yes, but there is also release—a moving on that makes room for what’s next.
Anchored in pulsing production and intimate vocals, “Summer’s Gone” resounds as both a personal elegy and a communal hymn. Kelly captures what it feels like to hold tight to a moment that can’t return, while finding strength in the inevitability of change. “I want some sweetness in my throat / there was a time when I believed that this heatwave was the only way out,” he sings, revealing both the vulnerability and resolve that mark his latest work.
Such creative resilience defines Kelly’s enduring place in Canadian arts. Forty years into a career that began with a York University BFA in Theatre, he continues to move seamlessly between disciplines. His work is never bound to one medium, but united by a singular drive: to craft, to connect, to leave audiences changed.
What sets Kelly apart is not only his versatility but his vision. As a gay artist who has long embraced representation and authenticity, his music and performance carry the weight of lived experience.
“I reflected on going to IMC music camp at 16 and the boys I had crushes on and the ease I felt, possibly for the first time as a young gay man, in the company of these other musicians,” he shares. That memory of freedom, joy, and belonging still pulses through his art today.
“Summer’s Gone” is the first glimpse of a full-length album expected in spring 2026, his first in twelve years. If the single is any indication, the album will not simply mark a return, but a revelation: a summation of everything Kelly has lived and a declaration of what still lies ahead.
Kelly Clipperton stands as proof that longevity in music is not about holding on—it’s about letting go at the right time, so that new work can emerge. “Summer’s Gone” is a song of farewell, but also a bright introduction to a future that Kelly continues to shape with passion, persistence, and brilliance.
Hi, Kelly! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Hey Kids! My name is Kelly Clipperton. I used an initial in front of my name for the longest time, to ‘toughen up’ my girl’s name, but we kicked that to the curb in the middle of the Rona. I’m what the Edwardians called a Renaissance Man… I’m in constant motion and create and learn at all times but Music has been my major focus throughout my life. I recently wrote, produced and performed what I called a one-man-lady-cabaret show for 2 weeks at the Factory this past Spring… so I’ve got my toes in a plethora of questionable pools.
“Summer’s Gone” **was written** the day after your cabaret closed—what was it about that moment that sparked such instant creativity?
Summer’s Gone came from a very sincere moment: As I was saying goodbye to the team on the closing night of my show I had an overwhelming feeling of : “this will never happen again. Not like this at least. I will see these people again, but never in this capacity”… It felt like saying goodbye to new friend’s you made during summer camp. Sure you’ll keep in touch but the intensity of the weeks you just spent together will never come around again.
The next day Summer’s Gone was written in about an hour on piano (with Soul II Soul’s Back To Life in the back of my head). I reflected on going to IMC music camp at 16 and the boys I had crushes on and the ease I felt, possibly for the first time as a young gay man, in the company of these other musicians…and the lyrics came very easily. Summer will always remain my favourite time of year. I am most myself in the summer heat.
You’ve worked across theatre, film, music, fashion, and more. How do these disciplines feed into each other in your creative process?
One can certainly pull focus more than others at times, but I think they all level and balance and collide quite continuously. In my 20s I’d go from 5 hair clients, to a photoshoot, to a bartending gig, to a band rehearsal all in a day. Now at 56 I’m being a touch more judicious I suppose. I’ve got the energy most certainly but the thrill has shifted to panic now lolz.
Your career has spanned four decades—what keeps you inspired to keep reinventing and moving forward?
Learning new things. Challenging myself. Surprising myself… we are in the midst of turning my show into a film (all the while writing and producing this new album), and though I’ve made many short films over the years, it is exciting to stretch my abilities, dream bigger and discover something unexpected in the process.
Looking ahead to your 2026 album, what do you hope listeners take away from this next chapter?
The predictable answer would include some observation about how life begins at ___ and there’s so much more to give and do in your grown-up years…, but for me I think it’s way more nuanced. It has been 12 years since I’ve released material that I’ve written. I honestly didn’t think I had anything left to say. I turned the switch back on. Simple as that. I’ve learned to sing in new ways since doing the show and that has been a big part of these new songs. It’s a pop record ostensibly, but writing from the perspective of a gay man way into his midlife is kinda …refreshing… I witness musicians, as they age, feel pressure to be tween friendly, and that’s fine, but I have no pressure on me other than the expectation I put on myself to write songs I think are catchy and interesting. That’s what I hope translates.