Mandy Faye Releases Joyful New Children’s Jazz Album, My Friends, Celebrating Community
Mandy Faye (they/them), formerly Music With Mandy, the beloved Calgary-based children’s artist best described as “The Wiggles meets Diana Krall” – is thrilled to announce the release of their new album, My Friends, out now. A richly layered journey through the many facets of friendship, the album travels across jazz, swing, bossa nova, and beyond, showcasing Mandy’s signature gift for crafting music that delights children while pulling grown-ups into the joy right alongside them.
Recorded with an all-star ensemble of Alberta’s finest jazz and children’s musicians – including Matt Morris on piano, Kodi Hutchinson on bass, Jim Johnston on drums, André Wickenheiser on cornet, Carsten Rubeling on trombone, Keith O’Rourke on clarinet, and even Bob Fenske on spoons – ‘My Friends’ is a genuine collaborative achievement. Each track is a carefully crafted invitation into a world where imagination, kindness, and togetherness take centre stage. From the rollicking energy of “Sugar Rush” to the tender warmth of “A Little Time,” the album pulses with authenticity and genuine musical sophistication – the kind that earns it a rightful place on grown-up playlists, too.
The heart of the album is community – the kind that forms across distances, across differences, and across kitchen tables laden with holiday food. The track “Celebrate Over Supper” captures this spirit with vivid warmth: “We’ll celebrate over supper / Laughin’, eatin’, talkin’ with friends / Celebrate over supper / Then we go play in the den.” The song was inspired by Mandy’s upbringing as a “Misplaced Manitoban” in Medicine Hat, Alberta – where their family, far from extended relatives, built a chosen family of friends who gathered each Christmas to share traditional foods, hot tub misadventures, and the particular magic of belonging. It is storytelling that resonates across generations.
That theme of connection across distance runs beautifully through “Travelling,” one of the album’s most tender moments. Drawn from Mandy’s own experience of a family scattered across Canada – with parents in Manitoba and a brother in the Yukon – the song captures the pull of the road trip and the joy waiting at the end of it: “I’d drive all day long / And some of the night / Cross the miles between us / So we can reunite.” It is a song that speaks to anyone who has ever counted the kilometres to someone they love – and it lands with resonance for young listeners navigating friendships across school transitions, neighbourhoods, and life changes.
Mandy Faye’s path to becoming one of Canada’s most distinctive children’s artists is as singular as their sound. Grounded in jazz studies at MacEwan University and honed through years of teaching music across Alberta – they are currently a vocal instructor with the Calgary Stampede’s Young Canadians School and an early childhood music instructor at Chinook School of Music – Mandy brings a rare educator’s intentionality to every song they write. Their performances have captivated audiences at the International Children’s Festival for the Arts, Red Deer Children’s Festival, JazzYYC, Calgary Pride, and the National Music Centre, earning multiple YYC Music Award nominations and a WCMA nod along the way. Beginning in early April, Mandy is also releasing weekly interdisciplinary lesson plans that are aligned with Alberta Curriculum on their YouTube channel to help Alberta teachers bring music curriculum alive – a testament to their belief that music education is not a supplement but a foundation.
“Kids’ music has the power to be nostalgic and innovative at the same time,” says Mandy. “I get to write songs that inspire the next generation, while also creating moments where adults can reconnect with joy and play alongside their kids. What could be better than that?”
My Friends is the fullest expression of that philosophy to date – an album conceived in the spirit of togetherness and built in collaboration with some of Alberta’s most gifted musicians. Songs like “Vacation in the Stars” and “Sugar Rush,” which grew out of songwriting sessions with young collaborators, have already inspired Mandy to launch a songwriting workshop that has been presented dozens of times across Canada, proving the music’s capacity to spark creativity in kids everywhere.
To celebrate the release, Mandy Faye will bring My Friends to stages across Alberta this spring. The album release concert takes place May 3, 2026 at cSpace King Edward in Calgary, followed by performances at the International Children’s Festival of the Arts in St. Albert on May 29–30, and the inaugural Chestermere Children’s Festival on June 20. These shows promise to be everything Mandy Faye does best – high-energy, heartfelt, and utterly magnetic for audiences of all ages.
Hi, Mandy! Good to see you again! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
I am a non-binary jazz vocalist, children’s entertainer and educator based out of Calgary. I love searching for whimsy, spending time with friends and, of course, making music.
“My Friends” feels like a celebration of chosen family. How did your own experiences shape the emotional core of this album?
It definitely is. The music is inspired by the folks who helped me write it, the friends I’ve had since I was a kid in Medicine Hat, and my family, who I’m lucky to also call my friends.
The opening tidbit — it’s less than a minute, so I’m hesitant to call it a tune — was written in collaboration with some young singers I was performing with. We had a certain number of rehearsals scheduled, and they learned their parts so quickly that we had time left over. So we decided to collaborate on a song: How to Make a Friend.
Travelling and Celebrate Over Supper come from my experiences with my family. I’ve always lived away from my grandparents, and now I’m in a different province from my parents and brother, so road trips have always been the most economical way to spend time together. And in our home, we celebrate togetherness with great food. My parents are incredible cooks, and I like to think they passed those skills on to my brother and me as well.
You collaborate with incredible musicians. What did those partnerships bring out in the songs that might not have happened solo?
Oh, this album would have been nothing without the musicians I work with. This question brings the from Ani Difranco’s song, This album would have been nothing without the musicians I work with. This question brings a line from Ani DiFranco’s song “Fuel” to mind: “People used to make records / As in a record of an event / The event of people playing music in a room.” And that’s what this record is. Admittedly, the vocals were re-recorded with my wonderful vocal producer, Carol-Lynne Quinn, after the beds were laid down — but those beds were recorded live in a room with the band. I sang along with every take, and we brought these ideas to life together.
I was also lucky enough to collaborate with other children’s musicians and some incredibly talented young people. I’ve always felt quite lonely in my creative process, and this helped me rediscover the joy of shared experience that originally drew me to music.
You blend jazz, swing, and bossa nova into children’s music. What draws you to these styles for young listeners?
Jazz is improvisational by nature, and anyone who has spent time with young children knows you need to be ready to improvise! I also think most kids swing naturally — and then have to be taught to play music straight in lessons. Think about the things you did as a child: running, jumping, skipping. They all have a lilt that translates naturally to a swing feel in music.
I like to draw on the many feels available within and adjacent to jazz because some people only associate jazz with elevator music and write it off. I want to give kids a chance to experience a plethora of genres so they can confidently say things like, “I love Manouche jazz and the Charleston, but bossa nova isn’t really my jam.”
And honestly — I need to listen to and perform these songs, hopefully for the rest of my life, so it needs to be music I love. Jazz is my favourite genre, so it just makes sense. I write it for the kids, but at the end of the day, the person who’ll listen to it the most is probably me — so I should love it!
If a child takes one feeling or idea away from “My Friends,” what do you hope stays with them the longest?
I hope it makes them feel more connected to another human. Maybe it’s the aunt who plays Let’s Play Pretend ten times in a row so they can dance like crazy in the living room, or the trombone player who inspires them to take lessons. Maybe it’s a parent they get to spend time with, listening to music while making supper.
I’m happy to share my friends with you if you’re feeling disconnected — because I think being part of a community is integral to living a fulfilling life in this world.
TOUR DATES:
May 3, 2026 – Album Release Concert | cSpace King Edward | Calgary, Alberta. Tickets here.
May 4, 2026 – Album Release Concert I cSpace King Edward | Calgary, Alberta. Tickets here.
May 29–30, 2026 – International Children’s Festival of the Arts | St. Albert, Alberta
June 20, 2026 – Chestermere Children’s Festival | Chestermere, Alberta