Following up the release of her Polaris short-listed and Juno-nominated 2019 debut album Fear, Winnipeg's Begonia — a.k.a. singer-songwriter Alexa Dirks — has shared details of her latest album Powder Blue. It's due to arrive on February 24 through Birthday Cake Records.
UPDATE (1/18, 10:41 a.m. ET): Dirks has mapped out several new Canadian tour dates in support of the record. Check out the latest in bold below.
"Powder Blue is more of an emotion," Dirks said of the forthcoming release. "It makes me think of my baby blanket, the colour of the Virgin Mary's shawl at the church Christmas play, the airiness of clouds on a summer day, chlorine-filled water in a hotel pool, Elvis in the '70s wearing an ill-fitting jumpsuit, the wallpaper in my room growing up, the collection of faded denim jackets in my basement."
She continued:
The name of this album needed to be something that encompasses all of the feelings that these songs give me when they are put together. When I listen to them as a unit, they send me back to the words, the colour. To me, this album holds a muted nostalgia, musings on childhood, the complexities of new love, self love, religion, virginity, and sexuality. There's an indulgence in emotional depth and pain yet also an indulgence in love and a poppy lightness—two sides I've always tried to balance. I feel like I let my guard down even more with this record and decided to not hold back on either end.
The album is previewed today by lead single "Right Here," which arrives alongside a music video directed by Eric Peterson. Dirks described the lockdown-written track as "a love song for all my friends." Watch that below.
Dirks is due to head out on a brief North American tour this month. See the full schedule and the Powder Blue tracklisting below.
Powder Blue:
1. Chasing Every Sunrise
2. Heaven
3. Married by Elvis
4. Right Here
5. I'm Not Dying
6. Marigold
7. Butterfly
8. Cold Night
9. Crying
10. Bleeding Heart
11. The Only One
12. NYE2013
Begonia 2022–2023 Tour Dates:
11/10 Los Angeles, CA - Hotel Cafe
11/12 San Francisco, CA - Milk Bar
11/14 Seattle, WA - Sunset
11/15 Portland OR - Hawthorne Lounge
11/18 Revelstoke, BC - Revelstoke PAC
11/19 Vernon, BC - Vernon & District PAC
11/21 Penticton, BC - Cleland Community Centre
11/22 Nelson, BC - Capitol Theatre
02/23 Kitchener, ON - The Museum
02/24 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
02/25 Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware
02/28 Ottawa, ON - Club Saw
03/01 Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB
03/02 New York City, NY – Mercury Lounge
03/04 Harrisburg, PA – Stage on Herr @ Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
03/05 Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy
03/07 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall
03/09 Charlotte, NC – Evening Muse
03/10 Nashville, TN – The Basement
03/15 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
03/16 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
03/18 Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
03/19 Hot Springs, AR – Valley of Vapors Festival
04/11 Chicago, IL - Schuba's
04/13 Detroit, MI - Parliament Room at Otis Supply
04/16 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
04/18 Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
04/20 Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall
05/02 Denver, CO - Globe Hall
05/03 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
05/08 San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
05/10 Los Angeles, CA - Hotel Cafe
05/11 Sacramento, CA - Scarlet Room
05/12 San Francisco, CA - Amado's
05/16 Bend, OR - Volcanic Theater
05/18 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Lounge
05/19 Seattle, WA - The Sunset Tavern
UPDATE (1/18, 10:41 a.m. ET): Dirks has mapped out several new Canadian tour dates in support of the record. Check out the latest in bold below.
"Powder Blue is more of an emotion," Dirks said of the forthcoming release. "It makes me think of my baby blanket, the colour of the Virgin Mary's shawl at the church Christmas play, the airiness of clouds on a summer day, chlorine-filled water in a hotel pool, Elvis in the '70s wearing an ill-fitting jumpsuit, the wallpaper in my room growing up, the collection of faded denim jackets in my basement."
She continued:
The name of this album needed to be something that encompasses all of the feelings that these songs give me when they are put together. When I listen to them as a unit, they send me back to the words, the colour. To me, this album holds a muted nostalgia, musings on childhood, the complexities of new love, self love, religion, virginity, and sexuality. There's an indulgence in emotional depth and pain yet also an indulgence in love and a poppy lightness—two sides I've always tried to balance. I feel like I let my guard down even more with this record and decided to not hold back on either end.
The album is previewed today by lead single "Right Here," which arrives alongside a music video directed by Eric Peterson. Dirks described the lockdown-written track as "a love song for all my friends." Watch that below.
Dirks is due to head out on a brief North American tour this month. See the full schedule and the Powder Blue tracklisting below.
Powder Blue:
1. Chasing Every Sunrise
2. Heaven
3. Married by Elvis
4. Right Here
5. I'm Not Dying
6. Marigold
7. Butterfly
8. Cold Night
9. Crying
10. Bleeding Heart
11. The Only One
12. NYE2013
Begonia 2022–2023 Tour Dates:
11/10 Los Angeles, CA - Hotel Cafe
11/12 San Francisco, CA - Milk Bar
11/14 Seattle, WA - Sunset
11/15 Portland OR - Hawthorne Lounge
11/18 Revelstoke, BC - Revelstoke PAC
11/19 Vernon, BC - Vernon & District PAC
11/21 Penticton, BC - Cleland Community Centre
11/22 Nelson, BC - Capitol Theatre
02/23 Kitchener, ON - The Museum
02/24 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
02/25 Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware
02/28 Ottawa, ON - Club Saw
03/01 Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB
03/02 New York City, NY – Mercury Lounge
03/04 Harrisburg, PA – Stage on Herr @ Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
03/05 Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy
03/07 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall
03/09 Charlotte, NC – Evening Muse
03/10 Nashville, TN – The Basement
03/15 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
03/16 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
03/18 Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City Music Hall
03/19 Hot Springs, AR – Valley of Vapors Festival
04/11 Chicago, IL - Schuba's
04/13 Detroit, MI - Parliament Room at Otis Supply
04/16 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
04/18 Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
04/20 Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall
05/02 Denver, CO - Globe Hall
05/03 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
05/08 San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
05/10 Los Angeles, CA - Hotel Cafe
05/11 Sacramento, CA - Scarlet Room
05/12 San Francisco, CA - Amado's
05/16 Bend, OR - Volcanic Theater
05/18 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Lounge
05/19 Seattle, WA - The Sunset Tavern