About Arlyss.
Arlyss Southin – (her real name, seemingly made for country music) fulfills the country cliche of growing up in a small town, by way of Nakusp, BC.
Grateful to have grown up in the literal wilderness, Arlyss traded in her bear-smarts for street-smarts after falling in love with the western influences and musicality of Calgary, AB, Canada’s country music capital.
Arlyss’ path has been unconventional, but inspiring, from learning to sing ‘opera’ from a parrot in her childhood years, to gradually finding her footing as an adult living with mental illness. A self-proclaimed ‘late-bloomer’ to the music industry, working with the right team granted her the opportunity to find a crack in the pavement, giving her the space to finally grow and find her voice.
Songwriting began as a form of therapy for Arlyss, and when she finally mustered the courage to join an artist development program with Rockit vocal studios, the final product was ‘Crazy from A to Z’ written, recorded and released in March 2022. Arlyss has an unwavering desire to write music that helps people better understand, visualize, and bring respect to people struggling with mental illness. This is the fuel that keeps her engine running day after day,
Often being compared to Dolly Parton from her fan-favourite cover of ‘Jolene’, Country music is Arlyss’ home, and her raw emotion, powerful voice and vulnerability invites everyone (and their dog) inside for a cup of coffee, or a beer. Taking inspiration from lyrical masters like Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift, Arlyss has a love for clever lyrics and word-play which makes for a captivating listen.
Holding her microphone in her right hand, Arlyss displays a semicolon tattoo on the outside of her wrist, in support of projectsemicolon, a community she’s grateful to be a part of. You can find Arlyss performing acoustically in music and wedding venues across Calgary, and she is always up for a deep conversation over small talk.
Freshly inspired from her recent trip to Nashville, Arlyss has new music in the works and her debut EP ‘Overshare” is planned to be released September 28, 2023. Thank you for being a part of Arlyss’ journey.
