Sister Ray: Leaving the big sky country for Toronto

Before Sister Ray, otherwise known as Ella Coyes, was a Juno-nominated, Toronto-based artist, they were a kid growing up in Sturgeon County.

“Folk festivals are such a big thing here,” they said. “I think you grow up in the tradition of roots music, more than maybe other places.”

Those ties to the folk scene are evident in both the style and lyricism of Coyes’ music. Folk music played a big role in growing their interest in music, but so did growing up around Métis music. 

“I grew up with a lot of that music, and it’s regional, I guess,” Coyes said. “I think that played a big part, not necessarily how the music sounds, but wanting to play music and I think wanting to be a storyteller, kind of follow that path.”

Their career ultimately led them to move out east. They’ve found a lot of other Alberta transplants in Toronto too. While Alberta’s music scene has a lot of great venues, there are just more people in Toronto, Coyes said.

“There were more venues when I was living here pre-pandemic, right? Which happened everywhere, places closed in Toronto too,” they explained. “But I think there, there’s just more venues and so there’s more playing.”

Still, Coyes misses the big sky and DIY, fighting attitudes of artists in the Edmonton scene.

“It’s a real spirit I think because there’s so much fight here, and in Toronto you don’t have to. It’s just sort of everywhere all the time,” they said.

The abundance of live music and artists in Toronto provides a lot of inspiration for Coyes. Toronto also has more diversity in its kinds of music because it draws so many people from different places.

“When you’re at a really good show, you want to leave halfway through because you’re so excited to go work,” they said. “I feel that a lot going into shows. Sort of halfway through, I’m not present anymore because I’m really excited … to go home.”

Celebrating their Juno nomination with family and friends

In between playing shows, they’ve been focused on releasing singles rather than putting together a whole album. 

“A record is a big undertaking,” Coyes said. There tends to be more pressure to pin down the themes and cohesion in a record. 

“The singles are really free from that,” they said. “It’s just sort of like, I like that song … and I’d love to be able to play it at the shows a bunch and have it in the universe.”

Both of their recent singles, “Planet News” and “Chewing On The Rind,” got plenty of play time — and love — at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Earlier this year, Coyes got their first Juno nomination for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year for Believer. Being nominated for a Juno wasn’t even on their radar until their management sent them a text about the nominations getting announced. 

At the Juno awards, it was mostly about being around a bunch of friends and celebrating each other. “There’s a lot of people [at the Junos] that I see all the time, but we were just dressed nicer.”

Another bonus of the nomination was getting to share it with family. “It’s hard to explain to your family what your job is, right? And explain the wins of your job, it’s so few and far between, the day-to-day wins.”

Coyes explained that the Juno nomination was a little like getting to tell their family they got a promotion. “It translated outside of the world of the people I went with and it was really nice. It was really a special thing to be able to share with my family.”