Rebekah Hawker

With roots in church choir harmonies and songwriting prowess built on a folk-rock adolescence, it’s not so surprising that Rebekah Hawker ultimately found herself at the intersection of country and folk. Raised in a bustling household in Barrie, Ontario as the near-youngest among 10 siblings, her exposure to the mid-00s indie-rock scene in Toronto, spearheaded by bands like Broken Social Scene, Zeus, Feist and Kathleen Edwards, emboldened her musical aspirations thanks to their global success and accessible influence. The pivotal moment for Hawker arrived when her friend Will Crann, tied to Hamilton’s Catherine North Studios, asked the pivotal question: “when are we gonna make your country record?”

By “country,” Hawker embraces the full spectrum—from John Prine’s lore-spinning to Linda Ronstadt’s honeyed vocals, Kacey Musgraves’ resilient sheen, and the vulnerability of Edwards. Hawker’s latest single “Ticket” is a classic midtempo country song about two things that never go out of style, in any genre: broken hearts and broken dreams. She sings of bastards and radio play, social media and getting ghosted, but flips the script in a canny way, declaring a positive outlook despite the rest: “I’m satisfied with the long shot / I’ve got a ticket.” To have hope is better than the alternative. “You’re on your own,” she says, “deciding that this thing has worth.”

Rebekah Hawker’s debut single ‘Round of Fools’ was released in 2019 and quickly found placement on Spotify’s ‘Fresh Finds’ editorial playlist. Her music has been heard on The Strombo Show and other CBC Radio programming. In 2020 Rebekah’s song ‘Catch You’ won Folk Music Ontario’s Songs from the Heart award and in 2022 she was an official showcasing artist at their annual conference. She was a selected participant in the 2023 RBC x Music Entrepreneurship Program at Daniels Launchpad Toronto and her latest single “Ticket” (released with the support of FACTOR) found placement on Gems on VHS’s monthly playlist. With support from Ontario Arts Council she is currently working on her followup EP to be released Spring 2025.