Donovan Woods announces new label End X Music and first signee Cassidy Mann – debut single ‘Election Night’ is out now here.
Award-winning songwriter and recording artist Donovan Woods and his long-time manager Michelle Szeto have just announced the launch of their brand new label, End X Music (End Times Music), distributed via The Orchard, and the border-straddling Toronto and Nashville-based imprint is wasting no time loading their roster with inspiring new talent. End X Music’s first signed artist is Cassidy Mann, who released “Election Night”—her first single with the label—today. Written by tweaking melodies with co-producer Roman Clarke (Taylor Janzen, Olivia Lunny), “Election Night” captures the intense awakening and transformation that many people experienced over the four years of the prior U.S. presidency. “Michelle and I were introduced to Cassidy Mann and her songwriting through a songwriting workshop,” says Woods. “I’m so sensitive to word choices and Cassidy’s thrilled me over and over, immediately. Natural songwriters have a ruthless eye for telling detail and they make you feel—they don’t tell you how to feel. Cassidy’s a natural. Her work came to us as a fully-formed artistic point-of-view. It’s all there, and it’s been a joy to watch it gather steam.” Please visit this link to watch Mann’s “Election Night” visualizer or click here to stream or purchase “Election Night” today.
Szeto recalls the moment End X Music’s first signing fell into place: “Since Donovan and I started working together over 5 years ago, the idea of sharing what we’ve learned and the relationships we’ve built with another artist has always thrilled us,” she says. “We never questioned the hard work that would come with it, but rather, we didn’t think we would ever agree on an artist. When we independently came across Cassidy and sent her music to one another, it was a coincidence we couldn’t ignore. Cassidy’s songwriting and production skills are beyond her years, and we’ve been endlessly impressed with her creative instincts.”
Entwining her acoustic roots with gentle electronic textures, Cassidy Mann often reshapes a small moment into a powerful and poetic song that feels both personal and relatable. “My favorite thing is to write about tiny things that make the bigger picture more important somehow,” Mann says. The lyrics of “Election Night” focus on a couple that moved beyond just friends that night but ultimately ended as strangers. “Trump’s Presidency was hell for a lot of people and you hear about that a lot, especially from a political standpoint,” says Mann. “I think it’s a really important conversation, but throughout all of it, I was also craving the more intimate stories. I wanted to explore the idea of how the whole overarching narrative of that time affected people’s personal relationships.
“For me, those four years felt like this kind of general awakening. I was watching people around me change or come into themselves as a direct result of social justice movements. It was becoming really clear what mattered to me when it came to morals, values, and the kind of people I wanted in my life. There was so much intensity during that election, it felt like everyone was reaching out for someone to hold, someone to feel safe beside.”
More About Cassidy Mann: Growing up in the Prairies of Winnipeg, Mann has been singing since she could talk. Her parents bought her a guitar as a birthday present when she was 9. By 14, she started taking songwriting more seriously and her emerging talent led to a nomination for Aboriginal Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Watch for more news about Cassidy soon and keep up to date via her WEBSITE, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK pages.
More About End X Music: The core of End Times’ mission is transparency and adaptability. In the world of streaming, the data is available. Artists should understand their expenses and their earnings as well as anyone they work with. It allows us to interpret and react to how, why, and where songs are being discovered.
There are many pathways to success, and success looks different to everyone. Every artist and every project is unique and artists should be confident that the team built around them is being created thoughtfully and purposefully in service of their individuality.
We’ll focus on songwriters, regardless of genre, and work together to make their music valuable by getting it to people who will use it and love it.
Discover more at endxmusic.com.
