Crystal Keyamo
When Aysanabee wrote “Edge of The Earth,” he was processing something we have all been through; that moment when you realize it’s time to let go and move on. His new single digs into the complicated feelings of looking back on a relationship and wondering if you could have done more.
“I had been holding onto this feeling of thinking I could have done better, worked harder at it, been a thousand places at once,” he explains. “Sometimes those things just are impossible — time is finite and we only have so much of it, and sometimes it bites you.”
But don’t mistake this for your typical breakup song. Rather than wallowing in the past, Aysanabee sees it as more about growth and evolution. “I wouldn’t say it’s about forgetting the past as much as it is about learning from it, growing and moving forward in a good way,” he says.
For the production, Aysanabee teamed up with his friend and producer Derek Hoffman. Together, they built on Aysanabee’s signature guitar sound, adding bigger, more expansive elements that really shine in the chorus. The partnership clearly works — Aysanabee lights up when talking about working with Hoffman, saying they challenge each other in all the right ways.
The single comes after a big year for Aysanabee, following his JUNO wins and the success of his album Watin. When asked how his approach to music has changed since then, he keeps it simple: “I love to stay curious and to challenge myself.” He sees “Edge of The Earth” as a bridge between his earlier sound and where he’s heading next musically.
What’s refreshing about Aysanabee is how honest he is about his songwriting process. Unlike artists who might claim they are trying to change the world with every track, he just focuses on being real. “I tend to write music that reflects pieces of myself and pieces of the people in my life,” he says. “When people connect to it, I am humbled.”
Beyond the music, Aysanabee is making good on an important promise. He’s currently on his “Now and Then Tour,” where he’s making a point of bringing along other Indigenous artists as opening acts. This isn’t just for show; it’s personal. As he explains, two Indigenous women helped launch his own career, and at the JUNOs, he made a public commitment to pay it forward: “I asked all the indig artists to stand up, and I said, ‘it was Indigenous women who opened the door for me, so I’m gonna take off those hinges and take you with me.'”
The promise hits even closer to home because of his grandfather’s final words to him: “Do the things you say you’re gonna do.” Aysanabee is clearly taking that advice to heart.
Fans can catch Aysanabee performing “Edge of The Earth” live at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in Fredericton, NB on March 8, where he’ll be joined by special guest Wolf Castle. Based on what we’ve heard about the new single and his live shows, it’s bound to be a night worth catching.
