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Alicia Kayley has always dreamed of singing in front of a big crowd at Ottawa Bluesfest.
As the daughter of Kevin Chief, the Juno-winning musician/dancer also known as Flying Down Thunder, Kayley grew up in a family comfortable with performing, whether they were following the powwow circuit or touring Europe.
But being picked to play Bluesfest is going to be “life-changing,” predicts the 26-year-old Orléans singer-songwriter who’s poised to release her first album this year.
Kayley is booked for July 10, the second day of this year’s edition of the festival, which runs from July 9-19 on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats Park with a slate of headliners that includes Hardy, Limp Bizkit, Gwen Stefani and more.
“I’m still absolutely floored,” Kayley said of the opportunity. “Honestly, when I applied I had no idea if I should even try because I only had one song. It’s been doing really well, but it’s still pretty new. Then my guitarist actually was like, ‘Just give it a shot.’ So I did and we got in, and it was insane.”
Ottawa singer Alicia Kayley, photographed at the Robo Lounge in Ottawa, is booked to play Ottawa Bluesfest on July 10, 2026.
Kayley is one of about a dozen Ottawa-area acts booked by the festival to round out the programming. With more than 800 submissions from independent acts between Toronto and Montreal, the competition was stiff. In all, about 40 unsigned artists from across the Ontario-Quebec region were selected this year.
For Kayley, the booking not only represents a milestone in her blossoming career but it’s also a personal high. She’s been to the festival as a fan “many, many times,” and knows the exhilaration of sharing the moment with thousands of like-minded fans.
One of her favourite memories is seeing country star Shania Twain, who’s played the festival twice in recent years, with a bestie who’s a huge fan. “It’s the best party,” Kayley says, “and honestly it’s so entertaining, and I love seeing Shania perform. It’s always something so different.”
Adele is so incredible, and just such a groundbreaking artist. … I definitely aspire to be like her.
Alicia Kayley
Kayley’s own music leans more towards R&B than country, though her influences encompass everything from pop songs on the radio to years of serious vocal training in academic settings. A graduate of Canterbury High School’s specialized vocal program, she also earned a degree in music at Carleton University.
But at one point in her education, she got the urge to stretch her powerful pipes a bit more, emulating the singers she heard on the radio. “I started getting this huge feeling of, like, ‘I need to do vocal runs,’ and I started falling in love with old-school R&B,” she recalled.
“But then I wanted to make sure I could do my pop and R&B on my own time, and maintain the classical structure and the training I was getting. I really valued that. It helped me a lot as a singer and it helped me grow.”
Kayley’s latest single, Don’t Break My Heart, is an upbeat dance track built on the emotional plea of the title lyric. It’s the first song from an album that’s being recorded in Nashville for a label headed by another Indigenous Canadian singer, Crystal Shawanda. It’s expected to drop by summer.
Shawanda, a multiple Juno Award winner, discovered the power of Kayley’s voice through videos on social media. According to Kayley: “She ended up reaching out and saying, ‘I want to give you a chance to expand past the covers’ and see what else I could do musically. Then it turned into this huge thing of, ‘Let’s sign you, come to Nashville and create an album.’ ”
One of the early reactions to Kayley’s musical style described her as an Indigenous version of Adele, the best-selling British superstar. It’s a welcome and humbling comparison.
“Adele is so incredible, and just such a groundbreaking artist,” Kayley said. “I love that she’s got such a vast variety of different styles, and that’s a lot of what I am. I definitely aspire to be like her.”
As for her Indigenous background, Kayley has roots in Algonquin, Tahltan and Northern Tutchone First Nations, and wears her culture with pride. She’s been known to add Algonquin lyrics to Canada’s national anthem, and went viral for her cover of Hozier’s Too Sweet, replacing his lyrics with hers.
“I like my bepsi sweet,” she sings in the clip, using Indigenous slang to refer to the cola, “I like my bannock with some lard and tea.”
She clearly had fun with the tune and her voice hit every note in the soaring melody, leading to an uptick in followers, especially among Indigenous youth, a demographic she’s keen to reach.
“That’s a big part of my platform,” she said. “I want to be able to inspire Indigenous youth and Indigenous people to follow their dreams.”
Lynn Saxberg is the arts reporter at the Ottawa Citizen. For years she has been covering music festivals like Bluesfest, performances at the National Arts Centre and Canadian Tire Centre, as well as art exhibitions, comedy shows, the club scene and more. Sign up to receive weekly updates from Lynn Saxberg.
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