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She's a Forest Fire 3:310:00/3:31
Biography
Amanda Penner is a queer Edmonton Folk singer/songwriter. An observer of people and nature, their music communicates wonder, fear, hope, and a genuine interest in the tender beauty of humanity. Coping through creation, Penner delivers a familiar lyricism, similar to artists like Gregory Alan Isakov and Brandi Carlile. With each listen, Penner delivers complexity, wit, and wisdom far beyond their years.
Penner’s single, “She’s a Forest Fire” (2023), is a smooth and string-based invitation to honour the earth-given, complex parts of us as the forces of nature we are. Penner’s words float over the familiar, safe-feeling acoustics of a gentle folk song but speak with a fierce introspection that resounds one final truth. “We are wild and soft, we are waxing and waning, we are everchanging and oh-so beautiful for all of it,” says Penner.
Penner is an established singer-songwriter who can guide a crowd from tears to laughter in a single evening. They played at the Canmore Folk Festival in support of their first EP, Honey & Heartache (2019). Penner has since had the joy of connecting with kindred audiences and musicians alike at festivals such as the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (2022) and the Lethbridge Roots Festival (2022).
When Penner is not working on their solo project, they’re community-building through the establishment of Toadstool Collective. “This collective features and gathers queer musicians, artists, writers and creatives to celebrate the communities and folks I hold most dear,” says Penner.