Acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Kathleen Edwards’ anticipated new album, Billionaire, is out today on Dualtone Records; stream/purchase the album HERE.
Already receiving critical attention, Edwards was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered yesterday speaking with host Mary Louise Kelly (listen HERE). Additionally, the Chicago Tribune calls Edwards “one of the wittiest, spunkiest and craftiest singer-songwriters,” while Glide Magazine praises, “Her acute lyrical bent, honesty, and flair for hooks have returned…We can celebrate that the Kathleen Edwards we fell in love with two decades ago is back, and she sounds even better than we might recall” and No Depression declares, “Edwards has always been a master of writing songs about the art of lovingly letting go, and this, in a sea of them, is one of her finest. Billionaire is a balm for trying times and putting yourself back together.”
Produced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson, the project recalls the lyrical sharpness and unflinching candor of Edwards’ acclaimed debut Failer, and consists of 10 tracks including “Save Your Soul,” which is currently #6 on the Americana Radio chart and #20 on the Triple A chart, and continuing to rise on both.
In addition to the album, a new visualizer for the title track is also out today—watch/share HERE.
Of “Billionaire,” Edwards reflects, “There isn’t a day that goes by and I don’t think the world is a little less bright because of her leaving us. The kind of person who lived the most enthusiastically and authentically, the kind of person who made others feel special in her company. Losing her isn’t just our loss, it’s the loss of everyone who never got to meet her and be changed by her magical light. If this feeling were currency, I would be a billionaire. Jason helped arrange the song and really made it feel visceral and right - it builds to the place of untethered anger and hurt; the things we can’t do to save someone who couldn’t be saved. I decided to call the record Billionaire because the word is used in such a caustic way. But we should all want to be Billionaires in life, to be rich in experience, friendship, purpose, and the pursuit of the things that bring us joy. What sense could there possibly be in losing someone so special if not to live every day honoring her memory by living life as well as she deserved.”
Additionally, her co-writer Dan Wilson shares, “Kathleen came to my studio a while back to see if we could write something together. One of the things she showed me was ‘Billionaire.’ What a heartbreaker. We ended up working on it for an afternoon but to be honest I think all the great things about it were already there when she walked through the door. Sometimes what you need from a collaborator is for them not to mess with the idea too much, so that’s what I did. I’m so proud and excited to be part of this new album, it’s just as shockingly great as her first one.”
In celebration of Billionaire, Edwards will embark on an extensive headline tour this fall including stops at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Boston’s Brighton Music Hall, Chicago’s Lincoln Hall, Ottawa’s Bronson Centre, Minneapolis’ Fine Line, Lexington’s The Burl, St. Louis’ Off Broadway and Milwaukee’s Vivarium among others. See below for full tour routing.
Along with Edwards (vocals, acoustic guitar), Isbell (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keys, synth, background vocals) and Johnson (engineer, piano, background vocals), the album includes Anna Butterss (bass), Annie Clements (bass), Chad Gamble (drums and percussion), Jen Gunderman (piano, celeste, Hammond B3 organ, Wurlizter) and Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer (background vocals).
Celebrated as one of the forebears of modern alt-country and Americana music, Edwards is beloved by fans and fellow musicians, and praised by The New York Times for her “droll, observant and unsparing tone that is all her own. In her best lines, Edwards has the conversational vernacular and emotional eloquence of a great short-story writer.” Most recently, Edwards composed the music for the forthcoming, Dan Levy-produced documentary, Lillith Fair: Building A Mystery, with fellow musician Ian LeFeuvre (out September 21 on Hulu).
Since debuting in 2003, Edwards has released five albums, including 2020’s Total Freedom—her first after stepping away from music for almost a decade. Released to overwhelming acclaim with pieces at The New Yorker, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and more, Pitchfork called it, “a creative breakthrough, written solely for the thrill of discovery,” while Rolling Stone declared it as, “devastatingly great.” Edwards also recently released a covers EP featuring special guests Isbell, Bahamas and Daniel Tashian and including renditions of Isbell's “Traveling Alone,” Bruce Springsteen's “Human Touch,” The Flaming Lips’ “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate,” Tom Petty’s “Crawling Back To You” and more. She has been nominated for multiple JUNO and Americana Awards and, in 2012, was awarded the SOCAN Songwriting Prize.
BILLIONAIRE TRACK LIST
1. Save Your Soul
2. Say Goodbye, Tell No One
3. Little Red Ranger
4. When the Truth Comes Out
5. Billionaire
6. Need A Ride
7. Little Pink Door
8. FLA
9. Other People’s Bands
10. Pine
KATHLEEN EDWARDS TOUR DATES
August 22—Hubbards, NS—The Sundown Salut
August 23—Hubbards, NS—The Sundown Salut
August 28—Burlington, ON—Royal Botanical Gardens
September 14—Albany, NY—Lark Hall
September 16—New York, NY—Bowery Ballroom
September 17—Red Bank, NJ—The Vogel @ Count Basie Center for the Arts
September 19—Fairfield, CT—The Warehouse
September 20—Camden, NJ—XPoNential Music Festival
September 21—Alexandria, VA—Birchmere
October 14—Buffalo, NY—Asbury Hall
October 15—Ithaca, NY—Hangar Theatre
October 17—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall
October 18—Northampton, MA—Academy of Music Theatre
October 19—Bethlehem, PA—Musikfest Cafe
October 22—Kent, WA—Kent Stage
October 23—Kalamazoo, MI—Bell’s
October 25—Milwaukee, WI—Vivarium
October 26—Minneapolis, MN—Fine Line
October 29—Chicago, IL—Lincoln Hall
October 30—Iowa City, IA—Englert Theatre
November 1—St. Louis, MO—Off Broadway
November 2—Lexington, KY—The Burl
November 5—Columbus, OH—The Athenaeum Theatre
November 6—Pittsburgh, PA—Thunderbird
November 8—Ottawa, ON—Bronson Centre
March 13—Miami, FL—Cayamo Cruise 2026
