Victoria Canal’s Pop Brilliance | Acoustic Guitar Sessions

On a recent tour, singer-songwriter Victoria Canal stopped by the AG studio to play some music and talk about her new album, Slowly it Dawns. 

In this trio of songs—“June Baby,” “Yes Man,” and “15%,”—Canal shares not only her talents as songwriter, but as a vocalist and performer. Despite performing in a small room for an audience of just three (me; her tour manager; and her accompanying guitarist, Callaghan Kevany), Canal put her entire heart and soul into playing these songs. 

A theme emerged in this set and across the album, something Canal explains as the god and goblin complex: “Depending on the day,” Canal explained “you either wake up feeling like the shit, or like a piece of shit, and there’s no in between.” 

You can hear this idea manifest on the roller coaster-like album. Her songs are self-assured and exciting, but a sense of spiraling introspection creeps in. Canal’s dedication to exploring feelings, both the positive and the difficult, ties it all together. “My mission [in songwriting] is to say something out loud that someone else feels, but hasn’t given themselves the permission to say,” says Canal, and that sentiment feels true.