OPEN SWIM EP OUT TODAY VIA BIRTHDAY CAKE RECORDS
BUY / STREAM OPEN SWIM EP HERE
ON THE ROAD FOR MULTIPLE FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES THIS SUMMER + NEW FALL DATES NOW ANNOUNCED // BUY TICKETS HERE
Photo Credit: Karen Asher // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Begonia, aka Alexa Dirks, releases her new EP, Open Swim, which explores honest communication with oneself and others with candour and sincerity. Alexa describes the EP as a project that “encompasses the feeling of working through conflict and the elation that can surface when you’re honest with others and ultimately yourself. Sometimes in the process you can feel like you’re swimming for your life through choppy water but on the other side there is the feeling of relief, like floating on your back in the sun.” The Open Swim EP was co-written and produced by Begonia and Marcus Paquin (The National, The Weather Station, Julia Jacklin) along with contributions from her frequent collaborators and producer duo, deadmen.
BUY / STREAM OPEN SWIM EP HERE
MORE ABOUT BEGONIA
After returning from her highly praised mini UK tour, which included performances at Focus Wales, The Great Escape, and London, as well a two support dates with Dessa, Begonia returned to Canada for a full Summer festival lineup which included Toronto Pride, Ottawa Jazz Fest, and Rochester International Jazz Festival in Rochester, New York. This July, she will be debuting at Folk on The Rocks in Yellowknife and also support Blue Rodeo at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto this August. Begonia has just announced her Fall 2024 East Coast Tour dates which will feature support from Witch Prophet.
In February, Alexa celebrated the one year anniversary of her critically acclaimed sophomore album, Powder Blue, which secured a spot on the coveted 2023 Polaris Music Prize Shortlist and earned her a 2024 JUNO Award Nomination. Begonia’s past year has included a massive headlining tour in North America, supporting Leith Ross on their UK/EU tour, a breathtaking performance at the Polaris Music Prize Gala, and her standout performance for the In Memoriam portion of the JUNO Awards Gala. While on the road, fan favourites from Powder Blue became clear, one of which turned into The Marigold EP, released in September, 2023, an extended exploration of “Marigold” and included 3 remixes. To celebrate the album, the EP, and her fans, Begonia did a two sold-out nights “Vegas-style residency” at Club Regent Casino in Winnipeg, MB. Powder Blue received worldwide recognition and radioplay in Canada, the United States and Germany, the album also hit #1 on the earshot! charts.
WATCH BEGONIA’S POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE GALA PERFORMANCE
WATCH BEGONIA PERFORM “BUTTERFLY” AT THE 2024 JUNO AWARDS
Pegged as Canada’s breakout alt-diva, Begonia has built a legion of fans online and at her legendary live shows. Between her debut EP and album, Lady in Mind and Fear respectively, she was named on of NPR’s Artists You Need to Know, had two #1 songs on CBC Music’s Top 20, were nominated for a JUNO Award for Alternative Album Of The Year and longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. Fear spent 10 straight weeks as the #1 album in Canada on Earshot’s Top 50 chart and had songs synced to numerous Netflix and Oprah Winfrey Network shows.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Jul 19 - Yellowknife, NT @ Folk on the Rocks
Jul 27-28 - Salmon Arm, BC @ Salmon Arm Roots and Blues
Aug 9 - Ear Falls, ON @ Trout Forest Music Festival
Aug 24 - Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage(supporting Blue Rodeo & Matt Mays)
Sep 20 - Moncton, NB @ Tide & Boar
Sep 21 - Charlottetown, PEI @ Prince Edward Island Brewing Company
Sep 22 - Halifax, NS @ The Marquee Ballroom
Sep 24 - Fredericton, NB @ The Cap
Sep 25 - Québec, QC @ Grizzly Fuzz
Sep 27 - Palmer Rapids, ON @ Highlands Music Festival
Oct 3 - Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre
PRAISE FOR POWDER BLUE
“Alexa Dirks has always felt fully formed, but on Powder Blue, she transcends.” - Exclaim! (CA)
"With a rich sound and unshakeable confidence, Canadian-born Begonia is a force to be reckoned with." - Wonderland Magazine (UK)
“[Begonia] conjures charming vintage soul and lays on the richly layered choruses. But she’s also enormously distinct in her crystalline delivery, which pairs perfectly with songs about starting down doubt and anxiety.” - NPR (US)
“Is it too early to call Powder Blue a contender as one of the year’s best albums? We may only be in the early days of 2023, but Begonia, a.k.a. Alexa Dirks, has an undeniable gem on her hands.” - CBC Music
“Primed for global success” - Daily Star (UK)