Catherine MacLellan has been a star of the Canadian folk music scene for more than 20 years. Her first album, Dark Dream Midnight, came out in 2004, and before that she played in a number of bands. Strongly rooted in the east coast music community, MacLellan says that her home province, Prince Edward Island, is a wonderful place to have as a home base.
“PEI is full of musicians and artists,” she says. “The community aspect is great, and people are connected. It can be tricky to get everywhere from here, but it’s worth it because of the calm and relaxed lifestyle. It’s a hard place to leave and an easy place to come home to. I like to travel and meet new people, and then also come home and nestle in here.”
Throughout the years, MacLellan has been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression. Her father was Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan. He is famous for writing epic Canadian songs such as “Snowbird” and “Put Your Hand in the Hand.” After many years of his own mental health struggles, he took his own life in 1995, when Catherine was just 14 years old.
It wasn’t necessarily something Catherine set out to discuss in her concerts, but when she did mention it, she saw an instant and positive reaction. “Every time I said something, someone would come up to me after a show to tell me about their own struggles. I have gotten so many amazing messages over the years. It’s healing, that connectivity. Having watched my dad suffer all his life without getting help and then dying by suicide, that wasn’t talked about, and I wanted that to change.”
She adds, “When things are hidden and shameful, they can’t change. It’s my mission to get people talking.”
MacLellan is now grateful for the openness, and for the people who remember her father. “So many people knew him in so many different ways. People share stories about him. That’s a gift.”
Her anxiety and shyness are not always easy to navigate, but MacLellan says that being a performer offers help and healing. “It’s taken 40 years for me to figure it out, but the stage is a place where I know I will be heard. The more I am on stage, the more I think of it as a safe place. I feel more and more comfortable and in my power there.”
Catherine MacLellan will be at The Wild Mountain Music Festival in Hinton and at the Canmore Folk Music Festival this summer. Find details at catherinemaclellan.com
Hear “Snowbird’ as performed by Catherine MacLellan, from her 2019 album If It’s Alright With You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan.
