This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Vic chapter.

As a loyal fan of my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist, I go through a lot of music on a regular basis. Mostly I find skips, but every now and then I find a pot of gold, or in this case, Gold-ie.

Singer-songwriter Goldie Boutilier has undoubtedly been a treasured find of mine. The more I listen to her music, the more obsessed I become with it. Goldie’s sound mashes up synths in a retro-pop type of way with ethereal vocals, creating a lush atmosphere for the listener.

The Many Lives of Goldie

Born and raised in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, Boutilier has lived many lives since coming from her small hometown. At the age of 21, she moved to Los Angeles where she was signed by Interscope Records after being discovered by OneRepublic singer, Ryan Tedder.

This woman has done and seen a lot in her time. With her retro-inspired glam, she broke into the modelling industry to work with brands Diesel, H&M, John Galliano, and many more. She even has an old portfolio of her’s still available online.

So far in her music career she’s released tracks under the names of My Name Is Kay, Kay, and Goldilox. She did this partly because of now-gone-sour record deals and partly to note the shift in her music evolution and identity. Now, she has reclaimed her last name in her music identity, by calling herself Goldie Boutilier. She even has a self-proclaimed tagline; “the name ain’t Silver,” to go along with her signature golden locks.

For a brief period, she even moved to France to DJ under the name Goldilox. She made this dramatic career change after being dropped by her record. In a great interview with Schön Magazine, she comments on the record amount of contracts she’s been in in the past several decades saying, “I call myself the cockroach bc you cannot kill me, I am untouchable. And, yeah, all the drama was taxing on my art and my life. I have gotten so used to fighting I thrive on it.”

Boutilier’s stage presence, creativity and signature voice are all part of a winning combination that makes me believe she will continue to gain popularity in the coming months. Her music is a transportive experience with a cinema-esque quality, covering topics like failed loves, rebellion, identity, and freedom, all with bittersweet notes to it.

Songs Worth Listening To

As an intense Goldie fan, I love almost every song from her albums, Emerald Year, Cowboy Gangster Politician,and the recently released EP, The Actress. Choosing which songs to share and which ones to leave out for song recommendations was hard for me, but I think I picked the creme-de-la-creme of her music, and I hope that you can find some songs out of the ones below to enjoy as much as I do!

Goldie Boutilier performing at a concert — Original photo by Ashley Ciambrelli

Cowboy GanGster Politician

This song is a hidden gem of mine, but lucky for you I’m willing to share. Honestly, there have been days where I have played this song over 20 times and I truly have no shame about it. If you’re still craving more after listening to this song, there’s also an official music video. This song comes from her 2022 album, also titled Cowboy Gangster Politician.

Goldie’s vocals remind me of Stevie Nicks in this song, and on top of that the lyrics are ridiculously catchy. Some top secret information about this song (that Goldie shared at her Victoria concert I attended) is that her dad warned her about three types of men to avoid: cowboys, gangsters, and politicians, which is partly what inspired her to write this song!

Penthouse in the sky

Coming from her second album, Emerald Days, released in 2023, this song always gives me chills. It emanates serious Stranger Things vibes, as it’s paired with a synth-driven accompaniment with a mesmerising instrumental section starting at 2:40 run-time of this song.

The angel and the saint

One of Boutilier’s newer releases, and featured on her newest EP, this song is a bit cheeky, with lyrics like, “I feel no shame / I’m an angel / But I’m no saint.” The guitars, tambourines and feathery vocals all stick to my ears like glue. This song also features an official music video where Goldie hypnotizingly dances to the song in a recording studio.

White Limo Stuck in the Snow

One of the sadder songs by Goldie, this song encompasses the heartache of wanting someone and it not working out. Her vocal range is explored in this song, with some mellow rock guitars to make your heart swell towards the song’s end. This song is the perfect mix of wistful and beautiful, with a dreamy lyric video to pair along with it.

The Actress

First released as a single, this song is recently re-released as a song featured on Boutilier’s newest EP, which dropped September 27, 2024. The song’s lyrics are clever— as the duality of being an “actress” is explored throughout the song and how “what you’re doing to her / you’re not doing to me,” highlighting how she herself is a character that can be transformed on command. This song also features an official music video that is quirky, creative and dreamy.

THE SHOW

Due to my obvious and immense love for Boutilier, it should be no surprise that when she announced a tour date in Victoria, I immediately texted my friends saying we should get tickets. This tour, the Goldie Boutilier North American Tour (2024) is her first-ever headlining tour, even after decades of being an artist and with her now being almost in her 40s.

Her September 22nd show was iconic for many reasons. From changing floral to beaded headpieces with new songs, a sing-along to “Wild Horses” and her explaining the fantasy she had to murder her ex-husband—it was all unforgettable. She sneakily changed outfits halfway through the show, transforming from a two-piece denim set into a disco-ball-inspired fit which I absolutely loved. Since I got there early, I was up at the front throughout the entire show and was lucky enough to have Goldie less than an arm’s length away from me while she kneeled in front of me. This show was definitely a pinch-me moment, especially when I got to keep a copy of the setlist after!

Who Is Canadian Singer Goldie Boutilier? (And Why You Should Care)