Multi-award nominated Canadian folk singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff details the special kind of unabashed bliss that accompanies summer romance with the release of his new single and video, Emm & May.
Calling on inspiration for everything from those first kisses to late-night bonfires, to lean-close hand holding and gazing up endlessly at the stars, Emm & May is a rambunctious, enveloping folk refrain about a budding love observed through the eyes of someone who loves to share a good story.
The song — the second to arrive ahead of his forthcoming album, All This Time Running — is instantly in keeping with Cardiff’s signature style of songwriting inspired by the sights and souls around him; for almost a decade, the Arnprior, Ontario-based artist has passed around a notebook titled ‘Book of Truths’ during shows, encouraging the audience to write and share something — a story, a confession, a hope or a secret — they might be too afraid to say out loud.
As a result, Cardiff — dubbed by Gordon Lightfoot as a “songwriter who needs to be heard” — often finds himself responding by writing songs that offer glimmers of hope for people to hold onto.
The video for Emm & May features songwriter and actor Lane Webber and is directed by Jennifer Besworth. Cardiff is notably absent from the video, a decision the songwriter says was obvious. “The song might be from my brain, but I wanted to capture it from a completely different perspective,” Cardiff shares. “The song isn’t about me, it’s about this beautiful, sweet, short love story, so it was important for me to let them — the actors and the director — tell it.”
Craig Cardiff is a certified Gold-selling artist for his single Dirty Old Town, as well as a JUNO Award (Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Solo) and Canadian Folk Music Award (Contemporary Singer of the Year) nominee. His growing library of releases have been streamed more than 100 million times, including on NBC’s award-winning television series, This Is Us.
All This Time Running is set to be Cardiff’s 19th album release; previous in his extensive archive are Cut to Ribbons (2019), Love is Louder (Than All the Noise) Pt. 1 & 2 (2019), Winter! Winter! Winter! (2018), This is Craig Cardiff: Collected Works (2018), Auberge Blacksheep (2018), An AntiFragile Christmas (2018), Upstream Fishing All the Words He Is – Birthday Cards to Bob Dylan (2018), Floods & Fires (2011), Songs For Lucy (2011), Mothers & Daughters (2010), Kissing Songs (Mistletoe) (2008), Judy Garland (You’re Never Home…) (2008), Easter Eggs (2007), Goodnight (Go Home) (2007), Happy (2007), Live at the Boehmer Box Company (2006), Fistful Of Flowers (2005), Soda (2003), and Great American White Trash Novel (1997).
He has played with and opened for artists such as Justin Nozuka, Glen Phillips, Lucy Kaplansky, Dan Bern, Natalia Zukerman, Andy Stochansky, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards, Blue Rodeo, Gordon Downie, Hawksley Workman, Sarah Slean, Skydiggers, 54-40, and more, helmed a growing list of workshops and talks at schools, camps, festivals, and churches throughout North America and Hong Kong, as well as TED x University of Western Ontario, TED x Kanata and TED x KitchenerED.
Craig Cardiff is signed to True North Records, and represented by APA Agency, and Tom Sarig and his Esther Creative Group in New York City.
