Andy Shauf is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Regina, with an origin also associated with Toronto. He is born in 1986. His music sits within folk, indie folk, indie and indie pop, and he also plays several instruments, including clarinet.

Songwriting and style

Shauf is known for self-reflective songs and for lyrical fiction built around detailed stories. His live performances are described as intimate, and his work is often noted for its dark, literate storytelling.

The Bearer of Bad News

One of his releases, The Bearer of Bad News, focuses on uncertainty, curiosity and spirituality. Shauf has said that spirituality remains part of life whether or not a person is religious, and that it is difficult to escape the fact that people do not know everything. The unsettling stories on the record are written from material developed both at home and while travelling.

The album takes shape in a modest home studio in his parents’ basement in Regina, where he spends four years recording and producing each song himself. He says that this long process gives him freedom in arranging the songs, allowing him to work on sections such as drum parts or piano passages for long stretches without forcing quick decisions. The record is made up of 11 songs built from weathered piano, the warm tone of aged guitar strings and clarinet.

Other work

He is a member of Foxwarren.