In a year that’s seen her earn triple nominations at Quebec’s alternative music awards and recognition from one of Canada’s most prestigious songwriting foundations, 22-year-old Avril Jensen is taking her acclaimed debut album across provincial lines. The Montreal-area singer-songwriter has announced a headline show at Toronto’s Drake Underground on March 27, 2026, marking the one-year anniversary of Is Any of This Real? and her first performance in Canada’s largest city.
The timing couldn’t be more fitting. Jensen is riding a wave of recognition that includes three nominations at the GAMIQ (Gala alternatif de la musique indépendante du Québec), where she’s up for Breakthrough Artist, Indie Pop Album for Is Any of This Real?, and Self-Produced Music Video for the haunting “i might jump out of the car” visual. She’ll also perform at the gala itself on November 30 at Le National in Montreal, adding another milestone to an already packed season. The SOCAN Foundation Young Songwriter Award, a recognition typically reserved for artists further along in their careers, landed on her résumé as well.
Released in October 2024, Is Any of This Real? introduced listeners to Jensen’s world of electro-acoustic textures and bilingual storytelling, a sound that sits comfortably between introspective indie pop and electronic experimentation. The album’s success in Quebec paved the way for her first French-language EP, Parfois, les jours de vent, which arrived just months later and further demonstrated her fluency across languages and moods. Raised between Montreal, North Hatley, and Sherbrooke, Jensen’s musical foundation stretches from classical violin training to DIY indie projects, a background that shows in her thoughtful, genre-defying approach.
The Drake Underground show will feature the duo frank (Lauryn Kovacs and Ley Vara) as openers, with Jensen’s set drawing from both her French and English repertoire. For an artist who began writing songs at six and formed her first band in elementary school, the Toronto date represents more than just a promotional stop. It’s a full-circle moment for someone whose curiosity-driven songwriting, rooted in everything from astronomy to human experience, has quickly found an audience beyond her home province.
