Quebec folk singer-songwriter Shaina Hayes has released a live session performance of her track “Heat Wave,” a song that originally appeared on her 2024 album Kindergarten Heart (Bonsound). The live rendition, filmed by Marc-André Dupaul, showcases Hayes alongside her band, set against a visual design crafted by Flavie Lemée and Myriam-Sophie Deslauriers. Hayes describes the visuals as echoing the song’s themes: the struggle and tension of enduring life’s hardships, only to find eventual clarity and relief.
“Heat Wave” draws from Hayes’ personal experience working on a farm during one of Canada’s hottest summers, capturing the relentless, oppressive nature of that heat. “It’s about that buildup of intensity,” Hayes explains, “and that overwhelming sense of relief when it finally breaks.” The live session brings this atmosphere to life with a hazy, immersive soundscape that mirrors the song’s progression from tension to release.
Watch the video below:
Hayes also announced an upcoming concert at Montreal’s Fairmount Theatre on April 19, 2025. The show will be part of her continuing journey with Kindergarten Heart, a project that has already gained attention from music outlets such as Consequence, KCRW, The Line of Best Fit, and Under the Radar. Following the album’s release, Hayes has performed at Canadian festivals including FEQ, Le Festif!, and Festival BleuBleu, and opened for well-known artists such as Elisapie and Daniel Bélanger. Her work on Kindergarten Heart has earned her nominations for English Songwriter of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and for Folk Album of the Year at GAMIQ.
Raised in Shigawake, Québec, Hayes combines a rural sensibility with a broad musical palette, drawing influences from artists like Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, and Shania Twain. Her earlier studies in agricultural science add a unique perspective to her songwriting, infusing her lyrics with a sense of groundedness and reflection on rural life.
Watch our 2022 interview with Shaina Hayes below:
