Delivered from the mythic Muskoka wilderness, Hawksley arrived on the scene nearly a decade ago with a fearlessness rooted in an undeniable vocal panache. This Juno Award winning wild card has already cemented his place as an emblem of Canadian culture here and abroad.

New albums MEAT and MILK are numbers eleven and twelve in Hawksley’s impressive catalogue. MEAT came of a wintry retreat to Huntsville and is a raw take on the end of a relationship. The overall dance pop feel of MILK was heavily influenced by Marten Tromm, who Hawksley met on a writing trip to Stockholm.

Hawksley’s catalogue (Lover/Fighter, The Delicious Wolves, Treeful of Starling, Between the Beautifuls, Los Manlicious and the one-of-a-kind Christmas album Almost a Full Moon) includes pop tunes, country jangles, anthemic rockers, hip-hop dance beats and gut-wrenching ballads, proof that Hawksley can do it all. His live show has taken him on national, European, Australian and Japanese tours, where Hawksley has made devoted fans worldwide.

10 years after its debut, For Him and the Girls, Hawksley’s first record still stands as one of the groundbreaking albums of a new indie aesthetic that still reigns today. American critics have reacted quickly to the US release of the album this November, 2009, with comparisons to today’s most progressive indie darlings.

Beyond his work as a recording artist, Hawksley has had a hand in shaping the next generation of Canada’s favourite albums, including Polaris Short List and Juno Nominated albums with artists such as Hey Rosetta, Sarah Slean, Serena Ryder, Tegan and Sara, Great Big Sea and, most recently, Justin Rutledge. Hawksley’s unquenchable thirst for collaboration also drives many songwriting partnerships here and abroad. From Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard to icon Jane Birken to French legend Johnny Hallyday, there is no shortage of star power on Hawksley’s resume. A new deal with Peermusic has brought Hawksley’s songwriting further afield, with a major US TV campaign with Volvo, work for TV shows and a project called “Hockey The Musical”, which will open at TIFF in September, 2010.