Big-Hearted Songs for Dreamers: John Muirhead on Connection, Community, and the Road Ahead

Indie folk artist John Muirhead opens up about the power of connection in music, the stories behind his most personal songs, and how a punk show at age 12 sparked a lifelong mission to build community – on and off the stage.

Stream: “Don’t Mind” – John Muirhead

John Muirhead will never forget his first concert.

He was 12 years old and travelled from his small hometown outside of Toronto to the city to see punk rockers Street Dogs. He remembers everything about that night – the sticky, checkerboard floors, the guys with mohawks, and mostly importantly, he remembers the way the band made him feel during a chance meeting.

That moment at the Street Dogs’ show stuck with him as a powerful reminder that music doesn’t have to stop at the edge of the stage.

“They were as big as any rock stars in my eyes,” says the burgeoning indie folk artist. “Making a connection has always been very important for me because music has always been that for me – listening to records that stay with you forever and finding solace in being part of a musical community. When you’re at a concert and you look around, and everyone is screaming the lyrics of a song that means everything to you – you know you’re not alone. That’s really powerful to me.”

It’s the same feeling the Canadian singer-songwriter is carefully crafting around his own music. From fingerpicked confessionals like “Little Bit Lonely” to road-trip singalong anthems like his latest single “Don’t Mind,” Muirhead strives to write “big-hearted indie-folk songs for dreamers, wanderers and hopeless romantics.”

That same spirit of connection doesn’t just live in his songs – it fills the space around him, too. His home is adorned with reminders of the connections he’s made: fan art pinned to the walls next to a guitar, a growing collection of friendship bracelets, and a glass jar filled with handwritten notes of encouragement. These aren’t just souvenirs – they’re snapshots of something much more meaningful.

With a new album and headlining tour on the horizon, Atwood Magazine caught up with Muirhead the day after his single “Don’t Mind” dropped to talk about the stories behind the new music, the surprising impact of his fan community, and how a jar of tiny paper notes can sometimes mean more than a packed venue.

— —

:: connect with John Muirhead here ::

— —

A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN MUIRHEAD

Atwood Magazine: Congrats on the new single! How are people reacting to it?

John Muirhead: It’s been the best response I’ve had to a single! I think it came out at the perfect time – it’s very much a summer road trip, indie folk anthem. And it seems that people are really taking it and running with it. Someone commented that they’d listened to it about 20 times on their way home from work.

Is this a bit of teaser of what we can expect from the album?

John Muirhead: Yeah, I think this is a great teaser for the record. It’s definitely a mix of lyrically dense folk songs that are straight from the heart, but also have a bit more energy and excitement. The verses have some of that singer-songwriter-in-my-bedroom feel and the choruses are big and huge, and I think that’s a good mix of what you’re going to hear.

The record’s coming out in two parts: The first part is coming out for the fall tour, and the second part is coming out sometime in 2026. It’s all part of the same project with an interwoven story, but I want to put it out in parts to give the songs the time they deserve.

Are there any interesting stories about how those songs came to be?

John Muirhead: There’s a song called “Nomad” on the record, which is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever made. There’s a lot of collaboration on this album, but I was very protective of the vision for this one. The day I wrote it, I woke up somewhere in Germany and I was taking the train to Berlin – it was a six-hour train ride. And just before I got on, I got a message that one of my friends had passed away, and at the same time, my sister was days from having her first child. And I felt so far from home, and so removed from my life back home. I started to question why I was missing these things at home to go play a random show in Berlin. And it was quite difficult. I sat there on that train and wrote that song in a notebook, which I don’t typically do. But I wrote it as a poem. It’s the last song on the album and it’s a really special one to me. And every time I play it, I’m teleported back to that time.

Did you come up with an answer for yourself about why you keep doing what you’re doing? That’s an awful question, but I’m curious what keeps you going after a story like that.

John Muirhead: That’s a big part of the song – trying to find that answer. And the realization is this is who I am, this is what I do. This is the sacrifice that comes along with all the awesome things I get to do like being able to tour and sell out shows and build this community. It’s a difficult realization to come to, but it also means that the stakes are high, and I see no way of changing who I am.

Are there any songs you’ve written that are just too personal to release them?

John Muirhead: For sure. I think that I’ve been making music for a very long time – since 2016. I think recently what I’ve learned is that the lyrics that make you cringe and are so close to your heart and are so true, those are the ones that usually resonate the most with people. And that’s what I love in a song – something so vulnerable and from the heart and undeniably true. And that’s a sign to keep pursuing that path. It might result in an awkward phone call with an ex, or something like that, but it’s worth it for the music.

I know people who travel to your shows and make friendships because of your music. What do you think it is about your songs that inspires that?

John Muirhead: I think it’s my proximity and my genuine care for my community. I do lives on TikTok every Sunday – I rarely miss a Sunday. I tell my friends I don’t make plans on Sunday nights anymore. You see people coming in regularly, and that’s turned into people driving for hours or flying in to see shows. My last show, people drove up from New York to Pickton, Ontario. It was just awesome. I got a lot of bracelets. It means a lot to me to connect with people, especially after years and years of trying to find that.

I imagine that there are a bunch of times when people have come up to you and said something about how your music has impacted them. Can you think of one or two that you could share with me?

John Muirhead: Absolutely. On the deeper side of things, I have a song called “Two Shots” about a friend who passed away, and it was a song about tradition and keeping close to the ones you love while they’re still here. And I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and tell me about their loved ones who have passed. I think it was at a show in Guelph, Ontario where someone told me that someone very close to them who was quite young was battling cancer and was listening to my music while they were fighting it. And they ended up making it to one of my shows, but then they weren’t around for the next one. In those moments, it’s really hard to hear, but it also makes me so grateful that my music is part of someone’s stories.

On the positive side, too, my last show of the year in 2024 was a gathering of my fans and my community and they gave me a jar of positivity – all these notes and kind words, and they all planned this in secret and gave it to me. It’s a great reminder of what I’m building here.

You often talk about the community. It sounds like connecting with people and connecting other people is very important to you. Why is that?

John Muirhead: Making a connection has always been very important for me because music has always been that for me – listening to records that stay with you forever and finding solace in being part of a musical community. When you’re at a concert and you look around, and everyone is screaming the lyrics of a song that means everything to you, you know you’re not alone. That’s really powerful to me.

Do you remember the first time you felt that as a spectator and as a performer yourself?

John Muirhead: Oh, that’s a very good question! I think the first time as a spectator was my very first concert – it was a band called the Street Dogs, which was a very small punk band from Boston. I was 12 years old. We went to the Cathedral in King West (I’m from a small town outside of Toronto), and it was the classic checkerboard floors, sticky, hot venue and guys with mohawks. We actually forgot the tickets, back when Ticketmaster mailed you your tickets. So, we went early and the whole band came back to the greenroom, and they let me in, and I remember that whole night being in awe of them – they were as big as any rock stars in my eyes.

As a performer, I have a very special relationship with Ottawa. I remember my first sold out show in Ottawa, selling out that venue and seeing a lineup and I was like, “Whoa, it’s happening!”

When you were that 12-year-old at the Street Dogs’ concert, did you already know then that you wanted to be a musician, or was that the night you realized that was your dream?

John Muirhead: That wasn’t necessarily the moment, but I remember that year, writing a career plan in Grade 7 and writing “I want to be a musician, I want to be in a band, and I want to go play these shows all over.” So, the idea was pretty set in stone, and that just re-affirmed it for me. Also, seeing a concert in such a small venue at a young age opened my eyes to the idea that you don’t have to be a stadium artist. It made the dream feel more real.

You’re about to go on a pretty extensive tour. Is there a city that feels like a full-circle moment for you?

John Muirhead: I think the big one is at the Toronto show – it’s going to be my biggest headlining show to date. Our last show was so special – it was one of the best nights of my life. We sold so many tickets, and I got to interact with a lot of people.

There’s so much coming in the next year – music wise and tour wise. I’m anticipating a lot of growth based on how much I have to share. It’s going to be an exciting year!

— —