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Mike Evin

  • Official Site
  • ABOUT
  • VIDEOS
  • MUSIC
  • PRESS
  • TOUR
  • CONTACT

SOMETHING STIRS WHEN YOU SING

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ABOUT

Toronto piano pop troubadour Mike Evin has been wearing his heart on his sleeve for over twenty years. His songs are like good friends that let you know you are not alone in the world, and they’ve endeared him to a fanbase across North America and Europe — including renowned Canadian artists like Barenaked Ladies and Ron Sexsmith. 

Something Stirs When You Sing, Evin’s seventh album, may be his most immediate work to date. Its stripped-down nature brings the hallmarks of Evin’s timeless ‘old school pop’ music into fine focus — poignant storytelling, propulsive piano playing, conversational singing, rich harmonic movement and adventurous melodies that live inside you.

“When I perform solo concerts, with just my voice and piano, there’s a purity to my connection with the songs,” says Evin. “This is the first time I’ve captured that energy on record.” He and producer Chris Stringer (Rose Cousins, Abigail Lapell) spent three days at Toronto’s Union Sound laying down live-in-studio piano and vocal performances on the legendary grand piano that has been played by everyone from Oscar Peterson to Jeremy Dutcher.

No click track or headphones were used. Stringer and Evin were going for emotion over perfection. When it came to adding other instruments and voices, they kept their palette minimal with sparse and potent colours that felt essential. The result is a vivid soundscape with Evin’s piano and voice front and centre, augmented by bass, percussion, harmonies and cello. 

The album’s title, which comes from a lyric, is also the raison d’être behind Evin’s music. His characters often seek joy and connection through music. Chosen from over 120 songs written during the pandemic, these stories offer a wide emotional range and revolve around intimate moments of yearning to feel alive. 

Opener “Outside With A Guitar” was inspired by Evin’s experience on Roxton Road, a joyous Toronto community that made nightly outdoor music during the pandemic. “Grandma’s Vie En Rose” was written from the point of view of Evin’s then 100-year old grandmother, who had a visceral reaction every time he played her the classic Edith Piaf song. “Dancing To Sir Duke” is based on Evin’s childhood memories of discovering music on his Fisher Price record player. Even the sombre “Middle Of The War” reveals the human need for playful joy in dark times.

An unexpected layer was added to the album when Evin experienced a big breakup less than a month before heading into the studio. Two songs (“I Almost Called You Babe” and “The Ham In You”) evolved to become cathartic emotional standouts. 

Born and raised in Montreal, Evin first gained exposure in 2005 with the critically acclaimed and exuberant I’ll Bring The Stereo, co-produced by Jim and Andy Creeggan of Barenaked Ladies fame. Since then he’s released a diverse range of albums, from the rough and raw live to 2-track Good Watermelon (2009) to the polished and textured classic pop of Evin On Earth (2019). Evin has toured and shared stages with BNL, Sarah Harmer, Ron Sexsmith, Dan Mangan, and Martha Wainwright, and has appeared at festivals across Canada. 

CBC Music has called Evin the ‘next big thing’, and his song “Have I Ever Loved?” was among the Top 20 most played songs of 2015 on Sirius XM’s CBC Sonica. “Al Green” reached #1 on Sirius XM’s The Verge.

Perhaps Evin’s approach can be best described by his friend and close collaborator, Barenaked Ladies’ bassist Jim Creeggan: “Ultimately, Mike’s music reminds us what it is to be human. By offering a glimpse into his own truths and stories, Mike allows us to see ourselves reflected there.”

VIDEOS

MUSIC

PRESS

“A rarity - a pop composer who isn’t afraid to use his wit or to wear his heart for all to hear.”

— CBC Radio

“Lavish little melodies ... What makes Mike’s songs ripple is his diversified ability as a craftsman.”

— Americana Highways

“This loving homage to the redemptive power of music is as good a song as Billy Joel, Elton John, Ben Folds, or Harry Nilsson ever wrote. ('Dancing To Sir Duke')”

— Howard Druckman (SOCAN)

“Contagious energy … Mike Evin has all that it takes to get discovered by a wider audience.”

— Musicomania

“Heartfelt like the second coming of Smokey, a piano-pop troubadour for the contempo zeitgeist.”

— Lenny Stoute (BTW This Week)

“Understatedly fervent”

— Exclaim!

“A lesson in old-school pop”

— Roadie Music

“Hauntingly beautiful vocals and mesmerizing music”

— Canadian Beats

“His music is fun, the spirit joyful, the hooks ridiculously plentiful.”

— Bob Mersereau (Top 100 Canadian)

“Mike Evin’s ‘Have I Ever Loved?’ is a modern classic.”

— Adam Levy (Norah Jones)

“Mike's music reminds us what it is to be human. It's the humility in his music that I find is his biggest gift.”

— Jim Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies)

“The next big thing”

— CBC Music

“Tremendous voice … wonderful stage presence.”

— Midwest Rewind

“An overflowing musical universe.”

— Live In Limbo

“Danceable sexy pop music that will make you want to sway your hips.”

— The Girl At The Rock Show

“Evin’s soulful folk-infused pop sound is equal parts infectious and smooth, it’s a track that deserves a great deal more attention ('Have I Ever Loved?').”

— Halifax Bloggers

“Magnificent … contagious … irresistible.”

— Pacopepe Gil (loff.it, Spain)

“Amazingly uplifting and soulful. ”

— Novella Magazine

“Catchy, sad, joyous and beautiful. Nice combination.”

— Michael Wrycraft (JUNO-winning designer and promoter)

“Beautifully human songs. ”

— Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith, Bahamas)

“Impeccable musicianship combined with a remarkable ability to create catchy hooks.”

— Lonely Vagabond

“The songs somehow feel intimate, like a private conversation, but also make you want to sing along and when it comes to being a charismatic piano man, in my opinion, that’s what it’s all about.”

— Herohill

“'Good Watermelon'‘s combination of wit and wide-eyed innocence is beginning to establish Evin as a voice to be reckoned with within the Canadian music scene.”

— Jason Schneider (Have Not Been The Same book)

“Mike Evin reimagined the piano-pop songbook.”

— Indy Weekly

“Mike Evin’s musical savvy and good-times attitude do indeed make him the best national treasure you’ve never heard.”

— Soundproof Magazine

“A breath of fresh air in a stale business.”

— Steve Chrismar (George Thorogood and the Destroyers)

“Like a hammer hitting squarely on the nail every time, he hits a vein with every song on this eleven-track gem.”

— CD Baby Editor's Pick

“It’s refreshing to hear a young pianist with so much power-pop punch and such a great ear for arrangements.”

— Eye Weekly

TOUR

CONTACT

Media contact:
Beverly Kreller
Publicist | SPEAK Music
o: 416-922-3620
bev@speak-music.com

Booking and other enquires: 
mike@mikeevin.com

© 2025 Mike Evin. All rights reserved.

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