Kylie Fox exudes personality. It’s in her music, among the lyrics and the musical choices she made on her brand new album, “Sequoia.” It’s in her charming, quirky, funny, creative music videos. It’s front-and-center in her dazzling, engrossing live performances. On “Sequoia,” especially, Fox lives among her story-songs; the tracks are message-rich and poetic, pulling the listener into a world where tree imagery abounds and lessons in community, relationships, and our environment coexist with the realities of growing up and change. It’s a heady mix, propelled by a musical melting pot that incorporates pop, jazz, folk, Americana, and Canadiana. We are completely enamored of this album and you will be, too. VENTS sat down with Fox recently to talk all things “Sequoia

Hi Kylie, welcome to VENTS! How have you been lately?

Hey, VENTS! Lately I’ve been running with some excited energy. I’m really looking forward to releasing this album!

You have an amazing new album out in September called “Sequoia.” What can you tell us about it? What inspired you to write these songs and record this album?

I was listening to CBC Radio one morning when I heard on the news that firefighters in California worked through the night to save a sequoia tree that was on fire as part of a forest fire. It got me thinking about climate change, and taking things for granted. I wrote the title track that week, tying in a complacency with the environment to my broodiness over my community, and my relationship. The album branched off from this song to be a piece on gratitude, joining together themes like women’s rights, gentrification, suicide, growing up, and being in a relationship.

Did you write all of the songs around the same time, or did you write at different times? Did any of the songs take a while to come together?

I wrote most of the songs during a winter where I had a creation grant to support my time writing. “Alberta” is one of the few songs that I wrote before I ever thought I’d have a career doing this. I wrote it when I was 20, while I was tree planting on the West Coast. It’s one of my favorite songs, and this is the third time I’ve recorded it. My band has helped elevate the song. I’m really proud of the new arrangement, and I still see the same images in my mind when I sing it as I did when I wrote it in my tent.

We really love the song “Brandi Baby.” Is there a story behind that song? Was it inspired by Brandi Carlile?

“Brandi Baby” is a song about learning to lose my tough-guy exterior in the face of love. It’s about meeting my fiance and drummer, Ryan Barrie. It is totally a nod to Brandi Carlile, too – I straightened my hair to her music every day in high school, and her song, “The Story,” was the first song Ryan and I slow-danced to. We are going to use it as our first dance at our wedding next summer.

What were the recording sessions like? Any great stories from the studio that you can share with our readers? What was your favorite part about recording this album?

We recorded the album with Daniel Ledwell, who has made important records for artists like Jenn Grant, The Once, and Fortunate Ones. His studio is on his property in Lake Echo, Nova Scotia, and we recorded the bulk of the album over Thanksgiving weekend. The leaves were changing, it was sweater season, and I made the band a turkey dinner. It was a very cozy and creative time.

What kind of sound or vibe were you trying to achieve on this album? Did it change or morph at all in the studio while you were working on it?

I really wanted to make an album that you could cook dinner to. I wanted ’70s-style jazz-folk fusion, and I think we did a good job of creating classic, and warm, sounds.

Are there certain themes or topics that run throughout the album? Was it intentional, or did you realize or recognize the common themes after the album was recorded?

I didn’t realize until after how many times I use the image of a tree throughout the album. The sequoia tree, to me, has become a mother figure, or even a grandmother. What began as an image to symbolize nature neglected, has moved into representing the women who you don’t see like you did when you were a kid. In “Armadillo,” I say, “For every woman who’s been hunted, there’s a tree.” Trees are silent caregivers. They are giving, and we take from them over and over. In “Alberta,” a song about planting trees as a way of growing up and learning lessons in work, heartbreak, and homesickness, the trees symbolize growing up for me.

How do you feel about releasing the album? What kind of emotions are coming forth as you share this collection of songs with the world?

I’m so excited. I feel like it will allow me a creative release to sink my teeth into all the other songs living in my head. I’m also nervous – so much of me is in this work, and I hope I can find a way to separate how I love and feel for the songs with how others will receive it. I hope it finds the people who need it.