In Rotation: Katie Tupper

You don't usually look to a former competitive hockey player from Saskatoon for neo-soul. Katie Tupper spent her teenage years chasing pucks on the ice in Saskatchewan, but somewhere along the line, she traded the rink for the studio. The result is Greyhound, her debut album that dropped back in January via Arts & Crafts, and it has been living in my rotation all week. Tupper operates in a space where Americana bleeds into R&B. On "Disappear," the groove is anchored by a thick, dragging bassline while her vocal cuts through the center. She relies on smoky runs that bend around the snare rather than overpowering it. When the hook hits, the instrumentation swells just enough to give her velvety tone room to breathe. On "Original Thoughts," she leans into a heavy pocket, letting the rhythm section do the heavy lifting while she floats over the top. She writes about her actual environment—referencing the sights and smells of her home province, like the fields of butter she sings about—which grounds the music in reality. A lot of artists attempt to merge folk and soul and end up sounding like a sterile coffee shop algorithm. Tupper avoids that trap entirely because she respects the rich culture of neo-soul while remaining entirely truthful about who she is. The industry is catching up to what she built. She racked up over 22 million streams before Greyhound even hit the streets. Spotify Canada crowned her their RADAR Artist of the Month at the top of the year. Now, deep into the summer, "Disappear" is climbing playlists like Fresh Finds R&B and Mood Ring, while independent radio stations from WFUV in New York to WYSO in Dayton are keeping her in heavy rotation. She also just dropped the official video for "Little Love," proving she has the visual aesthetic to match the pen. This is music for the comedown, for the late-night drive when the highway is empty. Check it out below.