Jessica Sevier hasn’t been to Niagara-on-the-Lake yet, but the rising Toronto artist says its small-town charm mirrors the roots that shape her music — and she’s sure her performance at Jackson Triggs this summer won’t be her last time in town.
“I think a lot of small town life is very similar,” Sevier told The Lake Report.
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sevier grew up in Toronto with a large farm in Cobourg, about 95 kilometres east of the city.
She said she found early inspiration in small-town life — from running through hayfields to listening to Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp with her big family.
“That’s what kind of taught me how to write,” she said.
“I spent a lot of time there as a kid, and that’s where I would listen to a lot of music,” she said. “I’d gather inspiration from a lot of the things we did out there.”
On Aug. 21, Sevier is set to open for Tenille Townes at the Jackson-Triggs Amphitheatre for the 2025 Summer Concert Series.
General admission seat selection starts at 7 p.m., and the concert will start at 8 p.m. with a 30-minute, genre-blending acoustic set featuring her new single, “Good to Drive,” and more released and unreleased material, with a few possible covers.
“It’s going to be a very fun, high-energy acoustic. We’re trying to find some ways to bring some spice to the set,” she said.
Co-written by Sevier, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Robyn Ottolini and JUNO Award-winning producer Derek Hoffman, “Good to Drive” was released July 4.
It came together quickly during a collaborative session that blended Sevier’s Americana-rock style with Ottolini’s pop influence — and a Bruce-Springsteen-inspired riff she had in mind, brought to life by Hoffman.
The song is about being so consumed by love that you’re always ready to drop everything for someone, even if they don’t feel the same, Sevier said.
It captures that desperate kind of devotion where you’re always on standby, sober and ready to drive — just in case they call.
She said she hopes her songs help others feel less alone in the shared struggles and emotions of their 20s.
“I definitely write hoping to connect with a wide variety of people,” said Sevier.
“I think everyone can hear the tone of the song and the tone of the writing and be like, ‘Oh my God, I went through something like that.’ And that’s kind of just what I hope to inspire people with,” she said.
Sevier has visited the Niagara region before, including stops at country bars like Big Texas in Niagara Falls, and said she’s been sampling local wines in anticipation of her first trip to NOTL.
A return trip, possibly with a wine tour and new material in mind, is already on her radar.
“I’m excited to come back already, and I haven’t even been,” she said. “Once I see it, I bet you I’m gonna have some songwriting inspiration.”
As for staying “good to drive” while taking in wine country, Sevier said that visitors and residents should make use of the spit bucket — or line up a designated driver.
“If there’s a will, there’s a way,” she said with a laugh.
Ticket purchasing and more information can be found at tixr.com/groups/jacksontriggs/events.
