Musician Katie Dauson from Richmond Hill, Ontario has just put out her new single “Fresh Sugar,” a country rock love ballad that captures the joy of discovering that special someone who makes everything else fall into place. The song came together quickly and unexpectedly on her dad’s birthday, inspired by a Raspberries record she played on vinyl, which gave her both the hook and the title in a flash. Dauson immediately turned off the turntable and started writing in her family room, where she creates most of her music.
This sense of urgency flows through the song itself, celebrating a love that hits hard and doesn’t let go. “You’re just like fresh sugar baby, it’s the sweetest thing I know, your lovin’ drives me crazy, and you electrify my soul,” she sings in the chorus. It follows a verse that describes this feeling as “harder than the hardest diamond, bigger than torrential rain.” It’s unashamedly romantic and showcases an artist who’s never hesitated to express her emotions openly.
Dauson recorded “Fresh Sugar” at Cleveland Sound Lab in Vaughan, Ontario with producer and engineer James Nickle. The single is released through Frog & Bog Records. She wrote, composed, and performed the song herself while also playing rhythm guitar on it and designing its artwork-hands-on contributions that reflect how deeply involved she is in every aspect of her music.
This versatility is evident in her sound. Dauson mixes rock and roll, rockabilly, surf rock, country, folk, and bluegrass into something that’s hard to pin down. She draws inspiration from a wide range of artists including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, ELO, and Gordon Lightfoot. Her journey into music wasn’t straightforward either; she studied physics and astronomy at York University while working at the school’s observatory tracking variable stars. She also spent time at the David Dunlap Observatory under Dr. Tom Bolton’s mentorship-the astronomer known for discovering the first black hole. However, health issues eventually steered her away from this path. After exploring creative advertising and video game design studies, she found herself performing at an open mic night where singing her original track “Virtual Sky” sparked a connection with the audience before they even knew it was hers-a moment that changed everything for her.
Onstage, Dauson leads a full band suited to meet the demands of her diverse songs featuring Trenton Moore on drums, Lex Stultz on bass guitar, Blake Little on lead guitar, Darren Armoogam on keyboards along with Kun Huang and Walter Chan completing the horn section with saxophone and flute. Fans can catch their live performance on October 23 at El Mocambo Tavern in Toronto.
At the core of all this is Dauson’s instinct to use music as a way to connect with people by sharing joy one story at a time. With “Fresh Sugar,” she delivers one of her sweetest love songs yet-proof that sometimes it’s those simple feelings that resonate most powerfully when expressed through song.
Shows:
October 23 , 2026 , El Mocambo Tavern , Toronto , Ontario
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