Halifax, Nova Scotia singer-songwriter, musical saw player and folk-rock mom.

After a decade-long pause, songwriter, guitarist, and musical saw player Leigh Mac is back with full album Fermata (November 2024). The eight tracks were written as an archival project during the pandemic, after a move from Toronto to Halifax. It’s an exploration of unfinished art, crafted using old songs, writings, reporting, poems, snippets, and voice memos spanning 25 years, through different phases of life. From repurposing her teenage poetry and unfinished melodies for "The Tree Lines" to old unrequited love in "Someday," the art of pausing in "How to Keep Going," to the haunting history of Hart Island cemetery in New York City in "Hart Island the Beautiful and Free." The record was produced by José Contreras (By Divine Right) and vocal produced by Kritty Uranowski (Lavender Bruisers), and features the mega-talents of Christine Bougie, Daniel Simmons and Carlie Howell.

“Returning to music as a mom in middle-age was terrifying,” she says. “I wrote and recorded these tunes with the vulnerability that comes with starting over again, in a new place and headspace, and a changed industry that can still be very toxic for women. But it forced me to navigate my ego and expectations, and go back to the reasons I love music. It has always helped me to feel and love deeply, connect dots and connect with others, like working with so many amazing folks on this record. Turns out, that time away just amplified the joy.”