UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA SIGNS ACCLAIMED INDIE-FOLK ARTIST BRADEN LAM
LISTEN TO DEBUT ALBUM THE CLOUDMAKER’S CRY FEATURING “HURRICANE SEASON” AND “WIDE OPEN (FEAT. MICHAELA SLINGER)” NOW
BRADEN LAM AND SCHOOL HOUSE KICK-OFF 14-DATE CROSS CANADA TOUR
(L – R): Mark O’Keeffe, A&R Director, UMC; Julie Adam, President & CEO, UMC; Braden Lam; Meagan Davidson, artist management; Photo credit: Jesse Milns
Download Media Assets HERE
Listen to The Cloudmaker’s Cry HERE
05 MARCH 2026 (TORONTO, ON) – Universal Music Canada today announced the signing of celebrated Halifax-based indie-folk singer-songwriter Braden Lam. A familiar name to many in the Canadian music industry and beyond, Lam is known for blending authentic songwriting with modern indie flair, forging the path to a new 21st century folk sound.
On the heels of 40+ tour dates and festival performances throughout Canada, the US, and Europe, the 8x Music Nova Scotia and 6x ECMA nominee released The Cloudmaker’s Cry, his full-length debut album in April 2025 to critical acclaim from the likes of Billboard, Exclaim!, CBC Music, The Coast, and Earmilk. A true visionary who’s accompanying visuals matter as much as the music itself, Lam released 10 music videos alongside his album – watch the collection of videos HERE.
Singles off the album include: “Beautiful Neighbourhoods”, which climbed to #7 on the CBC Music Top 20 and was named one of the top songs of 2024, “Highway Jesus”, “Hurricane Season”, and “Wide Open”, a duet with Vancouver’s Michaela Slinger. Lam is one of Front Porch Music’s 9 Canadian Country Artists To Watch in 2026, and kicks off a 14-date tour with rising folk band School House across Atlantic Canada, Ontario, and Quebec tonight at Seahorse Tavern in Halifax, NS.
"I discovered Braden Lam thanks to the steady stream of UMC colleagues banging down my door to tell me about this incredible artist. The team championed him, and we got to know him by listening to his remarkable body of music. When we saw him perform live, we knew he was an artist we had to work with," said Julie Adam, President & CEO, Universal Music Canada. "Braden's distinct vision for his songwriting and storytelling makes him truly unique, and we're so proud to join his team."
On the road, Lam will perform songs from The Cloudmaker’s Cry and tease a few new tracks. For the full list of tour dates visit BradenLam.com or see below. Following the tour, Lam returns to the studio to record brand new music slated for release later this year.
“I’m really keen on making records in more traditional ways, and I’ve built my career in a grassroots fashion with the people and music at its core - so to have UMC recognize this hunger for authenticity from audiences today and my hard work at making those connections is the best feeling,” said Lam. “I’m grateful to be surrounded by a team that truly cares for my vision and wants to see it amplified. I can’t wait to take Nova Scotia to the rest of the World.”
Stay tuned for much more to come from Lam in 2026.
Photo Credit: Moosecanfly
Braden Lam and School House tour dates:
March 5 – Halifax, NS at Seahorse Tavern
March 6 – Truro, NS at Marigold Cultural Centre
March 7 – Miramichi, NB at New Maritime Beer Company
March 8 – Charlottetown, PE at The Guild
March 10 – Moncton, NB at Xeroz Arcade Bar
March 11 – Fredericton, NB at The Cap
March 13 – Québec, QC at L'Anti Bar & Spectacles
March 14 – Ottawa, ON at Overflow Brewing Company
March 15 – Kingston, ON at The Broom Factory
March 18 – St. Catharines, ON at Warehouse Concert Hall
March 19 – Toronto, ON at Rivoli
March 20 – Windsor, ON at Meteor
March 21 – London, ON at London Brewing Co-operative
March 22 – Kitchener, ON at Boathouse DTK
FOLLOW BRADEN LAM:
Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
About Braden Lam:
Blending authentic songwriting with modern indie flair, Braden Lam is forging the path to a new 21st century folk sound.
The Cloudmaker’s Cry is Lam’s debut full-length album, and he means album in the classic sense: 10 considered and thoughtful folk songs, meticulously arranged and painstakingly sequenced, meant to be played on a turntable in a single sitting, whiskey optional.
Though barely 27, he has lived the life of a much older man—with years of touring, entrepreneurship, and marriage already accounted for—and this collection of songs reflects lessons learned earlier than most, about time and love and the world.
Recording with Eli Browning in Toronto, the pair’s touchstones as they worked through a city springtime in a converted church studio were George Harrison, Neil Young, and other sounds from the 1960s and 70s: music that is lyric-forward and performed with folk instrumentation in analogue tones, resulting in a timeless singer-songwriter record.
This vibe carries through the entire package, from the tintype photographs of Lam to the images wrought in 35mm in the liner notes, to his charming video collaborations with Griffin O’Toole that combine nostalgia, surrealism, and camp into a distinct style of film.
A fully realized vision delivered with atypical wisdom and maturity, The Cloudmaker’s Cry sees Lam with his feet on the ground and his gaze tilted skyward, voice lifted to the wind.