Breaking the rules with intention with Zoe Thiessen

Zoe Thiessen is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and violinist now based in Toronto after years of living abroad. Her finely crafted songs always have a hint of the fairy tale about them, and she delivers them with a warm alto that has a timbre all its own. She released her first album ‘The Lives of Saints and Sinners’ in 2012, described by Penguin Eggs Magazine as ‘a sparkling debut.’ Since then, her musical curiosity while living abroad led her to play in a number of bands, from French jazz to country folk. Now, back in Toronto, she is performing her own new material alongside Toronto guitar veteran Jessica Stuart, and in June of 2025 released her indie folk EP, ‘Sneak Back In.’ It is a collection of six songs, produced by Stuart, on the theme of alienation/reconciliation, that range from heartbreakingly intimate to cathartically danceable.

Zoe shared her song Such a Good Girl. Download the lyrics to follow along.

We talked about:

• Our songwriting challenge for 2025 to write a song in an odd time signature
• Incorporating non-verbal hooks like “oohs” into your song and what function they can serve
• Starting a song with a series of verbs, and keeping them in your song if they convey the right feeling
• Using dissonance in an intentional way
• Is it 6/8 or 4/4 with triplets? That may depend on how you’re going to write it out
• Not transcribing your songs until you have to collaborate with someone (e.g. producer)
• Mapping out tempo changes for your recording
• 18 Songs in 15 Minutes with Amanda Sum – Song Talk Radio