Melanie MacLaren has quickly established herself in the folk and Americana scene with her unique ability to blend poetic lyricism and a tongue-in-cheek sensibility with timeless folk style. Melanie’s “haunting yet humorous” songs, distinctive finger-style guitar and soul-string vocals have won over live audiences nationally and internationally since 2022. Her ability to effortlessly weave past and present threads of the folk tradition without sacrificing any sense of individuality and contemporary relevance make her an undeniable artist to watch.
She released her stunning debut EP “Kill My Time” in 2022 independently to enthusiastic critical reception before gaining the attention of Tone Tree Distribution in Nashville. Within a few months of the release, she had signed with Tone Tree, landed several coveted playlist spots (most notably Spotify’s Best of 2022 Fresh Folk Finds), and released a second EP of duets entitled “Tadpole Emporium” with Dublin songwriter Lorkin O’Reilly (DUG) which they toured together in the UK and Ireland.Melanie then released her second solo EP “Tourist” in April 2023. With tracks featured on multiple editorial playlists (most notably Spotify Fresh Finds and Spotify’s Best of 2022 Fresh Folk Finds) she garnered over 2.5 million streams across platforms. After touring extensively in 2023 and early 2024, Melanie released a live to tape EP of her early work this May entitled “Songs are Ghosts” and an EP “Bloodlust.
Melanie has toured in the US solo four times to enthusiastic audiences as well as touring the UK and Ireland. She has shared bills with both established and rising folk artists like Caleb Caudle, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Charli Adams, Joshua Burnside, DUG, Lorkin O’Reilly, Ramsey Thornton, Bobby Bare Jr. and June Henry. In 2024, she had the opening spot on Charlie Starr’s (Blackberry Smoke) solo acoustic tour in January and played to several sold out audiences.In 2025 Melanie was selected as one of the finalist in the Troubadour Contest for Telluride Bluegrass Festival and was an official artist at Salmonfest in Alaska in August marking her first major festival appearances. In 2026 Melanie embarked on a successful coheadline tour of the Northeast with artist Liv Greene. She continues to write music and work on new projects.
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2026
Globe Hall
