Catriona Sturton believes authenticity blooms at night.
The Ottawa, Ontario blues singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist spotlights the honesty and vulnerability people share after dark on “We Bloom at Night.”
“For years, I had wanted to write a song around an idea that Eniid Goodman, a great Canadian songwriter and interpreter of Joni Mitchell’s music, had shared with me,” said Sturton about her new track, which will be included part of the upcoming Night Bell 12-inch vinyl single via J.M.I. Recordings.
“It was about how there are times in life when we can be wide open to who another person is, but that it can also be stressful if [that experience] is [later] followed by them pulling back.”
At the start of “We Bloom at Night,” Sturton sings, “I see the moon / And the moon sees me / I’m used to hiding / Comes so easily / But the moon’s gentle light / Keeps shining on me / Patient and kind / Shining on what I want to be.”
“[Eniid] shared that she had learned … there are cycles in nature of [flowers] opening and closing. When I had mentioned to [another] friend about how flowers open during the day and close at night, he said, ‘What about the evening primrose?’” Sturton said.
“And in that moment, I got the idea of how to express the song I had struggled with for years. It did kind of change my life and is one of my favorites.”
The track also celebrates Sturton’s love of the nighttime and the tranquility that comes with it.
“I am most definitely a night owl and always have been since I was a child,” she said. “I like how people open up when it gets dark. When I’m myself, I feel like I can hear my thoughts better when the town is sleeping.”
I recently spoke with Sturton about her background, time in Plumtree, current recordings, new song and upcoming 12-inch vinyl single, this week’s shows with Detroit folk singer-songwriter Mike Ward and future plans.
The Stratton Setlist 