“I’ve been recording demos of my songs from 2016-2020. I want to put these songs out and set them free, essentially. The album is called Dearest.”

If you enjoy country-folk music and Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore, you’ll love the upcoming demo album “Dearest” by Tegan Owen. Her album includes 11 tracks, each telling a unique story, taking inspiration from fables and a trip to Nashville. Her songs are rooted in the traditions of folk music, with acoustic guitar and emotional vocals forming the backbone of the album. She’s also taken inspiration from The Goo Goo Dolls, Little Big Town and Brandi Carlisle.

Tegan is currently studying music technology and hopes to also explore voice acting in the future, inspired by her love for video games. She recently teased some of the songs from the album on Twitch, with just an acoustic guitar, as well as performing some covers. She has a small but growing following on TikTok and Instagram, where she recently posted a 30 second snippet of “The Fox and The Crow”. Talking about the song, Tegan said “This is a song from early 2019 about ending a relationship and some of the strange feelings that came with it. It’s inspired by Aesop’s Fable, Fox and the Crow”

I was lucky enough to get an exclusive listen to the demos. Gate (In West Virginia) and The Fox & The Crow are two of the stand-out tracks, with Gate showcasing a clear Americana storyteller sound, and The Fox & The Crow highlighting Tegan’s emotional songwriting. My personal favourite however is Little Songbird, which Tegan says is a “fun, simple acoustic country folk track with acoustic guitar and violin, about enjoying a small life”

The album “Dearest”, which has been completely self-produced, showcases the singer-songwriter’s talents as both a lyricist and musician, with haunting melodies and poignant lyrics that are sure to strike a chord with listeners. I can’t wait to hear the finished versions.