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FYI

Billboard Canada FYI Track Of The Week: The Dead South, "A Little Devil"

Each week, Billboard Canada FYI spotlights one Canadian song on our radar. This week, a spirited cut from Regina's bluegrass sensations.

The Dead South

The Dead South

Morgan Coates

It has been a momentous week for The Dead South, a bluegrass/roots sensation from Saskatchewan. Along with the announcement of a return to Nashville country music shrine the Ryman Auditorium for two nights next July, the band released this new song, "A Little Devil," taken from an upcoming fourth full-length album, Chains & Stakes, out Feb. 9 on Six Shooter.

"A Little Devil" features full-blooded vocals from Nate Hilts, strong harmonies, musical twists and turns, and typically spirited accompaniment, with banjo to the fore. It comes with a warning lyric: "All the love that is in her eye, She's just a little devil in disguise."


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Chains & Stakes finds The Dead South again working with Grammy winning producer Jimmy Nutt, the man at the helm of the Juno Award winning, chart-topping Sugar & Joy, the group's previous studio album. Of note: that was the combo's second win in the Traditional Roots Album of the Year category.

The group first broke through with the 2016 song, "In Hell I'll Be In Good Company." Its video went viral and stayed that way for years, accumulating 386 million YouTube views, almost unprecedented for a bluegrass tune. Read a Billboard Canada FYI story about its success here.

Now boasting a sizeable international following, The Dead South has an active year ahead, with headline spots on major festivals across North America, Australia and Europe, a new album, their live debut in Mexico and more.

Check the group's tour itinerary here.

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Jairus Sharif
Matt Wallace via Jairus Sharif / Instagram

Jairus Sharif

Awards

Calgary Jazz Artist Jairus Sharif Wins the First-Ever Meridian Prize

Sharif's album Basis of Unity is the first recipient of the FACTOR-partnered award that recognizes an album of exceptional artistic achievement from Western and Northern Canada. The award was presented at BreakOut West in Victoria this weekend (Oct. 3).

Jairus Sharif has won the first-ever Meridian Prize.

This weekend, the Calgary experimental jazz musician was awarded the inaugural Meridian Prize for his 2025 album Basis of Unity at BreakOut West festival and conference in Victoria, British Columbia. The brand new prize was introduced this year to recognize an album of exceptional artistic achievement from Western and Northern Canada, serving a similar role as the Polaris Music Prize. In addition to a trophy, Sharif also receives a $5,000 honorarium.

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