Damhnait Doyle: That's What You Get
The Toronto singer/songwriter previews an upcoming solo album with a track showcasing her strong and emotionally expressive voice, while its lyrics dig deep.
By Kerry Doole
Damhnait Doyle - "That's What You Get "(Indie): This Newfoundland-raised, Toronto-based singer/songwriter found commercial success in Shaye, but deserved more recognition in recent years for fronting superb but undervalued roots-rock outfit The Heartbroken.
She returns to the fray with a new solo album, Liquor Store Flowers, due out next month. It is preceded by this first single, and it's a winner.
The song comes out on International Women's Day (March 8), and the lyrical sentiments are timely. Doyle explains that “the song is about putting someone else’s needs and wants before your own, until it dawns on you that when you don’t look out for yourself you are disposable." She adds that "this song was physically painful to write, but I knew this album wasn’t worth making unless it was all laid out bare. "
The track showcases her strong and emotionally expressive voice as she muses on what might have been: "Woulda cleaned up all your wounds and made the stars shine." She co-wrote it with Robyn Dell'Unto and Emily Reid, while such other top songwriters as Gordie Sampson and Carolyn Dawn Johnson collaborate with Doyle on other songs on the album.
Other guests on the record include Serena Ryder, Kim Stockwood, Miranda Mulholland, Luke Doucet, and Stuart Cameron, confirming the immense peer respect Doyle enjoys. It is co-produced by John Dinsmore and Doyle, and we're keen to hear more.
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Management: Sheri Jones
The Weeknd at Rogers Centre in Toronto on August 8, 2025.Hyghly Alleyne, Courtesy XO Records