Andy Shauf

Shauf was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan,^[1] grew up in Bienfait, and later moved to Regina.^[3] His parents ran an electronics and music store, giving him access to a variety of instruments.^[3] He played Christian music with his parents^[4] and was a drummer in the Christian pop punk band Captain until 2006.^[3]

After two self-released albums in 2006^[5] and 2007^[6] respectively, Shauf released two albums on Hopeless Records: Darker Days (2009)^[7] and Waiting for the Sun to Leave (2010).^[8] These were followed by the self-released EP Sam Jones Feeds His Demons (2012).^[9]

He released the album The Bearer of Bad News independently in 2012.^[10] The album was re-released in 2015 on Tender Loving Empire and Party Damage Records.^[10] The song "Wendell Walker" from the album was shortlisted for the 2016 SOCAN Songwriting Prize.^[11]

In 2015, Shauf signed to Arts & Crafts Productions in Canada and ANTI- internationally, releasing the non-album single "Jenny Come Home" as his first release on both labels.^[12] "Jenny Come Home" was Shauf's breakthrough on Canadian radio, charting on both CBC Radio 2's Radio 2 Top 20^[13] and CBC Radio 3.^[14]

Through early 2016, he toured Europe as an opening act for the Lumineers,^[15] and he moved from Saskatchewan to Toronto in April that year.^[3]

Shauf's album The Party was released in May 2016.^[7] After some experimental recordings with a group of musicians, Shauf ended up playing almost all of the instruments on the album himself,^[16][17] with the exception of the string arrangements, which were written and performed by Colin Nealis.^[18][19] The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize^[20][21] and has since been noted by some as the first album to win Shauf widespread recognition.^[22][23] Following the album's release, Shauf toured throughout 2017 with a five-piece band.^[24]

In 2018, Shauf released an album with D. A. Kissick, Avery Kissick and Dallas Bryson, under the band name Foxwarren.^[25] The self-titled album was released on 30 November 2018^[25] and received a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020.^[26]

On 23 October 2019, Shauf announced that a new album, The Neon Skyline, would be released 24 January 2020.^[27] A single, "Things I Do", was released the same day.^[27] After the release of The Neon Skyline, Barack Obama featured the title track on his 2020 summer playlist.^[28] Commenting on this honor, Shauf stated, "It’s cool to think that Obama, or the Obamas together, have listened to my music. It’s a really nice feeling to think my music has gone that far."^[29]

On 24 September 2021, Shauf released the album Wilds, a collection nine songs written and recorded at the same time as The Neon Skyline and described as a "companion piece" to it.^[30][31]

On 10 February 2023, Shauf released Norm. The concept album follows a stalker.^[32][33] The album was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.^[34]

In May 2025, Foxwarren released the album 2.^[35]