A woman with curly hair, glasses, and ruffled sheer sleeves poses confidently against a purple background. The bold yellow text Billianne is displayed in the lower right corner.

Billianne in Bloom: A Pop Star on the Rise

 

A woman with curly hair and glasses stands in a kitchen, wearing a pastel striped sweater vest over a white shirt and a denim skirt, leaning with one hand on a stove. A bowl of fruit sits on a small table in the background.

Canada’s folk-pop sweetheart Billianne makes a welcome return to the West Coast to take to the stage for her Rifflandia debut. Of course, the 22 year-old is no stranger to our fair city. Her ramblings of the last few years have seen her wow audiences at the 2023 edition of Jon and Roy’s Holiday Special, along with opening for Aussie darlings (and fellow 2025 lineup-mates) Hollow Coves, and Canadiana king Donovan Woods on their respective 2024 tours. Hell, she’s so much of an island girl now she has the swims in the Gorge to prove it! 


Originally hailing from the tropical shores of Milton, Ontario (a rapidly growing commuter town just outside of the greater Toronto sprawl), Billianne has experienced a somewhat meteoric rise within the music industry. Her 2021 adaptation of Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’ - a slice of stripped back, acoustic melancholia - went viral, earning accolades from Taylor Swift, P!nk and The Lumineers upon its ascent.


With emotive songwriting that belays a wisdom beyond her years, Billianne has emerged from internet sensation to fully formed artist. Her sonorous vocals, likened to “a young Adele” by Rolling Stone, weave wistful day dreams, and tell intimate tales of tender longing.  

A woman in a light dress and white cardigan stands on a forest path, holding a small branch with yellow flowers. She is surrounded by green trees and foliage under soft, natural light.

 

Her debut EP The Things We Talk About was released in 2023 to much acclaim. A transformative collection of poignant introspection and sublime storytelling. Breakout track ‘No Wonder’ is authentic in its simple nostalgia for younger days, whilst making those first steps toward personhood “like wheat kings and pretty things / I'll never know what tomorrow brings / but I'm ready”. And ready she was, performing at SXSW, Osheaga, Ottawa Bluesfest, The Great Escape, and touring extensively across Canada, the US and Europe.


2025 has been a banner year for Billianne, seeing her open for the iconic Mavis Staples (a legendary member of the Rifflandia alumni) at Toronto’s famed The Winter Garden Theatre, along with gathering over 100 million global streams. She’s performed on NBC’s TODAY Show and has been applauded by the millennial talk show queen herself on The Kelly Clarkson Show. In addition to global tours and tv show appearances,  her first full length album, Modes of Transportation, is slated for release in August 2025. Written and produced by Billianne, and close collaborators & friends Nick Ferraro and Duncan Hood, this debut is a playful collection of genre-spanning songs that reflect Billianne’s growing confidence in her craft and her sense of self. Lead single ‘Crush’, first released in 2024, is assured shiny mirror-pop with euphoric beats. Follow-up release ‘Future Emma’ a sweet slice of indie-rock perfection in its crescendo of drums and vocals. Latest single ‘Baby Blue’ - a sun-kissed bop if there ever was one - has already been a feature on the fabled BBC Radio 1 and is at summer anthem status. “This song, like my last pop song, is about longing,” the singer shares, “but also about realizing how you did nothing wrong in a relationship, and did nothing but try to be there, but they just couldn't reciprocate.” This is break-up pop as an art form. 


Billianne has a natural presence on stage, effortlessly connecting with the audience with both her undeniable voice and her warm, dry-witted presence. Her Rifflandia set is sure to be a highlight of the festival weekend so catch this future pop superstar on her rise.



– Rae Porter. Part-time writer, full-time purveyor of good times. With a Rifflandia attendance going back to 2013, Rae's seen a few iterations of the festival - from both sides of the scrimmed fence - and has loved every single one of them.

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