The future is never promised. Suzanne Nuttall creates accordingly: fully present, fully vulnerable, and fully alive in the moment.
A lifelong bilingual artist based in Ottawa, inspired by folk, soul, and rock. Suzanne has spent decades developing a voice that is fearless, intimate and unmistakably her own. Her songwriting moves through freedom, beauty, longing, resilience, desire and grief with honesty and depth. There is a queerness woven throughout her work, grounded not only in identity but in fluidity, perspective and a refusal to constrain human experience to rigid definitions.
Suzanne first emerged on the Canadian music scene as co-founder of the acclaimed Montreal folk duo Bare Bones. The group released three albums, toured extensively across Canada, performed twice at the Mariposa Folk Festival and opened for numerous celebrated Canadian and international artists. After relocating to Toronto, Suzanne expanded into larger creative collaborations, fronting the six-piece soul-funk band Sue de Nym and producing and performing in bold queer-led productions including Disco Dyke Divas, Princess: The Grrrls Play Prince Live, and Bless Your Purple Heart.
But Suzanne’s story is not simply one of longevity. It is one of resilience.
At 35, she lost her mother suddenly to pancreatic cancer. Suzanne later became a cancer survivor herself, emerging with a sharpened sense of presence, purpose and gratitude. The pursuit of bigger stages gradually gave way to something deeper: creating spaces where people feel seen and connected.
Through cross-Canada pop-up performances in unconventional gathering spaces, Suzanne discovered that connection itself had become the true heart of her work.
Her latest release, Live Without A Net, captures that philosophy perfectly. Recorded during the final show of an eight-city tour, the live album strips everything back to its essence: Suzanne, her guitar, a beatbox and the genuine honesty of the moment.
Fans describe Suzanne’s performances as immersive, emotional experiences that linger long after the final song. Through her compelling presence, theatrical flair, humour, vulnerability and authentic voice, Suzanne Nuttall turns live music into something rare: a place where strangers become a community, and audiences leave feeling connected.
