Ezra Ben-Shalom is a JUNO-nominated songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer based in Kelowna, British Columbia. His music lives at the intersection of ancient Jewish oral tradition and contemporary avant-folk. The sound feels both timeless and urgently modern.
Across seven previous albums and a career spanning collaborations with artists like Bif Naked and Tegan & Sara, Ezra has carved a singular artistic path. His songwriting draws from the written and oral Torah, weaving ancestral narratives into songs that resonate with universal longing and hope.
His debut solo album, Known and Unknown, co-produced with Chris Carlson (Down the Lees, Tegan & Sara, Kinney Starr), is a bold, uncompromising work - 10 tracks that bridge contemporary challenges with soul medicine.
“In ancestral knowledge, I find the hidden truth and the struggle to reveal it. The same struggle that exists within us existed within our ancestors. Lifetimes over generations since we were in the garden have been dedicated to telling these stories.”