Katie Dauson

Richmond Hill singer-songwriter Katie Dauson has released “Fresh Sugar,” a country-rock love song that came to her on her father’s birthday. While listening to a Raspberries record on vinyl, she quickly came up with the title and hook. She turned off the record player and started writing in her family room, where she writes much of her music.

Dauson recorded “Fresh Sugar” at Cleveland Sound Lab in Vaughan, Ontario, with producer and engineer James Nickle. The song was released through Frog & Bog Records. She wrote, composed and performed the song, played rhythm guitar, and created the single artwork herself.

The song is about a love that comes on strong and stays with you. “You’re just like fresh sugar baby, it’s the sweetest thing I know, your lovin’ drives me crazy, and you electrify my soul,” she sings. The lyrics are open, warm and romantic, with no attempt to hide how strongly she feels.

Dauson’s music brings together rock and roll, rockabilly, surf rock, country, folk and bluegrass. She draws inspiration from artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, ELO and Gordon Lightfoot. Before focusing on music, she studied physics and astronomy at York University and worked at the university’s observatory tracking changing stars. She also spent time at the David Dunlap Observatory with Dr. Tom Bolton, who helped discover the first black hole. After health challenges and studying creative advertising and video game design, she performed at a local open mic. Playing her original song “Virtual Sky” helped her realize she wanted to pursue music.

Onstage, Dauson performs with a full band: Trenton Moore on drums, Lex Stultz on bass, Blake Little on lead guitar, Darren Armoogam on keyboards, and Kun Huang and Walter Chan on saxophone and flute.

See Katie Dauson Live

October 23, 2026 — El Mocambo Tavern, Toronto, Ontario