Charlie Houston

Based in Toronto, Charlie Houston develops an alternative pop sound with indie edges, tense guitars, clear melodies and songwriting that is very focused on intimate experience. The Canadian queer artist sometimes uses the term “tomboy pop” to locate an aesthetic that mixes pop directness, a grittier texture and experimental touches, without abandoning a relatively compact song format. Emerging in the early 2020s, she has built her path around singles and projects that return to themes of change, relationships and self-construction. That trajectory takes a new shape with Big After I Die, released in 2024 on Arts & Crafts — a nine-track debut album that extends this introspective approach within a more assertive framework. On stage, Charlie Houston has also shared bills with several figures from the Canadian scene, including Charlotte Cardin, The Beaches and Hailey Blais, positioning her work at the crossroads of indie pop, songwriting and a tougher alternative sensibility.