ABOUT

Windsor-based singer-songwriter Crissi Cochrane delivers an honest, soulful blend of popular music, marrying her Nova Scotian heart with her love of jazz, retro pop, and classic Detroit soul.

Musician, poet, and the co-founder of the music label Soul City Music Co-op in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Crissi Cochrane is an artist’s artist, beloved for her velveteen vocals and fearlessly emotional storytelling. In a career spanning more than two decades, Crissi has released 7 albums and EPs, shared stages with artists including Walk Off The Earth, Jesse Cook, and Sarah Harmer, and showcased at festivals including Canadian Music Week, the Halifax Pop Explosion, and Bluesfest Windsor, meanwhile amassing more than 12 million listens on Spotify. 

In her early years in Nova Scotia, Crissi released her first recordings at age 17, and studied Music Business at the Nova Scotia Community College in Dartmouth. The proximity to Toronto and the many cities along the 401 inspired Crissi to relocate to Canada’s southermost city in 2010, inspiring a musical shift from her folk roots into something with echoes of Motown, bossa nova, and soul. Soon after moving to Windsor, Crissi's 2014 album “Little Sway” prompted a flurry of opportunities, including a song sync in ABC’s hit TV show "Nashville" and her delivery of a 2018 TEDx talk "Love Songs For Hire" about writing 70+ custom love songs for listeners around the world.

Crissi is a proud recipient of grant funding from FACTOR, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Windsor, the Windsor Endowment for the Arts, the Canadian Independent Recording Artists Association, and the Province of Nova Scotia. Her 2026 EP "Fire Sign" is a five-song journey through longing, resilience, betrayal, surrender, and devotion, an exploration of the artist’s fiery Aries nature, available now on all streaming platforms.

MEDIA QUOTES

"The hooks come big and strong, and Cochrane glows on top of it all. Punchy drums and cool-as-a-breeze horns take us back to three-minute pop glory. Motown is definitely in the air. At the core is delightful songwriting, with an appreciation of melodic love songs and sophisticated lyrics."
- Bob Mersereau, CBC East Coast Music

"…a confident bridge towards sultry soul and classic, smoky jazz, the influence of Motown being just a riverbank away from Windsor. For fans of Ella Fitzgerald, Coeur de Pirate or Sarah Harmer."
- Grant Lawrence, CBC Radio 3

"She could sing me the phone book and I'd listen."
- Mike Kinsella (Owen, American Football)

Click here for more quotes and a full listing of media articles & interviews

awards & credits
 

Crissi is a co-founder and senior artist in the Windsor, Ontario music label, the Soul City Music Co-op - an artist-owned and -led label, pioneering a grass-roots model of collaboration among independent artists.

Crissi's 2014 album Little Sway has gone viral on streaming platforms, receiving more than 13 million listens, largely derived from the viral breakout ‘Pretty Words’.

Crissi has managed four successful crowd-funding campaigns: the “Why” animated music video which was featured on the main page of Indiegogo.com, the pressing of her 2020 album Heirloom on vinyl, and campaigns to manufacture her first studio recordings in 2010 and 2011.

Crissi is a graduate of the Nova Scotia Community College’s Music Business Program (Dartmouth Waterfront campus), where she received an award for Highest Academic Achievement.

Crissi’s 2014 song “A Damn Shame” was used in ABC’s hit TV show Nashville in 2015.

Crissi’s song “The Key” was used in a national Dairy Queen advertisement in 2022.

Crissi delivered a popular TEDx talk at Chatham-Kent in October 2017 entitled "Love Songs For Hire", about writing more than 70 custom love songs for listeners around the world.

Crissi was the subject of national publicity on CBC TV on Valentine's Day 2016 with her “Song for your Sweetheart” campaign, writing and recording 12 original personalized love songs in 11 days. The CBC web article broke the all-time record for most hits on a Sunday news story ever, with more than 16,000 page views.

Crissi was named among the Top 10 artists nationwide in the CBC Searchlight contest 2014, the hunt for Canada's best new artist.

Crissi has performed at festivals including the Windsor Blues Fest (2020), Kingsville Folk Festival (2019), the Junos in London (2019), Canadian Music Week (2014), Shores of Erie International Wine Festival (2014 & 2011), Tall Ships Festival in Windsor (2014), Ottawa Fringe Festival (2014) and the Halifax Pop Explosion (2011 & 2009 & 2007), and has opened for artists including Buffy Sainte-Marie, Walk Off The Earth, Sarah Harmer, Jeremy Fisher, Jesse Cook, and Owen.

Crissi’s songs receive regular airplay on CBC Radio nationally, and have charted at campus radio across the country, reaching #1 at CJAM 99.1fm Windsor for all albums, and #1 at SCOP Toronto in 2014, remaining in the charts there for 12 consecutive weeks.

Crissi has organized sold-out charity music events in Windsor, including a Billie Holiday 100th Anniversary Concert in 2015 for the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women, and a Christmas Social in 2014 for the Downtown Mission.

Crissi is a proud recipient of grant funding from FACTOR, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Windsor, the Windsor Endowment for the Arts, the Canadian Independent Recording Artists Association, and the Province of Nova Scotia.