New music from Heather Ferguson

Based in Victoria, British Columbia, Heather Ferguson is a singer-songwriter who builds her work from a background in jazz, using it as a framework for storytelling that leans into social reflection. Her songs often explore themes of loss, power and determination, but they do so through a lens that feels tethered to real experience rather than abstraction.

Drawing from a life informed by literature, travel and collaboration, her approach carries a sense of honesty and openness, where different influences are allowed to meet and reshape one another. That openness becomes central to her latest release titled “Broken Horned Kudu,” a single that marks a clear step forward in her artistic adventure. The track brings together musicians from different cultural backgrounds, forming a collaboration that stretches between Canada and South Africa.

Recorded in Cape Town with leading South African players, the project moves through Cape Jazz, world jazz and contemporary vocal storytelling, creating a sound that feels intimate, timeless and unique all at once. The origins of the track lie in Heather’s travels across East and Southern Africa, experiences that feed directly into the context of “Broken Horned Kudu,” which reflects on fragility and endurance through a central metaphor.

The image of a kudu with a broken horn becomes a way of thinking about individuals and cultures that continue despite forces working against them. It’s a symbol that carries thematic impact while allowing the song to move between personal and collective interpretations. Vocals are delivered in both English and Xhosa, creating a dialogue that lets different voices exist alongside each other, mirroring the collaborative process behind the recording, where each contributor plays a role in shaping the final outcome.

The sessions in Cape Town were guided by South African jazz pianist and arranger George Werner, whose direction helped place the recording within the traditions it draws from. The project then moved into post production in Victoria where Canadian producer Wynn Gogol worked to bring the various elements together and despite the geographical distance, the process remained connected through ongoing creative balance, maintaining a sense of continuity between the different stages.

“Broken Horned Kudu” draws from Cape Jazz ensemble stylings, incorporating bouncy African rhythmic structures while leaving space within the arrangement as Heather’s soulful vocals float above. Dashed with warm trumpet leads and instilled with elegant vocal melodies, the single sees Heather Ferguson serve up a magical musical moment that’s truly impossible not to love.

Commenting on the release, Heather shares, “Broken Horned Kudu became a way to talk about resilience and the will to survive, even when that resilience is compromised by desperate choices. Despite that, we find hope. In Xhosa, they say Kuzolunga — it will all be fine.”

Listen to Broken Horned Kudu below

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