Ron Sexsmith

At 56, Canada’s foremost well-heeled troubadour has made a most unlikely discovery: domestic bliss. All it took, it turns out, was leaving the city he loved. Following 30 years as an emblem of Toronto’s west end, Ron Sexsmith reluctantly uprooted to the serene hamlet of Stratford, Ontario, and the melodic, playful, theatrically vivacious Hermitage came gushing out.

The singer-songwriter’s latest album is his most self-assured collection, still charmingly subtle yet increasingly full of musical vigor. “I think it's a very upbeat album, lyrically,” he confirms. “It’s reflective of the sort of peacefulness that I'd recently felt. I'm getting more comfortable in my own skin.”