Beyond the façade of stardom, Chantal Kreviazuk’s life and career are a testament to honesty, resilience and staying true to herself.
There are innumerable glimpses of Grammy Award winner Chantal Kreviazuk available to us — her music, her stories, her photographs. Everyone knows her as the star who has won three Juno Awards, a Grammy and so many other deserved accolades, the larger- than-life phenomenon we’ve been happy to believe in since childhood — but you might wonder: what goes into the making of such an icon?
On a rainy Saturday evening, when Kreviazuk arrived for the interview, she looked every bit as elegant as she does in photographs. But there was something beyond that which might not be anticipated — a natural ease and calm that revealed a new facet of stardom, one that isn’t often seen. Humility has an underrated charm, and Kreviazuk embodies it in the most disarming way.
“Always be the gift. Always!” is her motto. But don’t mistake her humility for a lack of passion.
Born in Winnipeg, Chantal Kreviazuk began music lessons in piano and singing at age five. She had already received extensive training in classical piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music, written songs and won many competitions by the time she entered university. She’d even written and sung jingles for local Winnipeg radio and television stations.
Reminiscing about those early years, she shared some advice for her own 16-year-old self: “Spread your wings, trust what you’re doing, and everything is going to be okay.”
In many ways, her life and career reflect the very advice she would now give that younger self. In 1996, she signed her first record deal and, soon after, met Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida at a Pearl Jam concert. The two fell in love then and there, and the following year, she released her début album, Under These Rocks and Stones, earning immense acclaim and establishing herself as a new voice in Canadian music.
“You Can Make Choices for How You Want to Proceed With Your Day, but How You Are Feeling Is Inevitably Going to Show in the Things You Create.”
Almost three decades later, she has given us beloved songs, collaborated with top artists and continued to evolve while holding on to the honesty and love for the craft. “Being honest is an art,” she says. “Just say it and don’t overthink your voice.” Perhaps it is that honesty that resonates with people. Because where there is love, there is heartbreak; where there is happiness, there is often pain. Kreviazuk’s compositions, raw and deeply introspective, traverse these many truths of life. “You can make choices for how you want to proceed with your day, but how you are feeling is inevitably going to show in the things you create,” she says.
For all its attractions, stardom has its share of unfairness, especially for women. Lured by the glamour of fame, we don’t often recognize these inequalities. Kreviazuk’s story, however, illustrates the resilience she needed to navigate these realities.
When she learned that her songs would no longer be played on the radio because she was considered too old, she says that she felt as though the rug had been pulled out from under her. But rather than letting that diminish her confidence, she found an unexpected freedom — the freedom to step away from expectations, find her own runway and embrace a version of herself that felt more authentic and honest. “Excellence has nothing to do with one’s politics and/or opinions; rather, it has to do with whether or not there is an awareness of the space and energy we share,” she observes.
At 53, Kreviazuk is exploring new genres and expanding her musical legacy. She recently released her album In My Own Voice, an intimate reworking of songs she had originally written for other artists, reclaiming her songwriting past and placing her own voice at the centre.
Her resilience extends beyond her music and into her relationships. She believes that the attitude conveyed by the late president John F. Kennedy’s famous exhortation, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country,” holds a similar truth when it comes to relationships.
In a world full of expectations, micromanaging and outward projections that can complicate relationships, Kreviazuk reimagines relationships as spaces of interdependence where each partner must strive for support and trust. Importantly, she believes in allowing room for individuality, remaining true to who you are and giving the other person the freedom to simply be. “For somebody else to be in your care, care less,” she says.
That’s solid advice. You might wonder what it looks like in practice, though, especially within a marriage between two renowned artists with prolific careers like Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida. “We are just a regular couple who want to be together and have a peaceful life,” says Kreviazuk.
“Spread Your Wings, Trust What You’re Doing, and Everything Is Going to Be Okay.”
And in their joint memoir, I’m Going to Break Your Heart: A Rock ’n’ Roll Love Story, they open up about their marriage in all its complexity. They could have presented a fairytale version of their relationship, but instead they chose to tell it as it has been — with all its suffering, insecurity and pain. Knowing the assumptions people might make and the projections they might place on a couple whose lives and careers have been so intertwined, they still chose honesty, sharing the difficult realities of their relationship: “To love is to ache.” Theirs is a love story of falling apart yet always finding their way home to each other.
The rock ‘n’ roll couple are also headlining the I’m Going to Break Your Heart Tour in September and November of 2026. Their return to the road as touring partners marks a new chapter, woven with the old threads of love, passion and music.
The powerful performer we see on stage is certainly not very different from the resilient person Kreviazuk is at home — a woman who finds joy in a clean laundry room, in watching her husband cook in the kitchen and in seeing her children laugh together. “Having your children love each other is the best,” she says.
Kreviazuk’s warmth extends beyond her home. Fame often presents us with the superficial version of a star, all inflated ego and glamour. But Kreviazuk’s humanity allows us to see the person behind the star, in all her humility and authenticity. As the founding artist and longtime ambassador for War Child Canada, she has travelled to conflict-impacted areas to raise awareness and support children and families affected by war. Her humanitarian work spans environmental sustainability, animal welfare and mental health awareness.
In 2014, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada alongside her husband in recognition of their social leadership and humanitarian efforts. She also received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, recognizing her exceptional service and charitable contributions.
For all the accolades, Kreviazuk chooses humility.
“We Are Just a Regular Couple Who Want to Be Together and Have a Peaceful Life.”
She observes that the world is constantly telling us that we are not enough — our work, our marriages, our bodies, our presentation. We are always searching for something better, something more. Perhaps the real work is learning to soften: to accept who we are, the bodies we were born into and the relationships we choose. In the face of struggle, she embraces acceptance. And in an industry that tends to push people toward pessimism, Kreviazuk chooses to be a ray of sunshine. “We don’t have to thrive on the negative.” She believes that with the gift of life we have been given, we should use it to look around, bear witness to the lives unfolding around us, and cherish the sights, loved ones and moments that make life beautiful.
Three decades of excellence, and still, when Kreviazuk steps onto a stage with a catalogue of songs written at different stages of her life, she remembers who she was when she wrote them. That, for her, is the special part of songwriting. The songs become more meaningful with time, carrying memories of the many versions of herself and the people who were part of those moments. She adds that even on days when things don’t feel right, she thrives when she gets to work — the gift of her craft. She channels that energy through her songs. And with all those records sold and awards won, she doesn’t let her achievements get in the way of her values.
For Kreviazuk, no matter who you are, everyone has an outlet in life. What happens at home is what matters. “Encourage people to suggest, judge, criticize less,” she says. In a world full of mistrust, judgment and jealousy, she chooses peace and acceptance. With her optimism, she envisions a world where we would not lose a day to questioning but instead find trust and comfort in each other.
Reflecting on what truly makes an icon like Chantal Kreviazuk, we can see a story of honesty shaped by three decades of highs and lows. A young girl with an intuitive passion for music. An artist with a powerful lyrical gift. A musician with countless accolades. A wife navigating complexities yet choosing to hold on. A humanitarian driving social change in a world of conflict and chaos. A mother whose love is rooted in giving. A woman of passion and purpose. But most importantly, we can see a humble star who chooses resilience every single day, one song at a time.
Q&A WITH CHANTAL
Q: What’s something you’d like to tell the 16-year-old Chantal?
A: To the 16-year-old Chantal, I’d like to say that everything is going to be okay. I think by the time I was 16 or 17, I had done a lot of work and I didn’t even know I was doing it. I had completed my instruction and written songs by the time I was in university. “Trust that you know what you are doing.”
Q: What are the major changes you see in the industry from when you started until now?
A: I feel I come from a place of standing out and being different, with an individual presence. For me, that’s something to strive for. It seems like we are in a place where we are funnelling toward the sound being the same, or just a few sounds. People are striving to sound like something that’s already in existence. For me, I like to hear something different. The expectation has shifted to voices sounding different to differentiate who is who. It presents an opportunity for someone to come and start the cycle again.
Q: What’s your favourite part of songwriting?
A: I always write about feelings and truths of my life, and I perform songs from 30 years ago. When the words come out of my mouth I am reminded of a time in my life when I wrote them, who I wrote them about or where I was at that time. When it comes to your parents, partner, children — those songs become so overwhelming and meaningful because I have changed but I remember that person. I love that part of songwriting.
