Secretly Canadian is an American

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

based in

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. According to the Mo ...

, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Secretly Canadian is a label included in Secretly Group, which also includes

Dead Oceans Dead Oceans is an American independent record label formed in 2007 and based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Dead Oceans is part of Secretly Group, which also ...

and

Jagjaguwar Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Jagjaguwar is a label included in Secretly Group, which also include ...

. Secretly Group includes the three record labels as well as a

music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...

known as Secretly Publishing, representing artists, writers, film makers, producers, and comedians.

History

Secretly Canadian was founded in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill while they attended Indiana University. The Swanson brothers, originally from

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo (Help:IPA/English, /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the ...

, decided to move to Bloomington after a Billboard article painted the Midwestern college town's scene as the next Seattle and an incubator for up-and-coming bands. Before Secretly Canadian was founded, Chris Swanson and Eric Weddle met in 1995 as sophomores involved in Indiana University's campus radio station, WIUX. Then Chris met Jonathan Cargill through a job at the Collins Living-Learning Center cafeteria on campus. Soon after, Chris' younger brother Ben Swanson moved to Bloomington to earn his undergraduate degree from the

Jacobs School of Music The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music. It has more than 1,500 students, approximately half of whom ar ...

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

. In 1996, Secretly Canadian was founded out of the Swansons' house. They had little experience and spent months researching how to make a CD. The label's first official release was a re-issue of an album by

June Panic June Panic (born 1976/1977) is an American singer-songwriter from Grand Forks, North Dakota. He has collaborated with musicians such as Heidi Gluck and LonPaul Ellrich (formerly of Marmoset). Musical career June Panic first began performing and ...

from

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city ...

; the ''Glory Hole'' CD. The second release in 1997 was Jason Molina's, under the Songs: Ohia moniker, often referred to as "The Black Album". After the Swanson brothers tracked down Molina's email address and drove hours to Molina's in-store gig at Adult Crash in New York. After signing Molina, the record label became more popular in the indie music scene. Secretly Canadian then signed other notable early releases, including

Marmoset The marmosets (), also known as zaris or sagoin, are 22 New World monkey species of the genera ''Callithrix'', ''Cebuella'', ''Callibella'', and ''Mico''. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term "marmoset" is ...

and Swearing At Motorists. Weddle soon left to form label Family Vineyard – and later followed by Cargill as well. After that, Chris Swanson and Darius Van Arman became friends in 1999 and Secretly Canadian joined forces with Van Arman's

. The early 2000s yielded reissues from Swell Maps, Nikki Sudden, and

Danielson Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates. Smith has also released solo work as Br ...

. Damien Jurado, the Seattle singer-songwriter, made his way to Secretly Canadian in 2002. Two years later,

Jens Lekman Jens Martin Lekman (; born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by Jonathan Ri ...

joined the label's roster. Anohni also signed to the label in the 2000s. Formerly known as

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro labe ...

earlier in her career, the Swanson brothers became enamored with Antony and the Johnsons’ self-titled debut from 2000. Antony and the Johnsons’ first record with Secretly Canadian,

I Am a Bird Now ''I Am a Bird Now'' is the second album by New York City band Antony and the Johnsons. It won the Mercury Prize on September 6, 2005. After winning the prize, the album shot up the UK albums chart from #135 to #16 in one week, the biggest jump i ...

, released in 2005, sold 100,000 copies in the first two months. Secretly Canadian then signed The War on Drugs, the Philadelphia-based band whose third record, Lost in the Dream, struck as both a critical and commercial success in 2014. Secretly Canadian also began a partnership with Chimera Records in the form of

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

's reissues beginning in 2016, and the debut release from

William Eggleston William Eggleston (born July 27, 1939) is an American photographer. He is widely credited with increasing recognition for color photography as a legitimate artistic medium. Eggleston's books include ''William Eggleston's Guide'' (1976) and ''The ...

, in 2017. Secretly Canadian's roster also includes

Cherry Glazerr Cherry Glazerr is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2013. The current lineup consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Clementine Creevy, bassist Sami Perez and drummer Tabor Allen. The band's sound has transitioned from lo-fi and ...

, Whitney, Alex Cameron,

Joey Dosik Joey Dosik is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, California. His most recent album, ''Inside Voice'', was released in 2018. Career Dosik grew up in Los Angeles, California. He started on piano at an ...

Stella Donnelly Stella Donnelly (born 10 April 1992) is a Welsh-Australian indie rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. After the success of her debut EP ''Thrush Metal'' in 2017, she signed with Secretly Canadian in 2018. She released her debut studio album ''B ...

, Faye Webster, and

serpentwithfeet Josiah Wise (born July 9, 1988), known professionally as serpentwithfeet, is an experimental musician based in Brooklyn, New York City. Wise released the EP ''Blisters'' in 2016, his debut studio album ''soil'' in 2018, his second EP ''Apparit ...

, among many others. In 2007, the addition of

to Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar's partnership led to the formation of Secretly Group. In 2015, Secretly Group began a partnership with

The Numero Group The Numero Group is an archival record label that creates compilations of previously released music, reissues original albums, and creates album reconstructions from a variety of musical genres. The label, known as Numero, was founded in 2003 b ...

as well. In 2018, Secretly Canadian was listed as #8 on ''

Paste Magazine ''Paste'' is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publication fro ...

''s top 10 record labels of 2018. Jagjaguwar was listed as #4 and

was listed as #7.

Artists

* Alasdair Roberts * Alex Cameron * Anohni *

* Ativin * Ben Abraham * BLK JKS *

Bobb Trimble Bobb Trimble (born August 4, 1958) is a psychedelic folk/ outsider musician from Marlborough, Massachusetts.BobbTrimble.com

< ...

Bodies of Water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as p ...

* Catfish Haven *

Cayucas Cayucas, previously Oregon Bike Trails, is an American indie pop band from Santa Monica, California. The group includes Zach Yudin and his twin brother Ben Yudin on guitar. The band signed to Secretly Canadian in 2012. History 2011: Oregon Bike ...

* Damien Jurado *

* Dave Fischoff * David Vandervelde * Don Lennon * Dungeonesse *

Early Day Miners Early Day Miners are a band from southern Indiana, United States who released records on the Bloomington, Indiana based label Secretly Canadian. The band has released seven full-length records. Their first CD '' Placer Found'' was released A ...

* Electric Youth * Emily Angeles * Faye Webster *

Foreign Born Foreign-born (also non-native) people are those born outside of their country of residence. Foreign born are often non-citizens, but many are naturalized citizens of the country in which they live, and others are citizens by descent, typically ...

* Frida Hyvonen *

Gardens & Villa Gardens & Villa is an American indie rock band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2008. The band consists of members Chris Lynch (guitar, flute, vocals), Adam Rasmussen (synthesizer), Shane McKillop (bass guitar), Levi Hayden (drums) a ...

* Havergal * The Horns of Happiness * I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness * The Impossible Shapes * Instruments of Science & Technology * Intro to Airlift *

Jason Molina Jason Andrew Molina (December 30, 1973 – March 16, 2013) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Raised in northern Ohio, he came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of ...

* The Japonize Elephants *

* JJ *

* Jorma Whittaker *

Little Scream Little Scream is the stage name of American-born, Montreal-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician and artist Laurel Sprengelmeyer. Her debut album '' The Golden Record'' was released on Outside Music in Canada and Secretly Canadian ...

Luke Temple Luke Temple, also known under the alias Art Feynman, is an American singer-songwriter. He records under his own name and with New York-based band Here We Go Magic. Temple was born in Salem, Massachusetts. After spending time in Northern Calif ...

* Magnolia Electric Co. *

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving af ...

* Makeness *

* Molina and Johnson * Music Go Music * Nightlands * Nikki Sudden & The Jacobites *

Nite Jewel Ramona Gonzalez (known professionally as Nite Jewel) is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. Biography Ramona Gonzalez began as Nite Jewel in 2008 as the result of her juggling music with undergraduate studies.

* Normanoak * The Panoply Academy * Porcelain Raft *

Porridge Radio Porridge Radio are a British indie rock band formed in Brighton in 2015. They are fronted by vocalist, songwriter and lead guitarist Dana Margolin. The other members are keyboardist Georgie Stott, bass guitarist Maddie Ryall and drummer Sam Yardl ...

* Racebannon * Richard Swift *

Scout Niblett Emma Louise Niblett (born 29 September 1973), better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Niblett debuted in 2001 with her first full-length studio album '' Sweet Heart Fever'', and ...

* She-Devils *

Shura Shura ( ar, شُورَىٰ, translit=shūrā, lit=consultation) can for example take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other. Shura is mentioned as a praisewor ...

Simon Joyner Simon Joyner (born 1971) is an American singer-songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska. He has influenced the music of Bright Eyes, Kevin Morby and Gillian Welch. In the early 1990s, Beck listed Joyner in his top 10 albums when asked by ''Rolling St ...

* Songs: Ohia *

* Steven A. Clark * Suuns * Suzanne Langille & Loren MazzaCane Connors * Swearing at Motorists * Swell Maps * Taken By Trees * Throw Me The Statue *

Tig Notaro Mathilde O'Callaghan "Tig" Notaro (born March 24, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, radio contributor, and actress. She is known for her deadpan comedy. Her acclaimed album ''Live'' was nominated in 2014 for the Grammy Award for Be ...

Tomas Barfod Tomas Barfod is a Danish drummer and electronic music producer. He currently spends his time between Los Angeles and Copenhagen. While in LA, he works as a producer and currently has tracks on several albums. Biography Barfod began playing drums ...

* Tren Brothers * The War on Drugs * Whitney *

Windsor for the Derby Windsor for the Derby are an American post-rock band formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1995 and currently based in Austin, Texas. Since their formation, the group has released many albums through labels such as Trance Syndicate, Young God Records, an ...

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented ...

Yeasayer Yeasayer () was an American experimental rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2006. The band consisted of Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder. They announced their split on December 19, 2019. History Formation The band's thr ...

* Zero Boys

Notable awards and honors

A2IM LIBERA AWARDS (US) *2015, Secretly Canadian, Label of the Year (finalist) *2014, Secretly Canadian, Label of the Year (finalist) AIM INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS (UK) *2014, Secretly Group – Independent Label of the Year (nominated)

References

External links