Canadian indie folk troubadour Tennyson King will perform back in his hometown of Mississauga following his current tour of B.C. and Alberta. He is one of five acts scheduled at A Glimpse into the Heart of a Singer Songwriter, which runs from 2 to 5:30 p.m. on September 7 at Rec Room Mississauga. He’s part of a lineup that includes Kelsi Mayne, Elyse Saunders, U.N. Jefferson, and the Adina V. & Jack Gaughan Duo.
This follows King’s gigs earlier this year in Taiwan with two-time Juno winner Aysanabee and performances at the famed Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England.
The Hong Kong–born and Mississauga-raised King integrates Chinese musical elements into his western folk-rock. A multilingual musical nomad, he sings in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
“I’m thrilled to share music that reflects my heritage and the places I’ve travelled,” King says. “It’s about telling stories—through language, guitar, and zhongruan.”
Mississauga native collaborates with other artists
His B.C. and Alberta tour began in Victoria on July 23. It includes 18 other dates, culminating with performances in Calgary and Cranbrook with Lindi Ortega, with whom he recorded “Where I Make My Home”.
For King, it was a career highlight to play three times at Glastonbury with long-time collaborator and keyboardist Chris Noble. The Mississauga native has also collaborated with many other artists, including Taiwanese-born Australian singer-songwriter Kim Yang. They incorporated Chinese musical elements into their melodic and soothing 2024 single “你的所有 (All of You)”. King and Yang have described it as “a bilingual love letter to bustling cities, transitional moments, and soul-stirring serendipity”.
Tennyson King and Kim Yang released “你的所有 (All of You)” in 2024.
In the past, King has toured China and Australia on several occasions and performed in Southeast Asia. As well, the Canadian Folk Music Award nominee has played countless gigs across Canada. As a result of all these travels, he’s written some brilliant songs about life on the road, including “Rubber Tramp”, “Don’t Know Where I’m Going”, and “What Am I Doing?”
“When I go to Southeast Asia to play music, I’m not thinking about how can I make the most money possible,” King told Pancouver in 2023. “I’m finding how I can connect to the culture through the music and with locals and local musicians.”
Glimpse Into the Heart of a Singer Songwriter will run from 2 to 5:30 p.m. on September 7 at Rec Room Mississauga. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit Eventbrite.ca. To learn more about Tennyson King, visit his website. Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
