# Donovan Woods (musician)

Donovan Woods is a Canadian folk and country singer-songwriter. He has released several albums of folk and roots music, including the Juno Award-winning Both Ways.

## Early life

Woods was born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario. He began playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager.

## Career

Woods' first album, The Hold Up, was released in 2007.
His second album, The Widowmaker, was released in 2010, and his third album, Don't Get Too Grand, was released in 2013 and garnered Woods' first Juno Award nomination for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo.
His fourth album, Hard Settle, Ain't Troubled, was released February 26, 2016, and was a longlisted nominee for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize. At the 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards, Woods won the award for English Songwriter of the Year, and the album was nominated for Contemporary Album of the Year.
Woods' fifth full-length album Both Ways was released on April 20, 2018. At the Juno Awards of 2019, Both Ways won the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. In May 2019 Woods released The Other Way, a companion album to Both Ways which featured more acoustic-based renditions of the prior album's songs. The Other Way included guest vocals from Tenille Townes on "I Ain't Ever Loved No One", which was a duet with Rose Cousins in its original Both Ways version.
The next full-length album, Without People, was released on November 6, 2020. The album featured guest vocals from both Katie Pruitt and Rhys Lewis as well as songwriting credits from Ashley Monroe, Tucker Beathard, Thomas Finchum and Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies. As part of the release, Woods launched the Donovan Woods With People Project, which featured dancers and visual artists from multiple countries creating pieces inspired by songs from the album. One of the project's featured artists was Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, Ariana and the Rose.
On May 7, 2021 Woods released the song "IOWA" with Aoife O'Donovan. On March 18, 2022, Woods released his EP, Big Hurt Boy. He subsequently opened for Matt Nathanson on his "Some Mad Hope 15th Anniversary Tour" in the United States.
In 2023, he participated in an all-star recording of Serena Ryder's single "What I Wouldn't Do", which was released as a charity single to benefit Kids Help Phone's Feel Out Loud campaign for youth mental health.
On July 12, 2024, his most recent album, "Things Were Never Good If They're Not Good Now" was released by End Times Music, a indie label founded by Woods and Michelle Szeto. The record features 11 songs and two bonus tracks.

### Songwriting

Woods' song "Portland, Maine" (co-written with Abe Stoklasa) has also been recorded by Tim McGraw. Woods' song "Leaving Nashville" (also co-written with Abe Stoklasa) has been recorded by Lady A singer Charles Kelley.
Woods was signed to Warner/Chappell Nashville in 2016.
In 2018, Woods was a SOCAN Songwriting Prize nominee as cowriter of James Barker Band's song "Chills". He has also co-written the number one Canada Country hits "Feels Like That" by the Reklaws and "Forever's Gotta Start Somewhere" by Chad Brownlee.

### Film/TV Syncs

Woods' song "Brand New Gun" was featured in the movie Numb starring Matthew Perry. His song "Wait and See" was featured on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and his song "My Cousin Has a Grey Cup Ring" was used in commercials for the Grey Cup. "Grey Cup Ring" was inspired by Woods' father, who is a cousin of former Montreal Alouettes player Glen Weir. His song "Kennedy" was featured on an episode of The Good Doctor in 2017, "Don't Get Too Grand" was featured on Rookie Blue and "Portland, Maine" was featured on season 1 of Legacies in 2019. Woods' has had other placements in shows like Felicity, Less Than Kind and The Fosters.
Woods wrote "The Heart of Christmas" performed by Alicia Witt in the Hallmark movie, Our Christmas Love Song.

## Discography

Studio Albums :
| Title | Album details |
| The Hold Up | Released: May 23, 2007 Label: SunnyLane Records |
| The Widowmaker | Released: September 30, 2010 Label: Meant Well |
| Don't Get Too Grand | Released: March 5, 2013 Label: Meant Well |
| Hard Settle, Ain't Troubled | Released: February 26, 2016 Label: Meant Well |
| Both Ways | Released: April 20, 2018 Label: Meant Well |
| The Other Way | Released: May 3, 2019 Label: Meant Well |
| Without People | Released: November 6, 2020 Label: Meant Well |
| Without People (Deluxe) | Released: March 26, 2021 Label: Meant Well |
| Things Were Never Good If They're Not Good Now | Released: July 12, 2024 Label: End Times Music |
Singles & Extended Plays :
| Title | Album details |
| "That Hotel" | Released: 2015 Formats: Single |
| "Portland, Maine" | Released: 2015 Formats: Single |
| They Are Going Away | Released: 2016 Formats: EP |
| "All Mine" | Released: 2017 Formats: Single |
| "The Worst Way" | Released: 2017 Formats: Single |
| The Wild Honey Pie Buzzsession | Released: 2018 Formats: Live Sessions |
| "Way Way Back" | Released: 2019 Formats: Single |
| "While All the While" | Released: 2019 Formats: Single |
| "IOWA" (with Aoife O'Donovan) | Released: May 7, 2021 Formats: Single |
| Big Hurt Boy | Released: March 18, 2022 Formats: EP |
| "I'm Around" | Released: October 20, 2023 Formats: Single |
| "Back For The Funeral" | Released: May 3, 2024 Formats: Single |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| Canadian Country Music Awards | 2021 | Alternative Country Album of the Year | Without People | Nominated |
| Juno Awards | 2014 | Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo | Don't Get Too Grand | Nominated |
| Juno Awards | 2017 | Songwriter of the Year | "Leaving Nashville", "What Kind of Love Is That", "They Don't Make Anything in That Town" | Nominated |
| Juno Awards | 2019 | Songwriter of the Year | "Our Friend Bobby", "Truck Full of Money", "Next Year" | Nominated |
| Juno Awards | 2019 | Contemporary Roots Album of the Year | Both Ways | Won |
| Juno Awards | 2022 | Contemporary Roots Album of the Year | Without People | Nominated |
| Juno Awards | 2025 | Contemporary Roots Album of the Year | Things Were Never Good if They're Not Good Now | Pending |