Carleigh Aikins began her journey in the Arts as a small child- finger painting in the studio her mother set up, and singing for the kindergarten talent shows in her hometown of Barrie, ON.

Her first professional jobs were in theatre productions from the age of ten; and she went on to build a resume as a stage actress in numerous musicals and pieces by playwrights such as Chekov, Gogol, and Daniel MacIvor . She soon took on multiple roles within the theatre- as a designer whose work was hailed at home and abroad; and as a member of production teams, a leader of youth theatre mentorship and as an education programmer. 

Aikins emerged as a visual Artist as well. Her work has been enlarged to 50 x 60 ft as a premiere public art piece in the downtown core of Barrie; and her bright whimsical works hang in collectors’ homes across North America. Her work in painting and drawing is what ultimately prompted her to move to Toronto, ON as she began studies at The Ontario College of Art and Design.

It is there that her path took a new direction. Despite her interest in varying aspects of the Arts, it was her abilities as a performer (harvested from early days in the theatre) that lead her to the farthest stretches of her career. A career in music. She now focuses mainly on working as a vocalist.

Carleigh became a sought after session and live vocalist/collaborator throughout North America- a far cry from her teenage years spent carpooling to Toronto to sing pay-to-play All Ages shows with the hometown bands she found herself a part of.

Sneaking in to local bars to perform before she was of legal age, Carleigh first cut her teeth with the band Fox Jaws. Hustling their way 60 miles south from Barrie to “the city” , they would eventually support acts such as Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, quickly integrating in to Toronto’s burgeoning music scene as a band to watch. 

Carleigh’s distinct vocal fry, and her diverse ability and style was undeniable. It lead her from Toronto clubs to singing on world stages including Royal Albert Hall (London), The Ryman (Nashville), Chicago Theatre (Chicago), The Orpheum (Los Angeles), L’Olympia (Paris), plus multiple appearances at Red Rocks (Colorado), The Fillmore (San Francisco), The Roundhouse (London), Massey Hall, Molson Amphitheatre and Rogers Centre and History in Toronto, among countless others. She now appears on recordings totalling over 190 million streams (on Spotify alone).

Aikins began touring shortly after she started her studies at OCADU in Toronto, which she postponed in order to join her hometown friend Afie Jurvanen as a vocalist for his project Bahamas. They made Late Night appearances including Conan O’Brien and the final season of The Colbert Report with Jack Johnson while being featured live on national radio across America. They toured extensively; with Jack Johnson, Michael Kiwanuka, City and Colour, Noah and the Whale, Calexico, and played with Artists such as Neil Young, Willie Nelson and Robert Plant on prestigious world stages. She appears on the Canadian Certified Gold Record Barchords’ Certified Gold hit single Lost In The Light, the JUNO winning record Bahamas Is Afie, Bahamas iTunes Sessions, iTunes Festival London LIVE and guested on Jack Johnson's From Here To Now To You LIVE. 

Forming deep connections with countless musicians on the road, Aikins moved on to join the well-established Denver band Paper Bird. She began splitting time between Ontario and Colorado as their newest member/vocalist. Shortly thereafter John Oates (Hall & Oates) brought them to Nashville, co-producing their self-titled record with David Kalmusky (Journey, Keith Urban), released on Thirty Tigers. Paper Bird shared bills with Jose Gonzales, Charles Bradley, Andy Shauf, Iron & Wine and Hall & Oates at their Red Rocks appearance. They toured the west coast with Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (ending with two sold out nights at the Fillmore SF) ; and across America with The Ballroom Thieves as well as Grammy Winners The Infamous Stringdusters ft. Nikki Blum. Paper Bird traversed a lot of ground playing festivals such as Mumford and Sons Gentlemen of the Road, Americana Fest, Winnipeg Folk Festival and Winter Wondergrass Vale; and performed at the Red Rocks screening of The Greatful Dead: A Long Strange Trip produced by Martin Scorsese. The band performed arrangements of their songs with The CO Symphony at Chautauqua Auditorium shortly before disbanding to pursue new projects together and apart.

In the meantime, when Jonathan Russel and Josiah Johnson were between tours with their band The Head and The Heart, they’d scoop Carleigh up to play intimate shows in living rooms and art galleries across America. Their fans also saw her guest on THATH sets across the country. She appears on Johnson’s solo record Every Feeling on a Loop.

In the interim, Aikins found time to perform with numerous live line-ups including Macy Gray and Galactic, Patrick Watson, Donovan Woods, Dan Mangan, Hannah Georgas, The Weather Station, La Force ft. Feist and spent time in New York singing with Madrid/NYC band Gold Lake. She’s also guested with the likes of Shakey Graves, Lucius, The Weakerthans, Yukon Blonde and Leif Vollebekk to name a very few. 

Over a decade later, Carleigh has surely put in more than her ten thousand hours on stage. She currently tours Canada/US with Royal Wood; having supported Bonnie Raitt on her …And Just Like That 2023 tour. They have played Massey Hall multiple times; and Aikins can be heard on Royal Wood’s LIVE at Massey Hall record in addition to some of his other releases. They’ve also graced The NAC, Centre in The Square and Roy Thomson Hall making appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as The Niagara and Kitchener/Waterloo Orchestra. Best known for her uncanny delivery of Janis Joplin- she is a member of the Toronto super-group Dwayne Gretzky; who’ve supported The Rolling Stones and Gordon Lightfoot, and played the greatest hits of all-time to thousands of fans across North America. Aikins is also a leading member of The 99’s, whose members include James Bailey, Tally Ferraro, Chloe Ducette and Adam Beer-Colacino . She’s toured the East Coast and Ireland/UK singing with Ben Kunder, and she can often be found performing with The Rose Hall Band backing Jeremie Albino on occasion.

Carleigh has appeared several times with various acts on the Canadian (US syndicate) CBC q and host Tom Power was quoted when introducing her first solo single on the show that Aikins is an Artist “we think you’ve heard more than any other Artist on the show” and coined her a CBC All-Star. She is featured in numerous episodes of CBC First Play Live with various artists. Her original song was featured on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy Season 19 and the NHL Sportsnet Stanley Cup Playoffs Hockey Night in Canada 2021 Hockey Night in Canada. Her voice appears on songs featured in various national television shows, ad campaigns and films.

Carleigh Aikins is a recipient of Canada Council for the Arts Recording Grant, and in December 2021 she released a collection of her own soulful pop tunes called JUNK JEWELRY created with collaborators including Marcus Paquin (Arcade Fire, The National), Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith, Bahamas), and members of The Barr Brothers, Patrick Watson, The Mynabirds and Zeus.

Aikins is poised to find herself far from home once again; showcasing that homegrown talent she’s been harvesting for years on stages around the world.