Mo Kenney

Mo Kenney
Mo Kenney performing at East Coast Music Week in 2013.
Background information
Birth name	Morgan Kenney
Born	(1990-06-05) June 5, 1990 (age 26) Halifax, Nova Scotia
Occupation(s)	songwriter, performer, recording artist
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums
Years active	2010-present
Labels	New Scotland Records, Pheromone Recordings
Associated acts	Joel Plaskett, Ron Sexsmith, Gordie Sampson, Rachel Sermanni
Website	[1]

Mo Kenney (born 1990) is a Canadian singer/songwriter based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Catching the ear of noted Canadian rocker Joel Plaskett while still in school, Kenney released her first album in 2012, which Plaskett produced. Kenney is known for her lyrical prowess and engaging stage presence. Called "Nova Scotia's rising star" by The Scene magazine, she has toured with Plaskett as well as with Ron Sexsmith. In 2013, her song “Sucker” won the prestigious SOCAN Songwriting Prize.

Kenney began playing guitar when she was 11. She became interested in music via classic rock; among her favorite artists in her early teens were Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Ozzy Osbourne. When she found herself grounded for two months by her parents at age 16, she began writing songs in earnest and listening to singer/songwriters such as Elliott Smith. Smith in particular inspired Kenney to learn finger-picking. At around the same age, she also began to draw inspiration from the indie rock world, thanks to exposure to the films of Wes Anderson, and the adventurous soundtracks he favors.

Kenney first began recording her songs at a small recording studio housed at the Shambhala School, a non-denominational private school in Halifax, when she was 17. Joel Plaskett visited the school one day to talk about playing and recording music, and listened to what she had recorded. Two years later, Plaskett's manager called Kenney with the news that she was invited to attend Gordie Sampson's Songcamp in Cape Breton. Kenney later began working on her first recording with Plaskett, starting in April 2011.

Although hampered by severe stage fright when first beginning to perform, Kenney now impresses critics with her at-ease and affable stage presence. Among her notable international performances to date, Kenney played at the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival in October 2012 and at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton in May 2013.