Exposed Vocals Interview – Ian North on Cliffs of Portugal

Canadian singer-songwriter Ian North returns with Cliffs of Portugal, a deeply haunting and cinematic folk ballad rooted in memory, grief, and historical reverie. Inspired by a transformative journey to Portugal and the loss of his father, the track navigates both external landscapes and internal reckonings. Layered with the rich harmonies of Jennifer Claveau and the atmospheric production of Chris Gartner, the song is a poignant meditation on love, change, and the bittersweet beauty of what we leave behind.

Following the release of Cliffs of Portugal, we sat down with Ian North to explore the origins of the song, his creative collaborations, and the profound moments that continue to shape his lyrical voice. The conversation revealed the emotional depth behind the music and a perspective rooted in lived experience and artistic honesty.

Exposed Vocals: Cliffs of Portugal is both haunting and deeply personal. What initially inspired the song, and how did your journey to Portugal influence the writing?

Ian North: I had some experiences while travelling – road friendships, a romance that never quite happened, a sense of being in the middle of history. But in the back of my mind, when I stood on that point of land, I had the idea of sailing into the unknown. That idea came back to me later when my father passed.

Exposed Vocals: The line, “for every new world that is born, there is an old one that must fall,” hits especially hard. Can you speak to the emotional core of that lyric?

Ian North: That line is about accepting loss and change, and the inevitable cost of that, I guess. For every action there’s an opposite reaction — it’s a law of nature.

Exposed Vocals: You weave historical themes—like King Henry the Navigator—into a song that also deals with personal grief. How did you balance those worlds while writing?

Ian North: Well, we’re all explorers, like it or not. And the final exploration will come, but until then we have to step into the unknown sometimes.

Exposed Vocals: How did the collaboration with Jennifer Claveau and Chris Gartner shape the final sound of the track?

Ian North: Jennifer brought a strong visual sensibility, and she designed the imagery. Also, we sang this song together many times, and her harmonies are a key part of the song. Chris, as producer, brings a musician’s and a composer’s sensibility, and the style that he brings to his own music.

Exposed Vocals: Can you describe the creative process behind transforming Cliffs of Portugal from an intimate acoustic piece into its cinematic final form?

Ian North: It began as voice and guitar. As a songwriter, I begin everything that way. Then I gave it to Chris, and he began overlaying parts, sending it back and forth.

Exposed Vocals: What role did producer/engineer John Stuart Campbell play in capturing the intimacy and scale of this recording?

Ian North: John understands dynamics. He let the microphones do the heavy lifting and avoided over-production. His approach was almost documentary: capture what’s really there. He has a rare ability to make something sound big without losing the human scale.

Exposed Vocals: The orange grove imagery near Seville is a striking real-life detail. Do you often draw from personal travel memories in your songwriting?

Ian North: Yes, but not just travel. All kinds of things are grist for the mill. Travel shakes things up; it puts you slightly off balance. That disorientation can be useful creatively. The orange grove detail was just something that stayed with me — a sensory anchor. Sometimes a single remembered smell can carry an important emotional context.

Exposed Vocals: Having survived a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, has your approach to writing or performing music changed in any lasting ways?

Ian North: It simplified things. I no longer chase outcomes. The focus is on clarity — saying what needs to be said, not proving anything. Just living day to day changes your outlook anyway, so a little encounter with death is just another challenge in a line.

Exposed Vocals: Who are some of the artists—past or present—who continue to influence your lyric-driven, folk-rock style?

Ian North: Writers who treat songs as literature, the great lyricists of “folk”: Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Dylan, Neil Young, and some slightly less famous people like Randy Newman, James McMurtry. I also listen to a lot of instrumental and ambient music. I also love the cleverness of the American Songbook writers like Gershwin, Arlen, Rodgers.

Exposed Vocals: What’s next for you after this release? Can fans expect a full album, additional singles, or live performances in the near future?

Ian North: There’s an album taking shape that continues this thread — reflective, rooted in place, but looking outward. We’ll release more singles ahead of it and plan to perform selectively in venues that suit the material. I’m less interested in scale than in connection. When the right spaces appear, we’ll play them.

With Cliffs of Portugal, Ian North solidifies his place among modern folk storytellers—those who blend poetic reflection with emotional honesty. The track stands as a meditation on memory, legacy, and the uncharted territory of healing. As he looks toward future releases and intimate live shows, North continues to navigate the edge between past and possibility with a voice that resonates long after the final note fades.