Press release –
Arriving just in time for Valentine’s Day, “My Heart Belongs to You” is a joyful new love song from Jessica Rhaye and The Ramshackle Parade, echoing the spirit of 1950s country music with a modern heart. Inspired by a sweet love letter Rhaye received as a teenage girl, from a boy who poured his heart out. “Though I never returned his feelings or his words, I kept that beautiful letter all these years, knowing someday it would become inspiration for a song,” Rhaye shares. The track transforms a long-lost note into a toe-tapping tale of young love, heartbreak, and lingering yearning that lands with a smile.
“My Heart Belongs to You” serves as the first single from the upcoming EP Foolish Heart, out March 20. The EP was recorded in the same spirit as the group’s 2023 album Sunshine Baby. Bed tracks were captured at the historic Capitol Theatre in Oxford, Nova Scotia, with overdubs completed at Blackberry Studio in New Brunswick and Farmhouse Studio in Nova Scotia.
The song was born out of a songwriting challenge at Music PEI’s annual conference in 2023, an experience that ultimately inspired two tracks on the EP: “My Heart Belongs to You” and “For You.”
Accompanying the single is a nostalgic, playful music video set in the vintage charm of the Hampton Middle School Auditorium, complete with its original brown curtains and cozy stage. Styled like a 1950s country rockabilly band, the video channels the feel of an old Grand Ole Opry variety show, featuring cowboy hats and whimsical hand-crafted papier-mâché props. “Directed in collaboration with our friend and filmmaker Jordan Mattie, the video stars The Ramshackle Parade and my son, Ryder, on piano, bringing this throwback tune to life with warmth, whimsy, and a whole lot of heart,” says Rhaye.
With “My Heart Belongs to You,” Jessica Rhaye and The Ramshackle Parade offer a joyful nod to classic country while celebrating the timeless emotions of first love, setting the tone for the heartfelt stories still to come on Foolish Heart.
What’s The Story About Foolish Heart EP by Jessica Rhaye and The Ramshackle Parade?
Foolish Heart is a five-song EP from Jessica Rhaye and The Ramshackle Parade that leans into love, reflection, and quiet vulnerability. Produced by longtime collaborator Dale Murray and recorded across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Nashville, the songs move easily between country-folk warmth, confessional moments, and cinematic swells — including a Laurel Canyon–inspired reimagining of KISS’s “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.”
While each song on Foolish Heart stands on its own sonically, they are bound together by a shared emotional thread. These are love songs, but not only the romantic kind—some are tender, some restless, others quietly questioning.
Jessica Rhaye is a Canadian independent singer-songwriter, performer, and visual graphic design artist with a 25-year career rooted in folk and Americana. Known for her warm, expressive voice and thoughtful songwriting, Rhaye moves effortlessly between intimate solo performances, her acclaimed folk trio Preeper Rhaye MacKay, and her folk-rock ensemble The Ramshackle Parade.
Her discography includes nine independent releases, showcasing both her versatility and depth as an artist. Recent projects include Wood & Wire (2024) with Preeper Rhaye MacKay, Sunshine Baby (2023), and Just Like a Woman – Songs of Bob Dylan (2019) with The Ramshackle Parade. Earlier solo releases include Song In Me (2016), Far Gone Lullabies (2013), Good Things (2009), Short Stories (2006), and her self-titled debut Jessica Rhaye (2000).
Jessica’s songwriting has been recognized nationally and internationally. Her work has twice been named a finalist in the Canada Music Week National Songwriting Competition and was also a finalist in the folk category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. She has received nominations from the Canadian Folk Music Awards, multiple East Coast Music Awards, and Music New Brunswick Awards. Her songs have appeared in the television series Unstable (CMT) and Heartland (CBC), and her albums have garnered praise from outlets including Americana UK, Americana Highways, BBC Radio, FATEA UK, Great Dark Wonder, and SiriusXM’s North Americana.
Over the years, Rhaye has collaborated with a distinguished group of co-writers, including Ron Sexsmith, the late Ken Tobias, Steve Poltz, Brent Mason, Royal Wood, and Matt Andersen. She has performed on many renowned stages and festivals such as the National Arts Centre, Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Mariposa Folk Festival, Area 506 Festival, Shivering Songs, Canadian Music Café, Hugh’s Room, Hotel Café, and Half Moon Putney.
In addition to her musical career, Jessica is an award-winning visual artist. Her design work—both for her own releases and for other musicians—has earned her the ECMA Graphic Artist of the Year and Music New Brunswick Visual Artist of the Year awards.
Based in her home province of New Brunswick, Canada, Jessica Rhaye continues to write, record, and tour with The Ramshackle Parade and Preeper Rhaye MacKay, whose latest work was praised by Americana UK as “Traditional music at a very high standard.”
Visit https://www.jessicarhaye.com.
“My Heart Belongs to You” Single Credits
Written by Jessica Rhaye
Jessica Rhaye: vocals, acoustic guitar & finger snaps
Bill Preeper: acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals & finger snaps
Sandy MacKay: upright bass, piano & backing vocals
Chris Braydon: electric & baritone electric guitars
Jordi Comstock: drums & percussion
Dale Murray: finger snaps
Produced by Dale Murray with Jessica Rhaye and The Ramshackle Parade
Recorded, engineered & mixed by Dale Murray
Mastered by John McLaggan (Parachute Mastering)
Artwork by Jessica Rhaye
