Singer-Songwriter Malia Rogers Shares Genre-Spanning Debut EP Chameleon feat. Peaceful, Swirling Folk Ballad “Indefinitely”

With her debut EP Chameleon, Nova Scotia-raised, Ottawa-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Malia Rogers delivers a luminous and emotionally layered introduction. Rooted in folk storytelling and carried by waves of bluegrass and Celtic influence, the six-song collection explores identity, resilience, and transformation—with a special spotlight on the expansive and quietly stunning centerpiece, “Indefinitely.”

Listen in here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3t0aQpXv57HA0Fxl8Hv1tk

Written on the seventh anniversary of her relationship with her now-husband Matthew, “Indefinitely” is a love song not for the infatuated or the infatuating, but for the deeply known—for the ones who’ve grown side by side, weathering change without losing the thread of connection. It’s a song that whispers before it swells, wrapping its listener in a soundscape of acoustic textures, lilting mandolin, flowing melodic strings, and the gentle pulse of a bodhrán. There’s a sense of stillness to it, but it’s not passive—it’s the stillness of being fully seen.

“I told my producer Neil Whitford that I wanted it to sound like the tide,” says Rogers. “There’s ocean imagery in the lyrics, and as a Nova Scotian living away in Ontario, the water makes me feel like I’m home. So does the love this song is written about.”

That tidal intention ripples through the production. You can feel the ocean not just in the lyrics but in the arrangement itself—gentle swells, rhythmic crashes, the breath between waves. Featuring bodhrán by Oisín Hannigan and produced in close collaboration with Whitford, “Indefinitely” is a barefoot, after-midnight kind of ballad. It feels like dancing on the sand after the Irish pub has closed, wrapped in memory, laughter, and that impossible feeling that home might just be a person.

But Chameleon is far from a one-note meditation. The EP as a whole functions like a dialogue, pairing wounds with wisdom and questions with quiet affirmations. Opening track “I Could Barely Drive” confronts the echoes of damaging early relationships, while “Indefinitely” offers a kind of answer—a vision of love not as possession, but as presence. “Chameleon” and “Vulnerable” turn inward, navigating identity and authenticity, while “Stay” and “Down The Line” look outward, charting the space between fear and hope, hesitation and trust.

There’s a maturity to Rogers’ voice—not just in her vocals, which are warm and gently textured, but in her songwriting. These aren’t songs that demand attention; they invite it. They reward repeat listening, revealing small shifts in tone and perspective that mirror the emotional terrain she’s mapping: moments of self-doubt followed by clarity, hesitation followed by courage.

That makes sense, given Rogers’ years in the Canadian folk scene. As a member of Jessica Pearson & The East Wind, she’s contributed mandolin, banjo, and harmonies to a sound that has traveled across stages and borders. But with Chameleon, Rogers steps into a more intimate spotlight, fully in command of her craft—and ready to share her own story.

“This release has helped me overcome a lot of impostor syndrome,” says Rogers. “I’ve learned to trust my instincts, take my time, and be proud of my work. Chameleon is proof that our stories can change – and so can we.”

That ethos—of trust, evolution, and radical self-compassion—is woven through every track. Chameleon doesn’t present transformation as a sudden revelation, but as something lived and earned. It’s a quiet triumph, marked not by spectacle but by truth-telling, intention, and emotional fluency.

With Chameleon, Malia Rogers has created more than a debut EP. She’s created a sonic snapshot of becoming—a musical tide chart that captures the motion of identity, grief, and love in all their patient, persistent forms. Whether barefoot in the kitchen, on a festival stage, or by the sea, this is music that meets you exactly where you are—and gently reminds you that where you are is already enough.