Press Release
Source: S. Bertram
On June 13th, 2025,virtuosic singer-songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Sean Bertram releases his first piece of music in nearly four years. His brand-new single “What’s On Your Mind” (off of his upcoming album Everything Again) isan exciting retro pop/funk/soul blend that takes his sound in a brilliant new direction while maintaining his trademark of “sad song you can’t help but dance to”. Listen to the new single HERE and pre-save Bertram’s new album, Everything Again HERE.
“What’s On Your Mind” is a song about communication – the first line being “If only I could read your mind/This wouldn’t feel like such a test” – the desire for honesty in a relationship where that type of openness isn’t reciprocated. Bertram has accompanied this release with a music video that showcases this theme as a one-sided conversation, playing with upbeat shadows to counterbalance the more serious tone of his poignant lyrics.
Continuing to showcase his immense talent as arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Sean Bertram performs every instrument on this new single, save for the drums and percussion, performed by his co producer Jared Gershon who helps to elevate the groove of this highly danceable track. A highlightas always is Bertram’s guitar prowess, layering more than a dozen guitar parts through the song, creating an intricate web of relentless funk that manages to sit right in the pocket for the entire tune. He also shows off his evolving keyboard chops, drawing some inspiration from Michael McDonald for infectious Rhodes grooves.
This is the first of three singles leading up to Bertram’s highly anticipated third full-length studio album Everything Again (set to release 23rd August 2025) and showcases an exciting and eclectic new sound that shows tremendous growth as an artist, producer, and writer while staying true to his unmistakeable sound and style. His upcoming album is a genre bending blend of pop, funk, soul, R&B, rock, folk, and more, featuring some of the most exciting multi-instrumental virtuosity of his generation, with arrangements ranging from densely packed, slick pop production to intimate guitar and vocal. With noticeable influences in both songwriting and production from a diverse host of artists such as D’Angelo,
John Mayer, Prince, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Jamiroquai, and many more, the album is a colourful tapestry of emotion and experience, presented in a refreshing new way for this young artist.
Listen to “What’s On Your Mind” HERE
Sean grew up in a very musical home in southwestern Ontario, Canada, raised on a massively wide range of different music – Prince, AC/DC, Elton John, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Joe Satriani, Bill Withers; all foundational to his early love of music and the shaping of his musical identity. He started learning piano at the age of 7 and took up guitar at 10, trying to be a shred metal guitarist before hearing John Mayer’s Room for Squares for the first time and taking his first crack at songwriting at the age of 12. From then on, there was no stopping him.
Dedicating himself to his musical pursuits, he joined every high school band he could, learning trumpet, saxophone, and bass guitar to play in the pit band for every school musical, founding the school funk band and playing drums, singing in the school choir, and playing guitar anywhere else he could. After high school he moved to Toronto to study at Humber College’s prestigious Bachelor of Music program, from which he graduated at the top of his class, having won numerous accolades as well as playing on stage with Pat Metheny and working in the production studio with Susan Rogers. During this time, he released his very first album, The Right Place, as well as his first EP Echo. Echo earned him the Intercontinental Music Award’s “Best song in North America” award for “Against My Will” in 2020.
Having graduated with his degree just before the pandemic hit, he was out of work and stuck with nowhere to perform. However, he used that time to make his second studio album, self-titled Sean Bertram. Before its release in September of 2021 however, everything changed when Sean posted his very first TikTok – avideo of him with lockdown hair and an acoustic guitar, singing a song about muffins he heard in a dream. Within a week that video had 300,000 views, and hundreds of duets, all demanding he release the full song. Two weeks later, he made a full version of the song for worldwide release, and as of today it has nearly 5 million streams on Spotify, and the original TikTok is sitting at nearly 3 million
views, not to mention the hundreds of duets, YouTube compilations, and fan made animations it spawned.
With genuine overnight success thanks to a TikTok, a nearly impossible to believe movie montage-esque series of events followed, leading Sean to move to England to live with his very-soon-to be wife whom he met through one of the duets of “The Muffin Song”.
Now living in the UK, he’s been constantly performing, teaching, and producing, all the while honing his newest release, the upcoming album Everything Again.
ABOUT THE ALBUM
Everything Again is a culmination of the massive changes in his life, as well as a product of the personal relationships he has experienced in between. On Everything Again Bertram explores how his past shapes his present and future, sitting between the two most important relationships of his life. Before meeting his fiancée, he had just ended a nearly 5 year long relationship. Songs like “Forget You (Feat. Shirsha)”, “Everything Again”, and “I Don’t Know Why I Miss You” explore the impact that relationship had on him, and we see him battling with guilt and loss as he navigates the concept of moving on. Interwoven with that emotional struggle is the joy of new love and of a commitment to happiness. “Feels Like Falling in Love (Feat. Emily-Rose)”, “When Everything Turns Out Right”, and “Second Nature” paint the picture of exciting new romance, and we see his previous struggles melt away for a moment. Above these themes, the album encapsulates Bertram’s own personal journey of self-discovery and identity; understanding what it means to love deeply, to bear the weight of the world, to grow, and to do it all – everything – again.
Everything Again is an emotional rollercoaster that showcases everything in Bertram’s musical arsenal – apart from drums on a handful of tracks, he plays every single instrument on the album, along with writing, arranging, producing, and mixing every single song. The only song he didn’t write on this album is his cover of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows”, really flexing his arrangement and vocal prowess to reimagine the song in a beautiful new way, tastefully paying homage to one of the greatest songs ever written.
Canadian music legend Rik Emmett of Triumph had this to say about the album, “I like it when I listen to an 8th generation songwriter and hear an awareness that respects the seduction of chord progressions, and the marriage of melody to harmony to rhythm: pop music informed by the wonder and beauty of what has come before. Sean’s collection of love ‘relationship’ songs offers a range of content running from the aching tenderness of the broken-hearted to the unexpected joy of fresh starts. And in a world that has 100,000 new songs a day, I don’t hear an aggressive ambition to win over the world: I do hear an eloquent intimacy, to try and figure out his own heart – the music of his own songs. I hear an autobiographical singer-songwriter-recording artist who is sharing his understanding of an expanding heart & soul. Sean doesn’t bully us with his insights; he just lets the songs speak for themselves, comfortably, with a gentle intimacy that lets him find and develop his own voice.”
Navigating enormous life changes in every possible way, Sean Bertram has broken new ground for himself as a musical artist. Everything Again is a landmark achievement for an artist with still so much more to offer, setting it up to be one of the most exciting releases of 2025.
Please contact sean@seanbertrammusic.com for interviews, inquiries, and any further information.
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