Mariel Buckley is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter based in Edmonton, Alberta. She is the younger sister of singer T. Buckley."Calgary artists of 2018: It was a good year for these wild roses". Calgary Herald, Eric Volmers, January 4, 2019
Biography Buckley was born in Calgary, Alberta and primarily lived there until moving to Edmonton around 2020."King Eddy opens for Stampede with country musicians from across Canada". CBC News, July 7, 2017
Buckley recorded an EP in 2012, and her first album, Motorhome, in 2014."Mariel Buckley – Driving In The Dark ". BeatRoute, 11 May 2018"Hawksley Workman and Mariel Buckley ponder the open skies of North Country Fair". Edmonton Journal, Fish Griwkowsky, June 18, 2019. The album was produced by Derek Pulliam, and featured mainly acoustic music. Buckley was accompanied by a string trio. Vue Weekly, May 2, 2018, by Stephan Boissonneault with Charlie Hase on pedal steel, Scott Duncan on fiddle, and Pulliam on bass. Buckley was a finalist in the 2014 All-Alberta Songwriting Contest."Mariel Buckley – Motorhome CD review". BC Music Magazine, September 29, 2015, by Gillian Turnbull
In 2018, she recorded a second album, the alt-country Driving in the Dark."Mariel Buckley bucks Nashville trends with personal, alt-country sounds on sophomore record". Calgary Herald, Eric Volmers, May 2, 2018."Canadian Mariel Buckley Takes a Rugged Journey on ‘Driving in the Dark’ (Album Review)". Glide, May 3, 2018 by Jim Hynes The album was produced by Leeroy Stagger. In August that year the album rose to #2 on the !earshot National Folk/Roots/Blues Chart."The National Folk/Roots/Blues Chart For the Week Ending: Tuesday, August 28, 2018". !earshot. Also in 2018 Buckley performed at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival."41st Vancouver Folk Music Festival still true to tradition, still young at heart" . July 14, 2018, Vancouver Weekly, Paul Hecht and Elmira Kuznetsova"Vancouver Folk Fest Photo Diary". The Vancouver Arts Review, July 2018.
Her sophomore commercial release, Everywhere I Used to Be, was released in August 2022 on Winnipeg-based label Birthday Cake Records. "Summer 2022 guide: 14 albums you need to hear". CBC Music, June 20, 2022. It was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize."2023 Polaris Music Prize long list: Feist, Jessie Reyez and more". CBC Music, June 13, 2023.
In December 2022, Buckley and her brother released a cover The Tragically Hip's "Bobcaygeon" as a single.Martin Noake, "Single Release: T. Buckley & Mariel Buckley, "Bobcaygeon'". Great Dark Wonder, December 8, 2022. The two have also continued to perform together as a duo at other times, performing a set that includes duet versions of their own songs as well as covers of material by other artists.Stephen Hunt, "The Buckleys added to Calgary Folk Festival lineup". CTV Calgary, July 25, 2024.
Her second release on Birthday Cake Records and most recent full-length album, Strange Trip Ahead, was released in October 2025. It was recorded in Nashville, TN, with her Edmonton-based band members and produced by Jarrad K (Ruston Kelly, Weezer)Jarrad K (Ruston KellyWeezer, Weezer)https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/tracks/mariel-buckley-vending-machines at Chateau Noir Studios.
In 2026, she won the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2026, for Strange Trip Ahead.Fish Griwkowsky, "Mariel Buckley and Axios Men's Ensemble and Pro Coro Canada bring Junos home to Edmonton". Edmonton Journal, March 31, 2026. The album was also longlisted for the 2026 Polaris Music Prize,Sydney Brasil, "Polaris Music Prize Shares 2026 Long List". Exclaim!, June 11, 2026. and the song "Vending Machines" was longlisted for the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize.Natalie Harmsen, "2026 SOCAN Polaris Song Prize long list: Begonia, Cadence Weapon, Charlotte Day Wilson and more". CBC Music, June 24, 2026.
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