Juno-nominated singer-songwriter and CBC Music host Damhnait Doyle returns with her deeply authentic EP, Bird and Flame. We dig into her surreal start being discovered in Newfoundland at 17, navigating major label pressures, and writing songs alongside icons like Steve Earle. Davnet opens up about late-diagnosed ADHD, creative burnout, breaking up with the music industry, and finally rediscovering the pure joy of making rhythm-driven indie records strictly on her own terms.

Featured topics

• A return to herself: Davin describes how Bird and Flame feels like a full-circle return to the creativity and authenticity she had as a teenager.
• Grief as a catalyst: The loss of her mother prompted Davin to reconsider how she wanted to spend her time and what she wanted to pursue.
• ADHD and rejection sensitivity: She discusses how her late ADHD diagnosis helped her understand the emotional challenges she faced in the music business.
• Creating without pressure: Davin explains how making music without depending on it for income or identity has brought more freedom and joy to her work.

ep53 Damhnait Doyle is finally free
released October 29, 2026
1:27:18

https://www.damhnaitdoyle.com/
https://www.instagram.com/damhnaitdoyle
https://www.youtube.com/user/damhnaitdoyle

hosts: Glen Erickson, Alexi Erickson
AFE: https://www.almostfamousenough.com
AFE instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almostfamousenough
AFE Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1o1PRD2X0i3Otmpn8vi2zP?si=1ece497360564480

Almost Famous Enough is a series of conversations centered around the music industry, pulling back the veil on what it really means to “make it”. Our podcast features guests who know the grind, who have lived the dream, or at the very least, chased the dream. Through these conversational biographies, truth and vulnerability provide more than a topical roadmap or compile some career advice; they can appeal to the dreamer in us all, with stories that can teach us, inspire us, and even reconcile us, and make us feel like we made a new friend along the way.

Chapters

00:00:00 – Introduction
 00:03:00 – Pronouncing Damhnait's name and the new EP Bird in Flames
00:10:31 – Her mother's passing as a catalyst, breaking up with music, and making it now without career pressure
00:14:29 – Late-diagnosed ADHD, rejection sensitivity dysphoria, and why the music business feels like constant rejection
00:19:48 – ADHD isn't always a superpower: reading every room, burnout, introvert vs. extrovert, and guarding her energy
00:24:42 – Discovered at 17 in a St. John's record shop, signing with an East Coast label, and her first Juno nomination
00:28:48 – A versatile voice, the trio Shea with Kim Stockwood, and a Juno night beside Nickelback's Chad Kroeger
00:32:37 – Imposter syndrome after sudden fame, opening for Steve Earle, learning guitar, and working with producer Jay Joyce
00:39:35 – The long waits behind a ”fast” career, the Montreal record, The Heartbroken, and Serena Ryder's advice to let go
00:44:24 – Grieving a music career, Glen's band reunion, and how CBC and Canadian artists made her want to create again
00:49:47 – The meaning of Bird in Flames and her long road to hosting CBC Mornings
00:55:19 – Writing the EP through COVID, her mother's death and her divorce, and getting the songs out in one sitting
00:58:46 – The fear before release, the relief after, and her all-time favourite songs
01:06:10 – Future plans, how music is curated at CBC Mornings, advice for artists, and the goodbye
01:15:00 – Post-fame with Alexi