Teaming up with GRAMMY-winning producer Greg Wells (Taylor Swift, John Legend, Wicked), Rachel delivers her most vulnerable and ambitious work yet with a raw, coming-of-age project that blends confessional storytelling with cinematic soundscapes.
With six MusicNL Awards and three nominations this year, multiple East Coast Music Award nominations, national TV appearances, and over 600,000 streams to date, Rachel has established herself as one of Atlantic Canada’s most exciting rising voices.
Canadian Singer-Songwriter Rachel Cousins Redefines Her Sound with Intimate Coming-of-Age Album What Hasn’t Killed Me
The 6x MusicNL Award teams up with GRAMMY-winning producer Greg Wells to deliver her most honest, vulnerable and ambitious work to date.
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Release Date: Friday, October 10 2025
St. John’s, NL – September 22 2025 - Canadian Adult Contemporary artist, Rachel Cousins, has announced the release of her third studio album, “What Hasn’t Killed Me”, set for release on Friday, October 10 2025
Bravely redefining her sound, Canadian singer-songwriter Rachel Cousins steps into new artistic territory with her third studio album, What Hasn’t Killed Me. Known for her soaring vocals and radio-ready Pop anthems, Cousins makes a notable and deliberate break from the mathematical precision of Pop music to embrace the vulnerability and freedom of the expansive world of Adult Contemporary, a genre that allows the flexibility to mirror her innermost truths. A raw and reflective coming-of-age project, What Hasn’t Killed Me captures the turbulence, clarity, and unexpected grace of growing into adulthood. Across nine tracks, Cousins threads together the intimacy of Folk, grit of Alternative soundscapes, and her Pop instincts to create a sonic landscape as layered and human as the stories it holds.
With six MusicNL wins, two East Coast Music Award nominations, and a Top 10 finish in CBC’s Searchlight competition, Rachel Cousins is widely regarded as one of Atlantic Canada’s brightest rising voices. Her music has been streamed more than 600,000 times and has appeared in popular television series including Wynonna Earp, Hudson & Rex, and The Wedding Planners. She has opened for GRAMMY Award winning artist, K’NAAN, and has shared the stage with numerous Canadian icons, including Alan Doyle, Serena Ryder, and the Beaches. Beyond national television appearances and coast to coast radio airplay, Cousins’ openness about her journey of personal development has earned her trust as an artist who speaks directly to her generation, sharing candidly about mental health, addiction, and resilience, in her music and in classrooms and communities across Newfoundland.
Masterfully navigating the complicated and contradictory feelings of early adulthood, What Hasn’t Killed Me strikes an unforgettable balance of confessional storytelling with the trusted guidance of a best friend. Leaning into vulnerability and into the shame, doubt, and small victories that come with personal evolution, the album traverses topics of mental health, addiction and recovery, young love, friendship, and the small, stubborn steps toward self-acceptance. Created in partnership with GRAMMY Award winning producer Greg Wells (Taylor Swift, John Legend, Wicked) their collaborative relationship offered a creative breakthrough for Cousins, with Wells urging her to set down the formulas of Pop and return to the unguarded space where songs first begin. “Songs started pouring out of me. What used to take days came in under an hour. For the first time in years, I felt free. Greg saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.” With the warmth and familiarity of sharing experiences with a friend, What Hasn’t Killed Me blends the intimacy of confessional storytelling with the weightlessness of cathartic release.
On her soul-stirring focus track “Little Help”, Cousins delivers a powerful message about the courage it takes to put pride aside and ask for support. Built on a raw blend of guitar and heartfelt vocals, “Little Help” guides the listener through an honest and deeply personal journey of the appeal of presenting as though one ‘has it all together’ while internally struggling. Co-written with close friend and musician, Darcy Scott, the track came together naturally, shaped by authentic encouragement and trust between friends.
Offering a glimpse into the emotional breadth of the project, four previously released singles highlight the album’s fearless creativity and piercing relatability. An ode to deep-rooted friendships, the first single “Nora” is a love letter to the people who never leave, paired with the wish they could see themselves as brightly as others do. This is followed by the paralyzing fear of letting herself and others down on “To Fail,” and the strength, love, and generational bonds of womanhood on “As A Girl.” Album closer “Standing Still”, is both a direct plea to someone else and a mirror held up to Cousins herself. Frustrated yet yearning, it urges bravery to let go of fear and step fully into life. With its vulnerable lyricism and expansive production the track is a natural bookend to the project, serving as a final, unflinching reminder that growth only comes with the courage to be true to oneself.
With What Hasn’t Killed Me, Rachel Cousins emerges with a body of work that embraces the beauty and bruises that come with growing up, courageously open about the messy parts of becoming. Each track offers the feeling of a conversation late at night with a trusted loved one, carrying the sting of hard truths and the comfort of knowing others understand. Rooted in vulnerability, resilience, and connection, the album journeys through the heartbreaks, the revelations, and the quiet victories that shape life. In allowing herself to be fully seen, Rachel Cousins offers listeners the same permission, delivering an autobiographical yet universal record that is as cathartic as it is unforgettable.
Upcoming Shows
September 27 2025 - St. John’s, NL - Music Day in Canada Performance - The Ship - Tickets
October 17 2025 - St. John’s, NL - Album Release Party
November 25 & 26 2025 - Toronto, ON - Come Together Showcase
"What Hasn’t Killed Me" will be available everywhere on October 10 2025
Connect with Rachel Cousins:
https://www.rachelcousinsmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/rachelcousinsmusic
https://www.instagram.com/rachelcousinsmusic/#
https://www.youtube.com/@rachelcousins3750
https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelcousinsmusic
