Ariel Engle

Ariel Engle is a Canadian indie pop singer and songwriter whose work spans solo projects and collaborations with Broken Social Scene. Her first notable appearance came in 2005 as a guest vocalist on Montag’s track “Grand Luxe,” from the album Alone, Not Alone.

Over the following years, she lent her voice to recordings by Melissa Auf der Maur, Snowblink, Land of Kush, Plants and Animals, Stars, and Martha Wainwright. She then teamed up with her husband, Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Whiteman, to form the band AroarA. Their 2013 EP, In the Pines, draws on poetry by Alice Notley and earned a longlist nomination for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize.

After that project, Engle joined Broken Social Scene, frequently stepping in as a live vocalist for songs originally recorded by Feist, Amy Millan, or Emily Haines. Her first appearance on a Broken Social Scene studio album came with 2017’s Hug of Thunder.

In 2018, she started her own solo venture under the name La Force, releasing a self-titled debut album that September on Arts & Crafts Productions. That same year, she performed as a duet partner on Safia Nolin’s track “Lesbian Break-Up Song,” from the album Dans le noir. The La Force project was longlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize.

Engle later joined Efrim Menuck in the noise-pop group All Hands Make Light. Her work XO Skeleton received a longlist nomination for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize.