Billy Raffoul - "The Homebody" Tour 2026

This summer, Billy Raffoul took on the project of presenting two sides of his personality in two full-length albums. The first album, Billy Raffoul, is an intimate acoustic story about connections following a trip to South Africa, combined with the power of music that transcends borders, and was released on July 18. Today, he releases his second album, When I Cross The River, a rock collection of songs recorded for loud playback in the studio. Ultimately, these two albums showcase who Billy Raffoul is today as an artist.

Regarding the title track of the album, Billy says: "When I Cross the River: This song is in many ways a homecoming. At 19, I left my hometown of Leamington in Ontario and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. I went there with the intention of recording a rock 'n' roll album, but the music I released over the next more than ten years was predominantly acoustic recordings. It took over a decade, but I finally recorded this rock album. The river I refer to in the song is the Detroit River; I cross it every time I return to Leamington. Interesting fact: I wrote this song together with Linda Perry."

Nothing travels as quickly as music. No spaceship, airplane, or car will ever be able to match the speed at which a song seemingly jumps from one place to another. It could leap from the speakers of a pub in Germany to an open-air event in Africa and back to a party in Ontario, Canada. Billy Raffoul tells universal stories, underscored by unforgettable melodies, hitting an intimate nerve by addressing feelings and experiences we all share, no matter where we call home. This relatability has consistently thrilled listeners and earned the award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer from Ontario hundreds of millions of streams and sold-out shows around the globe.

When I Cross the River begins with the heartwarming "Get Along," a love song that Billy wrote about getting to know his girlfriend and how the age-old debate between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles could lead to a meeting with her father. Then there’s "Canadian," a rock song about the experiences of many immigrants who have left their homeland and everything they knew to build a life in a new country. The track is also dedicated to the place he calls home, his heritage, and his grandparents. Billy wrote this track nearly ten years ago after being inspired by the Kurdi family, who were seeking passage from Syria to Western Canada via Turkey and Greece in 2015.

"Youth" is the anthem of When I Cross the River, and Billy reminisces, emphasizing the milestones of his hometown, his first relationship, the friends he has lost touch with, and those he hasn’t. "Youth" was also co-written with Billy's brother Peter Raffoul and Steve Molella.

The album concludes with "Where the Skies are Blue," which Billy wrote during his tour in the U.S. in November 2021 while trying to figure out how to navigate the world after COVID. Billy recounts: "We had a flat tire on I-70 heading east through Kansas, west of Salina. I wrote the song on the side of the road after changing the tire. It’s a song about homesickness and longing for my band. It has the same concept as WICTR and seemed like a fitting conclusion."

To celebrate the release of his double album and new single, Billy is going back on tour. The new tour through the U.S. and Canada will begin in the fall of 2025, followed by tours in Europe and South Africa in the spring of 2026.