bio

Big Little Lions are an award winning duo who were born out of a collaboration that won them a JUNO Award in 2014. Since then they have been cranking out infectious folk pop songs that are jam-packed with emotion and tight harmonies that sound like the product of two people working side-by-side instead of living in different countries. 

They have released 6 albums to date, which have garnered them awards and nominations including the CFMA Ensemble of the Year, Independent Music Awards Americana Sing of the Year and John Lennon Songwriting Competition Song of the Year. Their critically acclaimed music has appeared on the CBC’s Top 20 and featured on shows like q and Vinyl Cafe. The duo consists of Paul Otten and Helen Austin, both hugely prolific songwriters - their music has been placed in hundreds of movie trailers, ads, network TV shows.

Their live show is quite the spectacle with Paul playing drums, bass and keyboard all while singing lead vocals. Helen, who is no slacker either, sings, plays guitar and foot percussion. They use every limb, and then some, to make two people sound like a full band. 

Their music has been dubbed by Mariposa Folk Festival as ‘a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop’, and is packed with emotion and tight harmonies.

“What is truly amazing about Big Little Lions is that its two members, Helen Austin and Paul Otten, were born to make music together, their voices made to combine, but they are in different countries. It just goes to show you, destiny is a powerful force.” [east of 8th] 

"We’ve covered BLL in the past, but this track is on another level. The chord progression feels really, really good. The vocal harmonies are some of the best I’ve heard in a while. The reflective lyricism and acoustic folk that transitions into folk rock is absolutely gorgeous. This is the kind of song that continues to impress me with each new listen. I would love to play this for David Crosby and Stephen Stills, just to see what they’d think. I bet they’d love it to. This is a really impressive track." Ear To The Ground

awards and accolades

John Lennon Songwriting Competition Song of the Year 2013
JUNO Award 2014 (initial collaboration)
CFMA Ensemble of the Year 2015
Nominated for multiple CFMA Awards 2016-2022
Nominated for multiple Western Canadian Music Awards 2015-2020
International Songwriting Competition and Unsigned Only Winners various years 2013-2022
Canadian Songwriting Competition Folk Winner 2018
Independent Music Award Americana Song of the Year 2018
CBC’s Top 20
CBC q
CBC Vinyl Cafe
Hundreds of movie trailers, ads, network TV shows plus MTV