If not for a lot of perseverance on his part, my encounter with singer Charlie Winston--who was in Canada to promote his latest LP Curio City--would never have happened.

Let me explain.

A couple years ago, Charlie Winston was at a crossroads in his career. He had gained some traction with his brand of folksy pop music, particularly in France, where his self-described "hobo" persona got him all the way to the top of the charts. Winston had earned the creature comforts of success--the house, the car, the financial stability--but he felt distanced from his creative wellspring.

"After traveling for so long, I had returned home with a very different internal landscape," he explained. "I was being my own shrink for the first five months. Lots of asking myself, 'What do I have to say?' 'Do I have anything to say?' 'How have I changed?'” This intense introspection brought Winston to the brink.

"I was right at the edge of not making another album ever. I think there was a fear of writing an album just for the sake of writing another album. That's what I didn't want." Artistic satisfaction was the line Winston had drawn in the sand. "If I stop enjoying what I'm doing, then I’m going to stop doing it and do something else." And he has a host of other creative avenues to choose from: he has directed independent movies, written operas, and worked as a producer for other musicians.

During his hiatus, Winston realized that he needed to distance himself from his own Charlie Winston-ness. "I was in the way of my own music. I felt like I was making songs that were very wordy. I also created this persona of the ‘hobo,’ so in a way, it's my fault.”

The tides gradually turned in Winston’s favour. His first record deal was completed, so Winston formed his own record label and set his own terms. “I had been in the studio long enough to know what I wanted to achieve. I was playing both the roles of artist and producer, and the producer side would keep asking the artist side ‘Is this what you’re trying to achieve?’ I waited a little longer because I didn’t want [to have] any obligations to anyone.”

Curio City is the end result of this journey. The album adds new musical elements to  Winston’s more acoustic roots, leading the way for more soulful and intimate prose. He explains: “The first song is called ‘Wilderness’ and discusses our relationship with technology, and how it resonates with us on a personal level. I love how lyrics and poetry can be delivered in an honest way and be interpreted in a very universal manner.”

Overall, Winston is aware of how he’s grown with his craft. “Art should be an explanation of what’s outside you or what’s inside you. Sometimes understanding what’s going on isn’t easy. I take my time with it. I didn't want to do what people were expecting of me, because then I would simply become a product, like a Starbucks coffee. That's why I persevered to make this album.”

Curio City is available in stores now.