Canadian singer-songwriter Melissa Plett is premiering her new song “Stay” exclusively for readers of The Boot. Press play below to listen.

With its plodding melody, “Stay” is a classic lament, written after Plett took a break from music to care for her mother, who fought a hard battle against cancer. In listening to the track, it’s easy enough to hear the emotional connection in Plett’s smoky voice.

“Almost a year or so after she passed, I received an email from an old friend. In short, he essentially said that that was enough now. It was time for me to write songs and play again,” Plett tells The Boot. "It's like that's all I needed someone to say, or it was at the perfect time to hear it; I'm not totally sure. But as I finished the email, I literally put my computer to the side, picked up my guitar and headed back to my bedroom to write. "Stay" is what poured out of me in the moments that followed.”

Plett, who describes her sound as “hauntingly soulful, foot-stomping country,” is a Manitoba-born songwriter who has extensive experience as a musician. After getting her start as a busker, she released her debut EP, Repeated Stories, in 2005, and has since spent much of her time playing in small venues.

Plett later joined the trio Little Black Dress, and she released her sophomore effort, Outside the City, in 2010. It was shortly thereafter that Plett took that time off from music following her mother’s brain cancer diagnosis; she moved to Nashville to work with producer Pat Severs after receiving that fateful email.

Plett's newest album, Ghost Town, is set for release on Sept. 1. Fans can visit MelissaPlett.com to learn more.

Listen to Melissa Plett, "Stay":

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