Brodie Christ Reclaims the Past on “16 & 9 Lives”

Toronto songwriter Brodie Christ shares “16 & 9 Lives,” an uplifting and defiant alternative Canadiana single about the stories we inherit, repeat, and use to define ourselves. Built around warm acoustic instrumentation, conversational lyricism, and a reflective country-tinged sound, the track considers the way memories shape identity and what happens when we stop allowing the past to determine who we are.

“16 & 9 Lives” grew from Brodie’s interest in the unreliable narratives people create about their own histories. Memories can change depending on when we revisit them, and stories about who we were can become so familiar that they begin to feel permanent. The song pushes back against that idea, suggesting that the past can be remembered without becoming a fixed definition of the present.

“Your memories betray you,” Brodie explains. “You were not as kind, as cool, as embarrassing, as wild, or as ugly as you thought you were.”

The idea took shape after an unexpected moment of reflection at Brodie’s high school reunion. Returning to a familiar environment brought old stories back to the surface, but hearing those memories retold made him question how accurately anyone can reconstruct the person they once were.

“Stories were recounted to me over that weekend – some flattering, some embarrassing, some prideful,” he shares. “All of them were lies, or at best exaggerations. I decided I wasn’t interested in being defined by any of it, and it was incredibly liberating.”

That realization became the foundation for “16 & 9 Lives.” The title reflects the many versions of ourselves that can exist throughout a lifetime. Sixteen points to a particular stage of youth and the lasting weight certain memories can carry, while nine lives represents the many identities and chapters a person can move through over time.

“I’ve had at least 9 lives and am hoping for 9 more,” Brodie explains. “The number isn’t important, but the idea that you aren’t tethered to any of them is.”

The song’s recording process mirrored that sense of freedom. Brodie booked a pop-up studio session with seven-time JUNO Award-winning producer Steve Dawson and a group of veteran Nashville musicians at Revolution Recording in Toronto. After sending over a rough demo, Brodie entered the studio a month later with the goal of capturing the song live with the band in only a few takes.

Originally written and performed with acoustic guitar and harmonica, the song left plenty of room for the musicians to shape the arrangement. Rather than over-directing the session, Brodie allowed the players to respond naturally to the material while keeping the performance grounded in the emotion of the original demo.

The session features Steve Dawson on guitar and pedal steel, Steve O’Connor on keyboards, John Dymond on bass, and Gary Craig on drums.

“Sometimes you get lucky with a group of people and things just feel good,” Brodie says. “It didn’t hurt that the band was full of experienced fellows without egos.”

The new single follows Brodie Christ’s acclaimed 2025 album, Big Feelings, which documented a period of significant personal change. The record arrived after the loss of his father, the birth of his daughter, and a renewed focus on personal growth and self-discovery. Those experiences informed a body of songwriting concerned with change, uncertainty, relationships, and the complicated process of understanding oneself.

With “16 & 9 Lives,” Brodie continues that exploration from a different perspective. Instead of looking backward with the expectation of finding a definitive version of himself, he considers the possibility that there may never have been just one. The song offers a straightforward but freeing idea: we can acknowledge the people we have been without remaining attached to them.

“16 & 9 Lives” ultimately turns that idea into an open invitation to move forward, leaving old stories where they belong while making room for whatever version comes next.