When most people hear the words “country music”, they think of buff, white men in a plaid shirt and jeans holding a guitar in one hand and a beer in the other, probably sitting in the back of their pickup truck. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit that a few months ago, that’s also what I thought of. Just hearing someone say that their favorite genre is country music was enough to make me cringe inside. But then, I met Abi Rider.
Abi is a bundle of energy, excitement, and passion for country music. She showed me…
Daniel “Shadrach Reid” is an NYC-based jazz guitarist who is hoping to document his trip to Japan through his upcoming album. We reached out to Shadrach Reid and asked him about his experiences in Japan, his latest release “Time and Separation” and his plans for the future.
What was your first encounter with Japanese culture and what drew you to travel to Japan?
As a kid I watched stuff like Pokemon and Yugioh, but didn’t realize they were Japanese until much later due to the “American-zation” of those properties at the time. The first time I really experienced Japanese culture for…
One of the most underrated bands of all time, in my opinion, is Hiatus Kaiyote. This jazz-funk band based in Melbourne, Australia first drew the attention of audiences worldwide in 2013 with the release of their first album, Tawk Tomahawk which included a collaboration with renowned American rapper, Q-Tip.
They followed that up with their 2016 release, Choose Your Weapon, a masterpiece combining smooth R&B, crunchy jazz progressions, and the hypnotic songwriting and vocals of their lead singer, Nai Palm. Choose Your Weapon was not just an album of songs, but a listening experience that brought you into the world…
As we pass the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, it’s strange to look back at this past year and see how we have been separated, isolated, and alone, whether physically, emotionally, or mentally. This has, undoubtedly, been a difficult year for everyone and we could all use a little bit of hope in our lives as things begin to transition back to normal and many people get vaccinated.
RUSHIL’s inspiring song, “Un1ty” is the motivational, uplifting spirit that I wasn’t expecting. He draws from orchestral pop, classical Indian music, and hip hop to present a universal…
Indie-alt artist, producer, and composer, K.eena, recalls her first encounter with music technology in high school when she took a music technology class. It was there that she was introduced to Logic Pro X and film scoring, which led her to pursue a degree in Music Technology at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
In 2019, K.eena won the NAMM President’s Innovation Award and she also released her first single, “East Coast Summer”, a light-hearted, nostalgic tune about driving along the coast and enjoying the warm breeze.
K.eena is undoubtedly good at what she does. The song’s production is tight and…
Filipino-artist, Lucas Geniza or better known by his artist name, “Lukey”, recently shared his journey as an Asian-American artist on the FOCUS Podcast hosted by Marina Ballesteros.
Aside from writing and producing his own music, Lukey creates his own cover art and has built an aesthetic concept for himself as an artist. Characterized by pastel colors and grainy photos, Lukey’s music is catchy, cleverly-written, and mainstream. Lukey’s production is stellar to the point that it might even be comparable to that of his inspirations, Frank Ocean and Toro y Moi.
In the podcast, Lukey talks about trying to find his…
Montreal/Toronto-based singer-songwriter and producer, Vanessa Richardson, hypnotizes listeners with her immersive, cross-genre songs. At 17, she released her debut self-produced EP, ‘Dawn Cadence’. Being entirely self-taught, she describes a process of forming melodies in a world of her own — her head, which are then transferred to her software and unleashed into our world.
Her latest single, “Spider” is a standalone work of art that draws the listener in with its low melodies and experimental sounds.
Richardson’s production techniques are creative and personal. …
In an exclusive interview, I sat down with Emily Li, also known as Emili, to talk about her music career thus far and plans for the future.
As the pandemic continues to impact the lives of people around the world, restlessness is becoming a common feeling for those of us who have been stuck at home for months now. Many people have begun picking up new hobbies in an attempt to escape the boredom. But what does it feel like to do nothing? In Emili’s new single, “Nothing”, she talks about exactly that.
Emili is a an emerging pop singer-songwriter…
Like many of you, I have been stuck at home for so long that I don’t even remember what day it is anymore. One day, I opened my window and saw that the June sunshine had arrived which reminded me that it was Pride Month. This celebration of the LGBTQ+ community is usually greeted by the annual Pride Parade and countless other live music festivals and concerts around the city but this year, everything is different. There is no live music and no parade. Yet, Pride Month still must endure. …
A little less than two years ago, a hopeful young R&B artist released her debut EP, Vacant, a unique, upbeat collection of songs produced by students at Humber College. Now, the 20-year old, Nigerian-born, Pickering-raised Amaka Queenette shows her soulful side in her new visual EP, Fleeting, Inconsequential.
Fleeting, Inconsequential is a stand-alone gem in its complexity and creativity; it’s unlike anything other R&B artists are doing. Queenette reminds me of Daniel Caesar, the Oshawa-native who has taken the world by storm. Her music draws from contemporary R&B elements while creating a whole new world inside of each song.
“Suffocate”…
