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Category: Music

  • Katherine Lynn-Rose brings a new narrative to the Canada’s Got Talent stage

    The singer-songwriter sheds light on the pressure of living up to expectations and the importance of representation through her original song By: Nageen Riaz Season 1 of Canada’s Got Talent was a huge success and was Citytv’s most-viewed original series in over a decade, reaching 1.3 million weekly viewers. This year, they’re back and bigger…

  • A beginner’s guide to Toronto vinyl, CD and cassette tape collecting

    Why not find a new retail therapy outlet? By: Gray Moloy Toronto has a wide variety of shops to choose from when you want to buy vinyl, CDs and cassette tapes. So, to save you the hassle, I visited seven record stores across the city — all with their own unique reasons to go there…

  • 10 songs to get you through the early year blues

    Discover the transformative power of music with these 10 songs that are guaranteed to make 2023 your best year yet By: Adriana Forestieri During this time of the year, it’s hard to believe that warm weather and longer days ever existed. But not to worry, because these 10 songs are here to boost your mood…

  • Canadian love songs to add to your Valentine’s playlists this month

    A list of lovely valen-tunes to play for your sweetheart this snowy season By: Nalyn Tindall Tune into love this Valentine’s Day (pixelheart via pixabay) Nothing is more romantic than singing a love song to your partner. A carefully curated playlist, however, is the ideal alternative for those of us who lack musical talent. So…

  • Artist profile: Feura’s world of queer pop euphony

    With the backing of community, this artist is on the come-up for dominating queer Toronto By: Andrea Zayan The jubilant subculture contained within the Toronto underground concert scene can be attributed to up-and-coming artists like Feura. The musician embodies radical queer reverberations throughout their discography, extending to a crafted community within a vessel of melodic…

  • What your favourite Toronto concert venue says about you

    We’re totally not judging you on where you choose to see your concerts in Toronto … well, maybe we are By: Zaina Razek Since live music has made its grand return to Toronto, the venues are booked and playing all the best shows. Every venue, big or small, has some sort of stereotype, whether it’s…

  • What music were Canadians listening to in 2022?

    The new year is the perfect time to analyze Canadians’ listening habits By: Daniella Lopez Having just said goodbye to 2022, it’s time to look back at the artists we know and love, as well as some up-and-coming musicians, who dominated the charts. At the Grammys, Silk Sonic won Record and Song of the Year,…

  • 10 festive Christmas songs by Canadian artists

    Have a very Canadian Christmas with these carefully curated carols By: Daniella Lopez (David Beale/Unsplash) As the snow begins to fall and the temperature drops below zero, Canadians are gearing up — and bundling up — for Christmas. Whether you celebrate the festive season by keeping cozy indoors or adventuring outside, one thing is for…

  • Don’t miss a beat this holiday season: A gift guide for music lovers

    ‘There’s a song in my heart’ is what your music-loving friends and family will say this winter when opening presents from CanCulture’s gift guide By: Julia Lawrence Snow-filled days warn Canadians that the countdown for the perfect gift has begun. So whether it’s a musical theatre or hip-hop listener you’re shopping for, there’s something on…

  • Canadian music industry calls for environmental activism at inaugural Music Climate Summit

    The first-ever Canadian Music Climate Summit sparked a conversation about sustainability within the music industry By: Peyton Lake “There is no music on a dead planet.” This mantra was a large emblem ringing loudly throughout the very first Canadian Music Climate Summit on Oct. 21, hosted by the environmentalist group Music Declares Emergency (MDE). The…

  • Mattmac: An Oji-Cree producer, rapper, singer and musical mastermind

    Through writing and producing his own music, Mattmac shares his story and journey with mental health vulnerably, demonstrating his drive to succeed.  By: Jillian Gonzales Matthew Monias, artistically known as Mattmac, is an Oji-Cree musical artist based in Manitoba who is on the rise to fame. The musician, who writes, records and produces his own…

  • Review: Tim Baker calls for community in new album ‘The Festival’

    Through versatile instrumentation from a tried and true musician, former Hey Rosetta! singer offers a vulnerable sophomore album By: Olivia Wiens Tim Baker performing at Toronto’s Tiny Record Shop to celebrate the release of his sophomore album, The Festival on Oct. 21, 2022. (Caelan Monkman/CanCulture) Our love for music is a tool that has always…

  • Retro Review: Why The Tragically Hip’s ‘Fully Completely’ stands the test of time

    The Tragically Hip’s most popular album turned 30-years-old this past October, and longtime fans are not surprised by the impact it still has on Canadians By: Nika Petrosian From the second you hit play, Fully Completely explodes. Not just a spark — a full-on fireworks display. The Tragically Hip’s third studio album was released on…

  • New XO Record’s Chxrry22 releases debut EP The Other Side

    Embodying the old sounds of The Weeknd, Chxrry22 drops her debut 7-track EP, The Other Side By: Bana Yirgalem (XO Records/Republic) Chxrry22 (pronounced ‘Cherry 22’) was born in Scarborough to Ethiopian immigrants and started releasing music online in 2017. Once she gained a listenership online, she then moved to Atlanta to further pursue her music…

  • Editor’s Picks: 8 songs by Canadian musicians to get you in an autumn mood

    No matter your musical taste, these songs are sure to enhance your next apple-picking trip or pumpkin patch outing By: Caelan Monkman The air is cooler, the leaves are changing colour and the melodies are flowing! To help get you into the fall music mood, here are eight must-listen songs by Canadian artists to add…

  • Retro Review: Justin Bieber’s My World. 2.0 is a harrowing, cliché trip down middle school memory lane

    Bieber’s overproduced debut studio album is 90 per cent begging over synthesizers, but it’s an iconic Canadian music moment nonetheless  By: Rochelle Raveendran Early 2010s middle-school crushes exist in a distinctly ephemeral vacuum. It’s a vacuum in the shape of a yellowing, squeaky gymnasium, filled with nervy tweens decked out like cast-off mannequins from the…

  • A Q&A With Leroy Escobar

    Leroy is his own biggest critic, and it means no one can stop or bring him down By: Rowan Flood Photo by Dominik Urban @shotbydurban Initially sitting hood up and face down, Leroy Escobar was mesmerizingly quick to jump into action. As we began to talk about music, he spoke with swift hand gestures, illuminated eyes…

  • You and the music: Going to a concert alone

    As I went solo, not for the first time, I connected with the music, the crowd, the band, on a whole new level By: Olivia Wiens As the crowd bustles around me, I am at peace. My mind is connected with the strings of the piano, the buzzing of the bass, the rhythm of the…

  • 2022 Juno Awards: Charlotte Cardin tops list of nominees

    Last year’s virtual ceremony garnered over 1.1 million total viewers. By: Kayla Higgins (Uwe Conrad/Unsplash) Nominations for the 51st annual Juno Awards were announced on March 1, with the show set to be the first in-person ceremony since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Charlotte Cardin topped the list of nominees that saw Canadian trailblazers…

  • “Ready, Set, Go”: The Canadian music community gears up for the revived return of live music

    When pandemic restrictions closed venues and imposed restrictions, they also struck those who love and use them  By: Rowan Flood As Canada eases and lifts COVID-19 restrictions, the music industry is excited to re-enter the world of live performances that bring invaluable physical connectivity and energy to the art scene. Despite some lingering weariness over…

  • Jesse Maxwell: Bringing new life to R&B and soul

    The Toronto artist goes in depth with CanCulture, talking about his current album rollout and creative process By: Alex Wauthy  Via jessemaxwellmusic.com Toronto singer-songwriter and producer Jesse Maxwell is making waves through his mood-changing R&B and soul music that puts listeners in a soothing trance. Maxwell has accumulated over 20,000 listeners on Spotify thus far;…

  • Ranking Drake’s discography

    Full of both highs and lows, the Toronto superstar’s catalogue is unlike any other By: Adriana Forestieri Drake performing at a Bun B concert at The Sound Academy in Toronto in 2011. (thecomeupshow/WikiMedia Commons) As Billboard’s Artist of the Decade and the most-streamed artist of all time, Drake, a crown jewel of Toronto’s music scene,…

  • One day at a time: The rise of Charlotte Day Wilson

    Poised for stardom, the singer is at the centre of Toronto’s ripening sound By: Kayla Higgins Charlotte Day Wilson (thecomeupshow via Openverse) When you think about Toronto’s R&B landscape, the game-changing players — like PARTYNEXTDOOR, dvsn and Majid Jordan — are undoubtedly some of the best and first that come to mind. Within the scene,…

  • Join the march with Rufus John — The Freedom Marching Project: EP review

    Led by Rufus John, United Artists 4 Change released a powerful EP titled “The Freedom Marching Project” By: Bashair Ali United Artists 4 Change, Inc., marketed by Urban X Entertainment, a division of TuneCore, Inc., 2022 (via YouTube) Over the course of 18 months, Rufus John and a team of incredibly talented Black and racialized…

  • Why are these Canadians pulling music from Spotify?

    Neil Young cited platforming of  “deadly misinformation” as the reason he left By: Kinza Zafar Neil Young held a dandelion on his birthday in November. (NeilYoungNYA/Twitter) Last week, Canadian music legacies and fellow polio survivors Neil Young and Joni Mitchell triggered a domino effect by vouching to remove their music from  Spotify. The move comes in…

  • Futuristic sounds meet ’80s electronic pop: The Weeknd continues new trilogy with ‘Dawn FM’

    ‘Dawn FM’ is yet another step in a new direction for The Weeknd, proving that he has no intention of slowing down   By: Bana Yirgalem Almost two years following the release of his globally successful 2020 album, After Hours, The Weeknd has kicked off another tumultuous year with Dawn FM – an album that brings…

  • 5 K-pop idols you didn’t know were Canadian

    K-POP Idols who probably LOVE Tim Hortons… By: Teresa Valenton Photo via Pixabay Over the last decade, K-pop has gained international recognition as groups continue to break long-set records in the music industry. Several K-pop artists have charted on Billboard within the last year such as BTS, BLACKPINK, TWICE, Tomorrow x Together and more. American…

  • The top 10 Canadian albums of 2021

    2021 was an exceptional year for Canadian music — here are my picks for the 10 best albums of the year from Canadian artists  By: Isaac Fontes 2021 was a year full of ups and downs, as COVID-19 continued to plague all of our lives for yet another year. One thing that always helps me…

  • KAYTRANADA drops new EP after nearly 2-year gap

    “Intimidated” is the Montreal-based artist’s latest release since his 2019 award-winning album, “BUBBA”  By: Kinza Zafar KAYTRANADA’s newest EP masterfully showcases his dynamic range and capabilities as a producer and DJ. Despite consisting of only three tracks, each one possesses its own distinct sound.  The first track, “Intimidated,” is melodic and upbeat, a perfect marriage…

  • Which Canadian artists made our 2021 Spotify Wrapped?

    CanCulture team members share the Canadian artists on their year-end Spotify Wrapped (Sara Kurfeß/Unsplash) The most exciting part of the year for Spotify users all around the world is in December, when Spotify Wrapped is released. Since 2016, the streaming platform has shown listeners what their year looked like in terms of their listening habits.…