Toronto R&B singer-songwriter, Savannah Ré, recently released her highly anticipated debut EP Opia. Three years in the making, the project celebrates “the strength found in vulnerability”. “In order for me to get the body of work that I wanted to get, I had to dig deep. I had to do the work,” Ré explains. “I want to let people see me and connect with my music but for that to happen, I have to be my authentic self and that comes from introspection – it takes a lot of time and maturity to do that.” Named Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist of the Month…
Author: Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne is the co-founder and editor of SHIFTER magazine. Born and raised in Toronto, Kevin currently resides in Ottawa with his wife Koliah and their three children. He's a big fan of hip-hop, pop culture, and urbanism and spends most of his time keeping up with the Kardashians.
After a month of work behind the scenes, today SHIFTER is officially relaunching its Business section as SHIFTER Boss with the tagline “Fuel for your hustle”. Going forward, we will be bringing you resources as well as interview style and full-length profiles on entrepreneurs, decision makers, and up and coming bosses under this new banner. Our first profile is of Rebecca Dickson, aka bbexyyy, a young boss making a name for herself in the music industry as an artist manager. We had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about how she got into the industry, challenges that come with…
If you’ve been in the Toronto music scene for the past few decades, especially in gospel music, “Larnell Lewis” is one of those names you would’ve heard whispered before. If you’ve been lucky enough to see him play live, you’ll agree he’s one of the best drummers you’ve ever seen, if not the best. His live performances include audiences looking around in awe as if they’re having an otherworldly experience, and fans have even more reason to be excited. The Toronto-based musician and Grammy-winning drummer for the Brooklyn-based jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy, who has toured with the likes of Gregory…
A year after it premiered at the Regent Theatre in Toronto, the team at Crossfield House Productions has made our Black Friday even better by making their film A Little White Lie available for free until December 1st, and we graciously accepted their offer. Based their play of the same name, A Little White Lie is set in Toronto and tells the story of tech CEO, Michael Myers (Troy Crossfield), who is forced to face the skeletons in his closet when he finds out his mother only has a few months to live as she’s diagnosed with stage four cancer. In order to honour…
Ottawa-based hip-hop artist and songwriter Freddy Printz is back with a brand new music video for his single “Nefarious”, released earlier this year. Delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the visuals are set in Ottawa’s Chinatown neighbourhood and feature fellow Ottawa artist and R&B crooner Lonelyboyxxo who sings the hook on the track. Together the song and video, and its slightly hazy aesthetic, tell the story of toxic behaviour as Printz is seen repeating the same old relationship mistakes and getting vulnerable in the process. “Nefarious” is the first single off his upcoming sophomore album Still In Rotation, the follow up…
Amidst all of the COVID-19 madness, one of the releases that slipped under our radar came from Toronto R&B artist Kennedy Rd. Produced by Normanstansfield and L.A based NXGHTS, “Back Again” tells the familiar story of a former love, who left to play the field, returning only to find a more strong and confident woman, dedicated to an uncompromising self-love. With its raw and unfiltered message of self-love and chill groove, this Jhené Aiko-esque release is the perfect soundtrack for our self-isolation and self-reflection during the pandemic. With lyrics like, “Got love for you. But these days, I love me…
After leaving Toronto and the industry behind for Vancouver, K-OS recently ended his five-year hiatus with the release of his “disco-pop” single “SUPERNOVAS”. Since its September release the song has received critical acclaim, climbing to #3 on the CBC Music radio charts, as well as over 315K streams on Spotify which earned him a billboard in Yonge Dundas Square in downtown Toronto. K-OS’ re-emergence and renewed creative expression can be attributed to two things – inspiration from fellow Canadian artist Kaytranada and his reconnection with the city of Toronto. In a recent interview with ET Canada, K-OS noted, “And I…
It’s the 1980’s. In a former three-story factory turned nightclub at 206 South Jefferson Street in Chicago, a sound was being created that would eventually sweep the globe. It was there at the club known as the Warehouse, a gathering spot for Black and Latino gay men in Chicago, that DJs like DJ Frankie Knuckles gave birth to what would become House music (a reference to it musical birthplace). Similar to Rock ‘N Roll and country music, the Black origins of House music have been all but forgotten, but it may not stay that way if two Toronto DJs have anything to…
2021 is just around the corner and I’m excited. Even in the midst of COVID, a new year is an opportunity for a fresh start. At SHIFTER, we made a lot of changes in 2020 and we’re looking forward to continuing that growth and we want the artists and talents in our community to level up with us. Here are five ways to level up in 2021. 1. Get a vocal coach The first thing is finding a voice coach. With the popularity of Zoom, have you ever thought about using it to get vocal lessons? An artist can literally…
This may come across as somewhat insensitive in light of everything that has happened this year, but 2020 has been the best year of my life, both in my personal life and at SHIFTER. We appeared on national television for the first time with CBC News Network. We got to be on media calls with Kevin Hart and Tyrese Gibson. We interviewed one of the stars of the BET show Twenties. We sat on a celebrity panel with Vic Mensa, Hill Harper and Sakiya Sandifer. We started to work with some of the major record labels, and had some very…
In recent years, names like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castillo, and Michael Brown have become household names due to the increased awareness surrounding the killing of Black people at the hands of law enforcement. Canada had its share of horror stories in 2020, both in Black and Indigenous communities, with Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Black woman from Toronto, and Chantel Moore, a First Nations woman from Edmundston, New Brunswick, being murdered during wellness checks conducted by the police. More recently, Ottawa police Const. Daniel Montsion was acquitted in the July 2016 murder of Abdirahman Abdi. One name you may not have heard of…
It’s that time again! SHIFTER’s Canadian Music Video Roundup for October includes videos from The Weeknd, Tory Lanez, Jessie Reyez, Night Lovell, TwoTiime, Savannah Ré, Choclair, JRDN, Maurice Moore, and more! Check out the videos below in order of release date, then help us crown the top video in the country for October. Special shout out to our sponsor, realtor and Canadian hip-hop legend Greg Campbell. Last month you voted and crowned “Floss” by Calgary’s Y.S.R as your Video of the Month. Video of the Month // Y.S.R – Floss Who will win for October? Karl Wolf feat. Kardinal Offishall Wolf…
