For the remainder of 2022, going into 2023, the National Arts Centre is partnering with SHIFTER to spotlight Canadian women of colour in live performance with its first ever Innovators & Icons lists. As a part of this groundbreaking article series, every month the NAC and SHIFTER will be honouring Canadian women of colour who align with the NAC’s various disciplines―Popular Music & Variety, Dance, Indigenous Theatre, English Theatre, French Theatre, and NACO (the NAC Orchestra). These women are not only stellar live performers, representing the geographical and ethnic diversity of Canada, but they are pushing the envelope and breaking barriers in their craft, on the way to becoming Canada’s future stars. In our first Innovators and Icons piece, the National Arts Centre and SHIFTER profile seven women of colour blazing a trail as musicians and comedians in Canada.
To kick off the series, we are honouring women of colour in Popular Music & Variety. This month’s honourees include hip-hop artist Charmaine, Nunavut-born singer-songwriter and producer Angela Amarualik, Experimental Hip-hop duo Cartel Madras, Alternative R&B artist and producer Janette King, and comedians Hoodo Hersi and Janelle Niles. These women are all innovators in their own right, whether through their content, craft, or by causing little controversy.
Here are the NAC and SHIFTER’s Innovators & Icons in the Popular Music & Variety category.
CHARMAINE | Hip-hop artist | Toronto
City: Toronto/Nashville
Instagram: @__iamcharmaine
Previous work: “Bold”, “Woo”, “Friends With Benefits”
“Bold” isn’t just the name of Charmaine’s debut single which made her the first women to ever win the Juno Award for “Rap Single Of The Year”. It’s the energy she’s brought to the Toronto music scene since her arrival. Blending hard-hitting bars, unapologetic sex appeal, and high energy dance choreography, Canada has never seen anything like Charmaine before. But it’s not only Canada who is noticing. In a time when Canada has struggled to export its hip-hop talent, let alone a female artist, Charmaine has garnered over 11 million streams in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and has been featured leading Canadian and American platforms like Fatman Scoop, Ebro Darden, Complex, MTV, Much Music, ET Canada, and CBC.
Among her creative influences are hip-hop legend Missy Elliott, as well as southern hip-hop acts like Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz, Ludacris, Ying Yang Twins. Although born in Zimbabwe, Africa, she grew up in Nashville, Tennessee which explains her high energy southern-infused sound.
More about Charmaine
What is your biggest professional achievement?
“My biggest professional achievement so far has been becoming the first woman in history to win “Rap Single of the Year” at the 2022 Juno Awards.”
What obstacles/challenges have you had to face to get to where you are today?
I think people seeing me come out signed to a major label out of nowhere, in their eyes, they believe that it was handed to me or it wasn’t genuine in some way….But I’ve been trying to make this happen for myself since I was 17 years old. I have a story… All you have to do is pay attention. I worked and earned my way to the place I’m in now. Believe me me when I say, there’s much more ahead for me.
What’s something people should know about you?
My goals supersede my professional music career. I am to build a legacy that makes a difference, especially for women in music. This is just the tip of my iceberg but the deeper you’ll dive into my world…the more you’ll see what’s below the surface.
