SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Liyah Katana “can already boast superior vocals to more seasoned, mainstream artists” in his “8” EP review.
Toronto has been churning out some of the best R&B talent in the world in recent years and now there’s another Greater Toronto Area product ready to take the R&B world by storm.
Although just 20 years old, Liyah Katana already boasts an impressive résumé. She’s been building a name for herself in recent years with her vocals, live performances around the city, a string of radio hits, and frequent trips to rub shoulder with industry heavyweights in New York and Los Angeles.
Now she’s back with her new EP 8, her first under a new deal with Def Jam Recordings, Nycesound, ARTium Records and Universal Music Canada. On the eight-track project, she blends strong vocals over timeless production with hints of 90’s nostalgia, with the raw vulnerability of modern R&B. Track by track, the Mississauga native reveals her impressive vocal range as she croons about the ups and downs of love and relationships.
What you immediately notice is her growth compared to her earlier releases. She always had a strong voice, but there’s a greater confidence and maturity in her vocals on this project. And while her previously released singles “TOXIC” and “Str8” are obvious hits where she shows her potential for stardom and mainstream success, it’s on songs like the laid back “TRIPPIN”, the acoustic guitar laden “2AM” and “EVOL” that we see the void Katana is filling in the R&B landscape as she brings that classic R&B sound. Not being boxed in to one style, she shows versatility reaching into her island vibes bag on the aforementioned “TOXIC“.
Overall, what separates her from her female R&B contemporaries is not only her classic R&B sound, but the strength and tone of her vocals. At a young age, she can already boast superior vocals to more seasoned, mainstream artists.
She also represents the future of Canadian women in R&B. While women like Tamia, Deborah Cox, Jully Black, and Keshia Chanté led the charge in Canadian R&B in the 90’s and early 2000’s, it has been The Weeknd, 11:11, Jahkoy, Daniel Caesar, Roy Woods, and Jon Vinyl who have carried the baton into the 2020’s. But with her talents, age, and support system, Katana now has the potential to take her career to heights her Canadian female R&B predecessors hadn’t reached before.
SHIFTER editor and Senior Entertainment Reporter, Kevin Bourne, is a Toronto-based entertainment journalist focusing on Black music and film & TV. He was named one of 310 international voters for the 81st Golden Globe Awards by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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