S8E05 - KWNCY (R&B/soul artist)

Quinn Ellis, aka KWNCY, a Toronto R&B/soul artist blending lush neo-soul textures with contemporary R&B. 

Her latest EP, St. Lucie Drive, explores the personal and emotional experiences that come with growth, reflection and finding healing through music.

We met up at High Notes Coffee + Vinyl to talk about the therapeutic process of writing and recording, her love for Erykah Badu — aka Queen Mother, and answering her true calling as a stunt woman in her music videos.

FURTHER LISTENING

S8E04 - JESSE OHTAKE (OWNER/FOUNDER OF THE ACADEMY)

I first met Jesse Ohtake when I was writing for The CyberKrib, reviewing records and interviewing hip-hop, R&B and soul artists.

As the owner/founder of The Academy, Air Moves and other cultural initiatives, Jesse has spent decades building platforms for artists and bringing Toronto’s music community together.

Today, we’re talking about the records that shaped him, the hustle behind building a scene, and what it takes to keep the culture moving.

S8E03 - TARA KANNAGARA (INDIE-POP Artist)

Tara Kannangara is an indie-pop singer-songwriter, producer and trumpeter. 

From jazz, pop, r&b and rock, Tara’s music is driven by curiosity and a willingness to follow an idea wherever it leads.

We talk about her latest project, Extraordinary People, a longing to return to an age of musical enigmas, and all things Prince. in fact, we should probably rename this episode The Prince Show.

S8E02 - vixu (Pianist/Composer/producer/vocalist/songwriter)

Toronto musician Victor Xu, better known as Vixu, is a pianist, composer, producer, vocalist and songwriter.

Through his solo work and bands like Diskarte, he moves freely between jazz, R&B, hip-hop, indie, electronic and experimental.

On this episode, Victor talks about his early piano training, how Toronto’s early-2000s music scene and Broken Social Scene sparked his love of collaboration, and paying tribute to Frank Ocean’s Blonde.

S8E01 - LIZ UNINVITED (indie-folk singer-songwriter)

Liz uninvited is a Toronto-based indie singer-songwriter whose intimate, emotionally raw music draws influence from Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley and Fiona Apple.

A devoted Elliott Smith fan, she developed a unique connection to his music and legacy after collaborating with members of his creative circle in Los Angeles.

In the this episode, we talk to Liz as she traces the soundtrack of her childhood through her dad’s favourite Afrobeat and highlife records, discusses embracing an OCD diagnosis and transforming that experience into music, and explores the lingering spirit of Elliott Smith in her own songwriting.