Aided by mentors Nick Blagona (The Police, Deep Purple, Beegees) and Mark Daum (inventor of the piantar), James Alphonse has been nominated for and won awards at the Hamilton Music Awards. His newest mentors are Andre Kaden Black (Fefe Dobson, Francesco Yates) and Tal Vaisman (working in a variety of capacities with groups like 21 Pilots and Imagine Dragons), who have produced James’ forthcoming debut solo EP.

It’s tough to know you’re ready for a real relationship – to find someone you think is your person, and to know they’re just not there with you. “Crazy For You,” the newest single from James, a bit like a cooking recipe. It’s one part “hey, I’m sorry. I was ignorant and couldn’t empathize with you” and another part “this sucks, now I understand.”

Silk Tonic is an indie-pop band from Montreal composed of two childhood friends that have been playing music together for as long as they can remember: Matthew Brouillet, lead singer and drummer and Mark Hodges, lead guitarist and bassist. As the years went by, casual meet-ups evolved into writing sessions, when in 2017 they decided to devote their time and efforts into pursuing their music career. The duo’s new single, “A Second Of Your Time,” is a funky, uptempo dance-pop track with guitar-driven production that incorporates vintage synths.

Growing up less than one hour away from her hometown of Timmins in Northern Ontario, Shania Twain’s music has always been special to Rosewood Avenue. Their upcoming track, “Fool For Love,” drew a lot of inspiration from her ballads and from the fact that her husband at the time, Mutt Lange, recorded most (if not all) harmonies. Rooted deep in the true north of Ontario, husband-and-wife duo Rosewood Avenue takes small town dreams to the next level. By a twist of fate due to a local papermill shutdown, Dave’s family relocated to the small town of Iroquois Falls where he moved across the avenue from Sabrina. They immediately fell in love and began sharing their passion for country music by writing and performing together.

On his upcoming EP, Theo Tams demonstrates a remarkable command of R&B-laced pop music, his silky tenor the unwavering guiding light. The newest single from the EP, “Fixable,” drowns the senses, oozing with intimate lyrics and style, and his sinewy vocals guide the listener through plush soundscapes. With the previous two releases from the EP, Tams has garnered over 100k cross-platform streams and has been featured on Spotify official editorial playlists such as New Music Friday, Mood Ring, Fresh Finds: The Wave, and more. 

A soulful songstress with ‘love’ as her subject and ‘soul’ as her sound, Denise Valle’s music fuses the hypnotic warmth of R&B with the insatiable rhythm of pop. Her lyrical narratives are met by her raw vocal wave embodying passion and enlightenment.

Denise’s new EP EDGE sheds light on a day in the life of living with depression and anxiety, paints a picture of the days of immense heaviness that can leave you bed ridden till noon. Denise sings about the contrasting moments of hope that are brought on by positive conversations with friends and the dark moments that make you feel weakest.The EP’s title track “E D G E” is an acronym for “Every Day Give Everything” – everyone is dealing with a silent battle and we must champion each other and celebrate each success.

Acid-laced pop SUNFIELDS is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jason Kent. Although the quartet was born in 2009, three quarters of its members have been playing music on and off together since they were teens. Their tunes carry a classy bombast of chamber rock, the intimacy of a singer songwriter, and the easy-breeziness of vintage pop with some psychedelic undertones thrown in. It’s all too easy to feel defeated in life sometimes. “Got Some (But It Ain’t Enough),” the new single from SUNFIELDS forthcoming new album, Late Bloomers (out 3/12), pokes fun at that notion. Not everything in life needs to be taken so seriously, including yourself/ourselves.