Ynana Rose [pronounced Y’nah-nah] captivates audiences with her unique blend of the traditions of American roots music, penning songs threaded with folk, country, blues and jazz influences while reaching for new horizons in her writing. A versatile singer, Ynana sings of the joy and heartbreak of living in a rich, soulful voice.

The “Strawberry Moon” is visible in June. For Ynana, a summer moon is haunting, sensual and nostalgic, so it felt fitting to tell the yearning story of forbidden same sex love between women in early American history. She harnesses the classic country sound with a modern message that inspires gratitude to be born in the here and now, where one can choose how to be and who to love.

We caught up with Ynana Rose, below!

1.    Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

“Strawberry Moon” is an old–time song of forbidden love that doesn’t end well.  Every time I play it I give thanks for being born in the here and now – it’s easy for me to take for granted being able to love who I love & be who I want to be, but those rights have been hard won.  A “strawberry moon” is a full moon in the month of June, originating with the Algonquin indigenous tribe who flourished around the Great Lakes.  As I traced the history of the Great Northern Railroad that connected the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest, I imagined the women in those times & what their options for love & place in the world might have been. 

2.    What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

This is a story that feels true, like it happened somewhere in our country’s history & I just channeled it.  So I wanted the video to be straightforward, just me & a guitar in the woods. 

The audio for the video is spare, just guitar and vocals – sound engineer/producer Graham Ian Ginsburg and I were really aiming for a haunted, yearning kind of a vibe. 

3.    What was the process of making this video?

Here in California, we have the incredible, massive Los Padres National Forest. Cerro Alto is a local hike, five minutes into the trail & your mind is blown with the natural beauty.  It’s a unique ecosystem where the fog from the coast settles into valleys between the mountains & creates a lushness that’s rare for this region. The trail hugs a creek for much of the way, framed by ferns, oaks, huge  sycamores & plentiful bay laurel.  We chased the light of golden hour & ran through the song a few times before the fog rolled in. It was a simple shoot, just a few cameras, one videographer (Kai Monge), me in a vintage dress & my guitar.

A fresh mix of electronic rock with a few drops of synth pop are the secret ingredients of the Vancouver-based band, OurGlassZoo. In 2022, they released their album, Aftermath, which included the single “Free” in collaboration with JUNO-award winning hip-hop artist Prevail (Swollen Members). The track was remixed by producer KutMasta Kurt (Linkin Park, Beastie Boys) and features hip-hop legend Moka Only.

This all-star team has come together again for “Free Remix” with a catchy hook, a retro vibe and a powerful message about equality that encourages freeing yourself from stereotypes and moving forward as one. OurGlassZoo has been nominated for, and won, multiple international Music Video Awards (Munich Music Video Awards, The Berlin Short Film Festival, Rome Music Video Awards, Vancouver Independent Film Festival, Prague Music Video Awards).

We caught up with the group, below!

1.    Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

The central theme behind ‘Free’ is equality. It is a subject matter that the whole team was passionate about and tackled in a playful manner while still giving it a lot of meaning.

2.    What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

As the hook of the song bridges the story, the hip hop lyrics were illustrated through engaging visual metaphors. Directors Diego Lara & Josias Tschanz worked with local graphic artist / illustrator Euan Murphy and editor David Balista to create a homage retro feel to the 80s & 90s. The grainy / washed out color grade adds to that vision.

3.    What was the process of making this video?

The video was shot at Cineworks studio in Vancouver. Four cameras were mounted on a rig and recorded at different focal lengths. The performers & extras stood on a turntable-like platform that was motorized and was able to spin them around 360 degrees while the camera rig stayed locked. This method added a unique sense of movement to the performance.

Here is a behind the scenes video that includes interviews with the directors as well as Juno Award winning Hip Hop artists Prevail & Moka Only.

Calgary’s Kayla Williams is a yacht-pop songstress who pays homage to ’70s soft rock royalty, such as TOTO, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, and the Doobie Brothers. A seasoned musician, Williams adds her bold feminine flair to the genre, delivering a positivity-forward, feel-good throwback tribute with a glittery, vibrant energy.

“Come Close” is a summer anthem! I wanted to write a really upbeat, catchy and danceable tune with a retro feel but through a pop filter. Lyrically it’s about those good chemicals you get flooded with when someone you’re into comes close. It’s lovey dovey, flirty and one of the most feel-good songs I’ve ever written.

We caught up with Kayla below:

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically?  

This song is about that new feeling when you meet someone and it’s all you think about whether they’re around or not, it’s light and fun and flirty! Musically, it’s what I call yacht-pop, it’s inspired by the soft ’70s yacht-rock royalty like Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, Hall & Oates etc. but put through a pop filter with a feminine twist.  I wanted a visual because it’s probably the most up-tempo, danceable song I’ve ever written/recorded and I thought having a light, colourful, retro inspired and choreographed video would help share my vision of this music! 

2.What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)?  I wanted to bring my album art to life which was all pink and blue hues, so we had blue & pink palm leaves and disco balls just like the artwork. I reference in the song that even when I’m hanging with my friends I’m thinking of this person who I fancy, so I wanted a bunch of girls around me in the video and I wanted us to be having fun and dancing!

3.What was the process of making this video? 
Despite how playful and fun the video looks, and it was playful and fun to create, it was also one of the hardest video shoots for most of us! I was coming down with a cold and had a red puffy nose we had to fix and you know glassy eyes/headache just not feeling hot. Another girl, Meg who choreographed the dance, thought she had food poisoning, so she kept running off to be sick and then laying in the corner of the room and yet had a smile on her face in every shot (the next day she was actually in the hospital on IV!). We figured out that rolling disco balls around on the ground is not safe, one girl sliced her foot on a broken off disco shard and we had to get out a first aid kit and clean blood off the set fabric- and on top of all of that the shoot lasted from 11am one day until almost 2:30 am the next! So to sat it was an intense shoot is an understatement BUT everyone really showed up and gave it their all, it turned out beautifully and now we can all celebrate and laugh about the chaos 

Eunice Keitan is a Malaysian/Canadian singer-songwriter whose music reflects her diverse international background and eclectic influences. With a captivating blend of Neo-Soul and World Folk styles, Eunice creates a unique sonic landscape that is both soulful and innovative.

Her latest offering, “Cobalt Sea,” pushes the envelope a little further by combining South American and Southeast Asian soundscapes. It features both the marimba and gamelan while still remaining in the framework of the soul genre.

At the end of last year, Eunice found herself burnt out, grappling with both mental and physical health challenges. She made the decision to spend several months in Colombia with some family seeking simplicity and a return to her true passion: creating and songwriting. During her stay, she took a Colombian folk percussion class, where she learned to play the tambora and marimba. 

“Cobalt Sea” features a Bunde rhythm and chonta marimba from the Pacific region. Traditionally, the compositions and arrangements are meant to mimic the character of the sea with its swelling waves. She was struck by the cultural similarities between Colombia and many Southeast Asian communities, particularly the significance of oral traditions and the communal nature of daily life and music were shared features. Observing how music in both cultures were inspired by everyday life, ceremonies, the land, nature, and, in this case, the sea, she became curious about blending South American and Southeast Asian soundscapes.

“Ombak Biru,” a phrase heard in the song, means “Blue Waves,” in Indonesian and the song was partially inspired by an ancient Indonesian pantun.

​​Clare Siobhan (pronounced “shuh-VON”) is a genre-blending East Coast artist with a voice beyond her years. With her distinctive, rich alto voice, she paints pictures of love and loss, hope and fear, stillness and change through her deeply personal and introspective lyrics. Siobhan’s music is a folk-pop-soul exploration of movement, growth, and light.

On the focus track “I Built a House With an Arsonist,” Siobhan wrote the song as a playful exploration of bad habits and wearing her rose-coloured glasses in her personal life. A snippet of the song was released on TikTok before it was finished, and fans found that it was really relatable if they were experiencing challenging situations in their lives: breakups, divorces, difficult relationships, and feelings of personal betrayal from loved ones. 

With the fan input in consideration, Siobhan finished the song with a certain story in mind. Despite the consequences of giving the benefit of the doubt to certain people, she says, “I wouldn’t change my habits now. Even if it comes with a little risk, I do think that being a persistent optimist, and trying to always see the good in others, is a worthwhile worldview.”

The main theme of the Seek the Sun EP is fairly straightforward: no matter how rough things are, there’s always joy to be found somewhere, and there’s always a way out of the darkness. Across the six tracks, it’s a bit of a kitchen-sink “life” record, full of songs for a twenty-something year old. Love, change, fear, joy, hope, bad habits – all these things surround us in our youth, and it’s up to us what we make of them as we age. These are songs for growing, hoping, loving, worrying, healing…and singing and dancing if it suits you. 

At the centre of Niagara’s new alternative scene, Sunshine Express (a.k.a. S.EX) are a shining force of urgent, electric energy: rock ‘n’ roll with an expressive, experimental edge.

“I LUV SEX” sees the group graduating from an experimental recording project to living, breathing band. Sunshine Express’ goal was to convey their dynamic performance style as much as possible, to capture (rather than manufacture) the chaotic, communal spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.

They recorded live as a group, without a click, in the same room. The track mixes rock instrumentation with experimental sounds like pad synths and Mario 64 sound font samples. It includes the band’s signature elements: AKAI sampling, hard-tuned vocals, and an ambient aura.