4x JUNO Award nominated, Toronto based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is sharing the first glimpse of his upcoming new album, Pathways, the downtempo yet empathetic “Weighing Down.” Pathways will be released on September 27th.

Following his recent critically acclaimed albums, 2020’s The Ridge and 2022’s Beyond The Reservoir, Taylor considers Pathways to be centered around finding one’s happiness. “It’s about trying to find a way to simplify our lives and look for what really matters and makes us feel at home within our own hearts, soul and mind,” he explains.

Taylor wrote “Weighing Down” during a time of overwhelm over the constant pressures we face in this world, as he also grappled with navigating the heaviness of some of his own life decisions and where they had led him.

Pedal steel guitar cries against the warmth of Taylor’s vocals, coupled with acoustic guitar and drums that are intentionally barely there. The song’s backing vocals are intended to make the recording sound “warm and connected to a haunting but optimistic place in the human psyche,” Taylor details.

Mawzy is the brainchild of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Cooke. Through earnest storytelling, Mawzy lyrics capture the unnavigability of life and romance in his city, Toronto. His use of crafted melodies and lush synthesizers work together to create the trademark Mawzy sound.

“Start Again” is about giving love a second chance. The lyrics describe a day spent with a past partner, walking through the city, saying things that were never said, and reconnecting to start again. There is a shared sentiment between the two that things were never quite finished and to make things work it would require honesty and a fresh start. Sonically, this song pulls from 70’s influences like Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac, and features the vocals of Kirty (Fast Romantics). 

Long View is Mawzy’s introspective debut LP from this project and draws greatly on themes of love and loss, pulling from Cooke’s past experiences with partners and friends. There has also always been the influence of the east coast in Cooke’s music and ocean/nature imagery is a recurring motif in songs like “Forever Wild,” “Where I’m From” and “Regrets & Wonders.” Using these metaphors and personal anecdotes, the album conveys an overall sentiment that through the ups and downs of life, we can choose to see the brighter side. 

Keira Gray grew up in Red Earth Creek, Alberta before eventually moving to Faust, Alberta. She has aspired to be a singer since she was a little girl listening to Ariana Grande, Rihanna, and Christina Aguilera. Most of her time was spent teaching herself to sing their songs. 

Keira currently lives in Slave Lake, Alberta where she works as a server. When she’s not working, you can find her collaborating with other music professionals writing songs and recording music to share with the world.

Her new single, “After you,” was inspired from a personal experience that Keira has since moved on from. It was very therapeutic to express her feelings at that time and she hopes you all enjoy it as much as she enjoyed writing it.

The creation of meaningful art can only occur in moments of despair or triumph; there is no grey area.

iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (short for waseskwan iskwew, meaning “blue sky woman”) is an award-winning Indigenous creator whose catalogue drips of a spectrum of emotions and is powered by resilience. Following several seasons of high highs being met with low lows, the Cree Métis artist retreated south to Mexico and inward to her soul to paint a 10-song collection that illustrates the gut-wrenching roller coaster ride that has been her recent life.

nīna, the opus of iskwē’s rebirth, is the Cree translation for “me” and was chosen as the title of her fourth solo album as an ode to the profoundly autobiographical elements. The album is the sonic manifestation of the divine feminine explored through vignettes of love, passion, anger, betrayal, and loss. 

The album’s focus track, “Exhale,” is a reassuring call to the self, as iskwē encourages herself: “Blue sky woman, it’s time for you to breathe out.” The tense yet shimmering song holds onto the vulnerability at iskwē’s core.

“I needed to remind myself that I am vibrant, that I hold life in me,” she explains of the song. 
“I am an artist, a creative, confident and soft. I needed to remind myself that I hold love in my being. It was time I remembered these pieces in me which had been dormant for some time. So now I start again, to rebloom. To be reborn. To look at myself in the mirror and exhale. It’s time for me to breathe out…”

iskwē’s collaboration with 10x Grammy nominee Damian Taylor serves as the bedrock of this LP, creating a lush and textured world of electronic pop which branches further out through Latin strings (Waiting For The Laughter) and a dreamy psychedelic sound on Top 20 Alt-Rock charting lead single “I Get High” featuring Nina Hagen.

nīna reaches into the most personal and tender crevices, opening with the artist at a point of dissolution and overwhelm (“A Little Piece”), unfolding into an exploration of the deep, visceral experience of love, through to liberating herself from those who would rather see her fail than succeed (“Sure To Come”).  

Martha Johnson is a founding member and the lead singer of the Canadian art pop band Martha and the Muffins which formed in 1977. Her career, spanning more than four decades and eleven albums, has had many highlights. In 2000, Martha was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and was eventually forced to stop performing live.

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Martha Johnson and Company’s “Slow Emotion” began with the suggestion of her neurologist Dr. Fasano at Krembil Research Institute/University Health Network in Toronto. He encouraged Martha to collaborate on a song with another of his patients, songwriter/musician Fabio Dwyer, to show that life and creativity doesn’t end with a diagnosis. Released on April 11th, World Parkinson’s Day, the uplifting anthem was largely performed by musicians and singers with PD.

“I came up with the title, Slow Emotion, years ago and it seemed like a good fit with the theme of accepting and adapting to the changes both physically and emotionally you go through when you are living with PD. I’m hoping that people are moved by the song to a place of better understanding. Parkinson’s is continuously a life changing event for me. Life is what you make of it and you’ll have a better time if you just slow down a little and really take it all in.” –Martha Johnson
With the support of Krembil Research Institute/University Health Network and Parkinson Canada, there is an accompanying documentary by Toronto filmmaker Jason Cipparrone that looks at the creation of “Slow Emotion.”

Indie pop artist stardrop is a creative force from Thunder Bay, ON. She partnered with Tennyson King and Dan Hosh to produce her debut EP, I Feel Everything, which showcases catchy, soulful self-love anthems that celebrate femininity, authenticity, and resilience.

Fueled by big feelings, stardrop is using the power of music to rewrite her narrative and explore a new way of existing in the world. “After many years of feeling completely disconnected from myself and my self-worth, I was ready to claim my own space in this world,” she elaborates. “It was a real ‘fake it til to make it’ type of thing, or rather, ‘sing it til you believe it.’”

The lyrics for focus track “Tiger” poured out of her like magic, at a time she longed for the strength and courage to feel powerful and begin to heal. The tiger represents the instinctive animal laying dormant inside, ready to protect us when needed.

In collaboration with cinematographer Scott MacKay, the “Tiger” music video explores the effects trauma has on the ability to be present. It demonstrates an out-of-body experience by creatively distorting reality in different ways.