music
Jimmy Prime is an emerging rapper who has already made a huge impact. Drake has credited him for originally christening Toronto as The Six and his own music career has been gaining steady traction since his music leaked to an OVO blog over 4 years ago. Since then, Jimmy and the Prime Boyz have gradually been carving out own signature gritty sound in Toronto’s competitive hip-hop scene.
Stats: 28.8k on Instagram, 20.5k on Soundcloud
Read MoreIn a post-Drake Toronto, Sean Leon goes beyond the city’s signature moody sound. His diverse sound teeters between grungy and bubbly and his persona is authentic and irreverent. Sean’s projects include CCWMTT and I Think You’ve Gone Mad, a song ‘Matthew in the Middle’ with vocals from his dear friend and collaborator Daniel Caesar, was featured on the soundtrack for HBO’s Insecure. Beyond his own music, Sean is the founder of the IXXI collective, which is responsible for launching and developing Daniel Caesar’s meteoric career and fostering other Toronto talent.
Read MoreJahmal Padmore is a creative multi-hyphenate living and working in Toronto. In true millennial fashion, Jahmal’s day-to-day is filled with multiple projects for multiple clients, all while balancing his own creative career. With lululemon, Jahmal works as the community lead and with Tokyo Smoke, he produces podcasts. Meanwhile, his band miracles creates music music that merges R&B with synthy pop so that you can catch a futuristic vibe.
Read MoreJayemkayem is a DJ, writer, and marketing consultant committed to amplifying good music and underrepresented voices. After thriving through Toronto’s DJ scene she created her own community radio project Istolethesoul, which hosts pop-up broadcasts around Toronto. Between pop-ups she still spins her own well-rounded mixes around the city, where she plays everything from rap, trap and grime to drill, garage and bass.
Stats: 8691 Instagram followers.
Stacey Sexton is definitely one of the coolest people to come out of CBS, Newfoundland. Once she’s done ‘slinging juices’ at a vegan restaurant and studying at school, she creates bold graphics and upbeat mixes. She is also part of the DJ collective Something Special alongside Karim Olen Ash.
Read MoreWhether or not you have heard of Dre Ngozi, you have probably seen her behind the decks at Toronto’s best parties or dancing with Miguel and Travis Scott in a music video. Her own mixes incorporate her eclectic, diverse music style and make it impossible to stay still. With collaborations with Absolut and Covergirl under her belt, she is quickly rising to the top of Toronto’s DJ scene and breaking the boys club that has reigned for far too long.
Read MoreVaughan is a Toronto-based DJ dedicated to creating space and visibility for women of colour. Through her work with Chippy Nonstop’s Intersessions, Karim Olen Ash’s Something Special, Vaughan is gradually working to disrupt the dominant male presence in music.
Read MoreKatie Lavoie is a Calgary-export currently based in Toronto. Since her big move, the self-proclaimed prairie girl has become a fixture in Toronto’s DJ scene. Her sets incorporate a wide array of genres and styles, from punk to jazz to disco to club, and though they’re unpredictable, they are always thoughtfully and masterfully mixed.
Read MoreJamie Webster is a multidisciplinary creative at the helm of some of the coolest video content coming out of Toronto. As creative director for OVO superstars, Majid Jordan, Jamie Webster’s expertise in fashion, photography and graphic design are always on full display. In addition to this, Jamie is the founder of Common Good, a Toronto-based directing collective and full service animation, design and VFX studio.
Read MoreAs her name would suggest, Chippy Nonstop is a creative multi-hyphenate with an endless fuse. In addition to her own burgeoning career as a DJ, Chippy is the creator of Intersessions. Through Intersessions, Chippy has created a safe space for women, femme-identifying and non-binary folks to learn how to DJ. Between Intersessions, her own sets, and her no-holds-barred Twitter, Chippy is creating a culture of inclusivity in the DJ world.
Read MoreAce Dillinger is a Toronto-based DJ with a penchant for afrobeats, trap, and dancehall. Her uptempo, eclectic mixes can be heard at popular clubs like Apartment 200 and Oak Island. In addition to playing shows and building her own brand, Ace shares her DJ expertise with emerging female DJs at mixing workshop and panel series, Intersessions, hosted by Chippy Nonstop.
Read MoreWhere are you from?: I was born in Chicago, Illinois and my childhood was spent in Jamaica, then Miami and New York. Now I’m here, in Los Angeles.
What do you do?: I sing and went to New School University for Jazz where I also taught myself how to produce.
What is your dream creative project?: I believe firmly in collaboration. I feel like that’s what the art of music is; being able to have a band and have different energies combining to make this one entity. I don’t have a problem producing my own stuff; I just never want my voice to be the only thing that’s expressed. I have a lot to say for sure but not only do I learn in the experience of collaborating with someone, but we definitely bring things out of each other. So although I have been collaborating with some people since 2007, I still love to bring in new talent.
Is there something you wish you knew earlier?: I did all right early on; I was an independent artist, shooting all my own things but would have videos on TV and was getting awards for things I didn’t even know I was nominated for. The main thing I wish I knew earlier on in my career is the art of collaboration with brands, like I did last year. It started by just taking a lot of pictures and conceptualizing ideas and then they’d meet me and I’d have more to talk about besides the music.
Tell us about the female project you’re doing and why did you decide to, instead of putting in the music, give women a direct voice with that project?: I always go back to my childhood and think about how certain situations were handled. I felt like most men didn’t necessarily take the time out to understand women. So I thought that was how you’re supposed to be as a man. And then growing older and having to deal with my ego within relationships, I realized that’s not how you should be as a man (laughs). Often when a man and woman have a conversation it feels like a show because of the concept of attraction. So with the women’s project I interviewed women ages 17-65 and asked questions that I felt they were probably never asked before. The questions were: ‘What do you love about being a woman?’ ‘Long term lust or short term love?’ ‘Tell me the first time you experienced love and the feelings that come with it?’ ‘Beauty or danger?’ ‘Climax or balance?’ ‘Chaos or structure?’ ‘All the things you hate about a man?’ ‘All the things you love about a man?’ ‘What’s on your list of a paper perfect man?’ ‘When I say Love Apparatus what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?’ And ‘do you like smiling?’.
Bambii is one of Toronto’s most viable new DJ exports. Her online posts and Instagram stories are just as unpredictable as her choices behind the boards but on both platforms, she comes off as effortlessly authentic and well-rounded. Bambii has been tapped to create mixes for Thump, The Fader and NEEDS&WANTS and has toured internationally, both as a solo act and as Mykki Blanco’s DJ. Between tour stops, Bambii throws her own parties, which serve as safe spaces for POC and LGBT folks.
With a growing following nearing 10k followers, Bambii receives over 700 likes per post, on average, with an engagement rate of 7.5%. Whether she’s jamming in an Uber or capturing the scene at one of her shows, her videos garner over 2k views.
Read MoreGetLive is a New York-based DJ who spins everything from classic boom bap to high-tempo club mixes. The Queens native embodies the American Dream, having flipped his SoundCloud mixes into a residency at Schimanski, where he holds court in their Hip-Hop Room.
Stats: 13.8k Instagram followers
Read MoreBetween his retro style and timeless tunes, Joseph of Mercury has managed to stand out in Toronto’s dense music scene. Before pursuing a solo career, Joseph had an impressive resume behind the scenes, penning and producing songs for Majid Jordan, Nelly Furtado, and Blood Orange. Today, he has a buzzy EP and unique visuals under his belt that has caught the attention of Globe Style and Billboard.
Though Joseph of Mercury’s has over 5k followers, his online reach is over 13k, with 25k impressions. His audience is main demographic is between 25 and 34 years old in Toronto, LA, London, Mexico City and New York.
Read MoreMimi Harris is a native New Yorker conquering marketing, modelling and motherhood simultaneously. She also paints and has a passion for music education, adding to the strong multi-hyphenate culture in NYC.
Read MoreMarie Coyles is a jet-setting multi-hyphenate working as a media and leadership consultant. As a self-proclaimed Gucci Loving Earth Child, Marie covers a lot of ground creatively, with side hustles ranging from expert chandler to veteran vocalist.
Read MoreKilla Kels is a Toronto-based DJ and influencer with cosigns from Lululemon, Nike and American Express. She is also a founding member of the creative agency, GXXRLS, which seeks to empower women through artistic collaboration. As a leader in the growing group of women DJs in Toronto, her work contributes to a more balanced, inclusive nightlife community.
Read Moreasmine Solano is a Brooklyn-based DJ and one half of international music duo Electric Punany. Since spinning for brands like Donna Karan, Apple, Nike and Tophop and artists like Beyonce, she has transitioned into more curatorial and hosting work. MTV documented her journey as an emerging DJ on Scratch The Surface and she is currently spinning for HBO’s Mixtapes & Roller Skates tour.
Stats: 26.7k Instagram followers.
Read MoreAccording to SSENSE, Ian Isaiah is a “Brooklyn choirboy turned ‘hood-maternal’ vocalist, a sensual R&B songstress with an ascending trajectory.” His ascent is multifaceted; his industry clout and inimitable style has bred collaborations with Longchamp and ongoing contributions to his bff’s brand Hood By Air. Meanwhile, his smooth vocals has bred collaborations with Chromeo and a tour with Blood Orange.
Stats: 42.6k followers
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