Music on the Fly
December 12, 2023
December 12, 2023
A little extra time at the airport? Walking along the waterfront and searching for something to do? Why not take in a live music performance from one of the many talented local artists. In partnership with the City of Toronto and ArtHaus, Music on the Fly @ YTZ will fill the atrium of Billy Bishop Airport with the sounds of live music. Read the Press Release here.
This Toronto-based duo, comprised of songwriters Sam Clark and Yasmine Shelton, will take you through city streets in the hours before the world has woken, or to a corrugated steel home north of the tree line. Their inventiveness shines on Sam's fiddle, and in their intricate harmonies, with Shelton and Clark’s voices wrapping around each other like twin flames in a warm fire.
Music Genre: Folk
Social: IG @basset.theband / TikTok @bassettheband / FB basset.theband
https://bassettheband.com/
Moodset is a jazz and R&B collaborative project comprised of alumni from UofT’s jazz program, Alexa Belgrave (keys),Jacqueline Teh (vocals), Madeleine Ertel (trumpet), Caleb Klager (bass), and Mackenzie Read (drums). Creating a vibrant atmosphere with an emphasis on their original music, Moodset has performed at various venues in Toronto since October 2018, fostering a sense of community among jazz and pop/R&B musicians.
Music Genre: Jazz / R&B
Social: IG @moodsetmusic, @jacqtehmusic , @alexa.belgrave Bandcamp: moodset.bandcamp.com/
Nigel Irwin is a Cree-Canadian musician, composer, and storyteller from Niagara Treaty territory, who lives in Toronto - Dish With One Spoon Territory. As Creative Director of Nagamo, Irwin has helped build the first production-music library created entirely by Indigenous artists, working closely with a growing network of Indigenous singers and musicians worldwide. In addition, Irwin also provides original musical scores for film and television projects.
Irwin also provided the music for a VR Experience produced by the NFB called This Is Not A Ceremony which made Official Selection at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Through his own artist music, Irwin became the2019 recipient of the Bullseye Music Award through imagineNATIVE and Slaight Music. With OAC, Canada Council, and FACTOR grant funding, he is developing his first full-length LP.
Since releasing songs in 2014, Irwin’s music has appeared on CBC, SiriusXM, ElementFM, and Zoomer Radio. As a writer, Irwin’s work has excelled outside of music creation. Irwin has been published in VICE, The Nation, Two Row Times, and the Niagara Falls Review, covering a wide range of Indigenous stories.
Music Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Social: IG @irwinigel / www.nigelirwin.com
Already well-known to Canadian global and Latin music lovers as her Afro-Cuban alter ego, Lady Son, Lady Yetunde has embarked on a new phase in her creative journey.
Lady Yetunde’s original compositions and arrangements are further elevated by ace Chilean-Canadian producer Diego LasHeras and renowned Colombian-Canadian engineer Jaime Smalbach (Quantum Vox Music). Afrika LIbre will be released in full on Lula world Records Winter 2022. With the release of this groundbreaking new album, Afrika Libre, Lady Yetunde presents a new and distinctive Afro-Latin fusion — a high-energy, danceable and joyous exploration of the African musical diaspora, grounded in a positive Afrocentric message.
Music Genre: Jazz
Social: IG @lady_yetunde_sabor / FB: yetundemusica
Toronto-born Rachelle Show, a dynamic Pop-RnB singer-songwriter of Congolese and Filipina heritage, captivates audiences with her soulful voice and poignant lyrics. Infusing early 2000’s POP/R&B nostalgia into her music, Rachelle's sound is both evocative and refreshing. Her resilient spirit, forged through a challenging upbringing, fuels her creative process. In just two years, Rachelle secured coveted spots in two exclusive Toronto artist development programs and graced legendary venues across the city. Driven by a mission to heal and create dialogue around trauma, Rachelle Show is a rising star committed to making a lasting impact through her compelling and heartfelt musical journey.
Music Genre: Pop / R&B
Social: IG/TikTok/ X - Rachelleshow
Blair Lee is driven by her feelings. That momentum comes through in the soft ways her music explores the darkness that comes before the light, in the cinematic promise of a happier ending. Blair uses her lyrics to work through the things she doesn’t understand and the places she doesn’t fit in. Through some of the sadness, hope and warmth always make their way through. Her songs perfectly pair a delicate vocal style with her penchant for 90s style electric guitars and the kind of stark honesty that evokes a gentle nostalgia.
Blair finds inspiration in the little things: her friends, interesting strangers, walks in the woods, moments of stillness, small towns, and quiet thoughts. She’s drawn to stories and the ways that music can shape and hold them. Her debut EP, The Puppy Game, is available everywhere now.
Music Genre: Alternative
Social: IG @blairalee / FB blairalee8
Rebekah Hawker, a musical storyteller at the crossroads of country and folk, began her artistic journey in church choir harmonies and an art-rock adolescence. With a deep-rooted love for the diverse facets of country music, she released the acclaimed album "Careful Women" in 2019, capturing the essence of legends like John Prine, Linda Ronstadt, Kacey Musgraves, and Kathleen Edwards. Rebekah's latest single, "Ticket," showcases her ability to infuse classic midtempo country with a canny positivity, continuing her trajectory as a compelling and authentic voice in the contemporary folk scene.
Music Genre: Country
Social: IG / FB / TikTok @rebekahhawker
https://rebekahhawker.com/
These artists performed from June 26-July 2, 2023.
Singer-songwriter Sammy Jackson is quickly becoming one of Canada’s top vocalists, with a personal style that deftly blends jazz, pop, and R&B. With a resume that boasts a JUNO Award, collaborations with top artists such as Barbra Lica, Robi Botos, Rich Brown, and Larnell Lewis, and performances at some of Canada’s most prestigious venues, including the Glenn Gould Studio, Koerner Hall, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, and Westben, Jackson consistently captivates audiences with her singing, compositional accomplishments, and collaborative artistic spirit. Her latest EP – the JUNO-Award winning With You - is a sophisticated, intelligent, heartfelt portrait of a musician coming into her artistic prime, and features some of the top young musicians in Canada.
Music Genre: Jazz, RnB, Pop
Social: FB + IG: @sammyjacksonmusic / YouTube: @sammyjoee1
Raffaele is a touring and recording artist who mostly works within the pop and RNB genres. Raffaele started playing at the age of four starting a band with his brother and childhood friends. To this day he still plays with them among other friends he met throughout his formative years. He has taken inspiration from a plethora of different genres and performances as he has often worked on many different projects ranging from orchestral music to musicals. You can next catch him performing at Canada Day in celebration square in Mississauga for Mico.
Music Genre: Pop, RnB
Social: IG: @Raffaeleix
Toronto based singer/songwriter Cinzia & The Eclipse draws musical inspiration from her hometown of Montreal and artists like Florence and The Machine who taught her that a unique voice is nothing to shy away from. Cinzia’s music explores resilience and strength through themes of empowerment that are demonstrated in the depth of her songwriting, her playing and her special vocal ability. Canadian artist Billy Raffoul says “she has the most lovely voice and she blew us away” (Ones to Watch) when supporting him in Montreal in 2019. Cinzia & The Eclipse has shown immense growth and self-reflection through the pandemic with her new single Just for Fun and her EP that will soon follow.
Music Genre: Folk Pop Rock
Social: FB + IG: @CinziaandTheEclipse / TikTok: @Cinztheeclipse
With over 500,000 streams on Dark Midnight in South Korea, Natali is a Canadian artist, singer/songwriter, dancer, and actress. Natali has had a passion for the arts her entire life that was influenced by her mother and fathers love for music teaching her to appreciate the different R&B/Soul artists and sounds from the 90's such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Brandy, and Babyface. In 2019, Natali performed alongside David Foster at his sold-out show in Toronto following television appearances and performances including Global’s Morning Show. Now she is creatively working at different studio’s across Toronto recording written original music. Her music is a crossover between R&B/Soul and Pop, expressing her unique and original lyricality.
Music Genre: Pop/R&B
Social: IG: @natalirachelmusic
A genre-bending maverick whose impressive ability to write, arrange, and perform multiple instruments, all while emanating such vocal power, Gracie re-envisions 21st century R&B with an edgy twist. The Toronto singer-songwriter confidently and charismatically accentuates her bold neo-soul delivery with pop ambition and R&B energy. Her songs defy easy categorization and her musicianship has drawn amazement from major players including Sting, James Fauntleroy and Oak Felder.
Music Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Social: IG: @gracieellamusic
Alex Coles, a 20-year-old pop musician, singer, and songwriter. With a musical journey that started at the age of 5 playing drums, he later expanded his musical repertoire to include guitar and songwriting. With a passion for music that is unmatched, Alex has been working hard to perfect his craft. In 2021, he was signed to Drama Kills Entertainment, a Las Vegas-based record label. Since then, Alex has been writing, recording and releasing original music to all major streaming platforms.
Music Genre: Pop
Social: IG + TikTok + YouTube: @alexcolesofficial / Twitter - @acolesofficial
Kazdoura is a Toronto-based band that serves up Arabic fusion with a modern twist. Equal parts nostalgia and reinvention, their style is a cross-cultural blend of Eastern and Western music that blends old-world Arabic classics with funk, pop, and disco. This project quickly found success in person and online where the videos collected more than 3 million views on TikTok since 2020. Syrian singer Leen Hamo and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Abou Chacra found this project together. Kazdoura released their EP “Wain” in June of 2022. They have performed at many festivals in Toronto and Montreal.
Music Genre: Modern Arabic / Arabic funk/ Arabic fusion
Social: IG @kazdouramusic / FB @kazdoura / TikTok: @kazdouramusic
These artists performed on Saturday, May 27 from 12:00 - 4:00pm.
From recording artist and performer, to radio co-host, Canadian singer/songwriter, and Billboard charting artist Avery Raquel has been entertaining audiences professionally for over 10years. She has released 4 solo albums to critical acclaim and airplay across the country including her recent self-titled album in Spring 2022 which debuted on the Canadian iTunes Top 200 RnB/Soul album chart at #5. Five tracks from that album were finalists in the John Lennon Song Writing Competition in 2022, in 4 different categories, with one winning Grand Prize in the Pop category.
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Music Genre: R&B/Soul
Social: @averyracquelmusic
Yarro is a Toronto based singer/songwriter who uses sultry, sad and soulful tones to tell stories of heartbreak, healing, and what it means to be human. Her music is inspired by old school jazz with an experimental R&B twist, and she aims to build connection and community through candid observation and blunt self reflection.
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Music Genre: Pop
Social: @_yarro
Emily Schultz hails from the thriving arts community of Edmonton, AB. She struck an interest in the arts at a very young age, attending the Victoria School for the Arts throughout middle and high school. There, Emily developed her skills in singing, dancing, choreographing and acting while honing a love for percussion. She began accompanying many artists musically, which led her to perform at festivals and events across Canada such as the Edmonton Folk Music Festival (Edmonton, AB), the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival (Salmon Arm, BC) and the Blue Skies Festival (Ottawa, ON).
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Music Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Social: @emilynschultz
Meagan De Lima is a Toronto singer-songwriter crafting R&B music that comes from a place of heart-centered sweetness and compassion. Both her grandparents originated from Goa, India, and Meagan's parents were born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Her grandfathers were both jazz musicians who toured in India, Africa, and Canada when they immigrated in the ’60s. This formed her natural affinity for music at a young age.
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Music Genre: R&B / Soul
Social: @meagandelima
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Music on the Fly is supported by:
Daily (Mon - Sun)
5:00AM - 11:59PM
