Saskatchewan's new generation of musicians draws inspiration from home and abroad
The younger generation of Saskatchewan musicians are making their mark on the province's identity in exciting new ways. Taking their inspiration from artists ranging from Lil Wayne to Amy Winehouse, here are the new voices emerging in the province.
- Listen to our Local Music Project Spotify playlist here.
Alexandra Raven
Alexandra Raven, a pop/hip-hop musician, is one of the young artists charting a new path for herself. Although Raven has a fun experimental sound, she says she got her start in music as a result of being a fan of some classic tunes.
"The reason I started doing music was because of the blues — B.B. King and Etta James and all that soulful music," she said.
Raven also acknowledges being influenced by the psychedelic rock area, as well as other eras of music. She says lots of people compare her with Amy Winehouse, the British singing star who died in 2011.
Raven says she is looking forward to uncovering a new layer of her artistry with her upcoming new rap releases.
"My new music touches on some political things and what's going on in the world," she said. "I think people need to change their perspective in a sense because rap music is not all bad. Rap music has a beautiful history and it brings people together."
Lynks
Abdulazeem Ayeloja, known to many by his stage name Lynks, started releasing music during the first year of the pandemic. The rapper, 18, discovered his love for crafting songs after being exposed to rappers such as Lil Wayne, Drake and Eminem.
Apart from making his debut during the worldwide pandemic, Lynks has also found that marketing himself as a newcomer artist in the Prairies has its downsides.
"Hip-hop is not the biggest genre in Saskatchewan," he said. "Trying to get my type of art to people is challenging."
Lynk's strategy for overcoming this obstacle is to double down on releasing music and putting himself out there as much as he can.
Joseph Shane
Pop/ EDM singer/songwriter, Joseph Shane, started releasing music in 2021 and has been gathering tons of momentum ever since. With three musical releases and three music videos under his belt, Shane has been hard at work finding opportunities to share his art with the world.
He attributes his work ethic and sonic stylings to some of his major inspirations, Sam Tsui and Owl City.
"Both of those artists influenced me to a fair degree with how I started singing and how I started arranging music," he said.
Shane also credits his parents for influencing his musicality. He started taking piano lessons at the age of four and he was encouraged to join the choir, the band and play drums.
He recently released a single called Lose You and the music video will be released on March 24. Shane plans on releasing a number of singles this year, starting next month with another song, High As The Sky.
Cami Collantes
R&B/Latin pop singer Cami Collantes has been singing since the age of seven. Her mom would sing to her and encourage her to sing along. As she started to grow into a musician herself, she began to draw inspiration from Tori Kelly and Ariana Grande.
"I think Ariana is a great vocalist and I strive to reach the level of talent that she has," Collantes said. "Tori Kelly is a Christian and I am a Christian and spirituality linked to music has been something that has been important in my life. She's very honest about her faith and that's something that I always look up to."
Collantes believes that music from her culture has influenced her in many ways.
"When it comes to Latin music, there are elements that I influence in my music from time to time," she said. "Writing in two languages also feels like writing two different stories."
Collantes says she has felt very supported since releasing her first single Anxiety last year. She has also collaborated with a number of artists in the province, including Joseph Shane.
Collantes hopes to release an EP before the end of the year.
To submit your music to the Local Music Project, visit www.cbc.ca/submitlocalmusic.
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