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Calgary Herald
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Still the One: Shania Twain arrives in Calgary while in midst of a career reinvention
Article content In Andrea Warner's essay Shania Twain: Bad Feelings, Bare Midriffs and Breaking Ground, the music critic writes about the strong feelings she had about Twain when she was a teenage music buff and budding feminist. Article content Strong and strongly negative. Article content 'As a teenager, I couldn't stand Twain,' Warner writes in her book of essays, We Outta Know: How Celine, Shania, Alanis and Sarah Ruled the '90s and Changed Music. Article content Article content 'I vehemently objected to her brand of coy, sexy country-pop that I felt pushed women's equality back ten or fifteen years. I wrote her off as a construct of male fantasy: A girl who could ride a horse while showing off a perfectly sculpted bare midriff by day and slip into some sort of cleavage-baring cocktail dress at night, the emphasis always on her sex appeal first, relatability second, and talent third.' Article content Article content Warner updated her book in 2024, but it first came out in 2015. That was 22 years after Twain first 'hit the country music industry like a grenade' and became one of the most successful musicians in the cosmos. Article content Now an associate producer with CBC Music, her updated essay on Twain celebrates the artist as a feminist force whose wild success gave value to women, female artists and forever changed the industry. She also offers a detailed appraisal of Twain's music and suggests that even her earliest work had merit, showcasing her significant chops as a songwriter. Article content Article content 'As a teenager, I had embarrassingly negative feelings,' says Warner, in an interview from her home in Vancouver. 'I was . . . coming into my own understanding of feminism and I had this idea that I couldn't love Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan and also have any space at all and good feelings or goodwill towards Shania Twain and Celine Dion. Article content 'It's super embarrassing now, in hindsight, but it came from an honest place when I was a teenager. It was very difficult for me to wrap my brain around the songs she was singing and the things that I was taking lyrically from her music, which seemed to me to be all about love, all about getting a man. All of these different things that I thought were antithetical to me as a very young 16-year-old feminist.' Article content It doesn't take long into the essay for Warner to admit she was off base. She now sees Twain as an artist who used 'skillful manipulation of the surface to push her subversive, secret agenda — an agenda that would change country music, for a little while at least, and give rise to a new generation of women writing their own material.'
CBC
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
4 memorable moments from Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Toronto concert
Social Sharing The great rap beef of 2024, Kendrick Lamar versus Drake, still appears to be alive after the first night of Kendrick Lamar's two-date run in Drake's hometown of Toronto at the Rogers Centre — an arena that Drake has never headlined. When Kendrick Lamar and SZA announced the Grand National tour back in February, fans immediately noticed the rap titan and R&B superstar would make a stop in the Canadian rapper's city and made jokes about Drake sabotaging the show. And although Drake was physically absent from the venue, his presence was certainly felt before and during the concert, where CBC Music was on hand to witness it all. Near the beginning of the show, Lamar asked, "Toronto, you ready to party?" and party he did, showing off his dexterous flow and exuding swagger, proving to the thousands in the crowd that he is a rapper at the top of his game. The audience energetically screamed along the whole way through, during career-spanning songs such as Backseat Freestyle, DNA, tv off, Alright, Money Trees and more. And despite no special guests (Justin Bieber recently performed Snooze with SZA at the Los Angeles stop) or wild surprises, the show was a blockbuster production: Lamar and SZA performed like athletes, tapping into their stamina to rap, sing, dance and prance across the stage, accompanied by flaming pyrotechnics, fireworks and a small army of backup dancers. From the crowd's reaction to Lamar's diss tracks to a heartwarming duet with SZA, these are the four moments from the concert that we can't stop thinking about. 1. Several Drake diss tracks made the crowd go wild From rapping his feud-igniting verse on Like That — the song where Lamar tells J. Cole and Drake, "Motherf--k the big three, n---a, it's just big me" — to gliding across the stage while rapping "I like Drake with the melodies, I don't like Drake when he act tough" on Euphoria, Lamar kept a number of Drake diss tracks on the setlist. The most anticipated moment was easily Not Like Us, the Grammy-sweeping, chart-topping Drake diss that dominated last year, which was performed near the end of the concert and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Lamar didn't skip a beat, rapping, "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young/ you better not ever go to cell block one," and " Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles." As the song ended, he stood still under the spotlight for several minutes as the crowd began to chant "Kendrick, Kendrick," over and over again, before chanting "One more time," hoping for a repeat of his L.A. concert last year, where he performed the song five times. While standing for long enough that he appeared to potentially be entertaining the idea, Lamar did not play Not Like Us again, and instead, SZA returned to the stage to join him in singing their love song, luther. 2. SZA's semi-apology to Torontonians The audience went wild after SZA said, "Toronto, I owe you!" in reference to her previously cancelled concerts in the city. In October 2023, the Grammy winner infamously postponed her show at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena just minutes before doors opened, citing illness. "I only want to give you guys 100 per cent, and that's what you deserve, and I won't give you any less than that. I promise you I will come back to Toronto and make it up," she said in a video shared at the time. The show was rescheduled for December 2023, but was later cancelled. 3. All the Stars lit up the venue Lamar and SZA performed several of the tracks they each feature on during the lengthy set, including 30 For 30, Doves in the Wind, gloria and luther — however their hit All the Stars created one of the most magical moments of the night. As the two performed the Black Panther song across from each other on the stage's catwalk, the crowd held up their phones with their flashlights aglow, creating a sea of stars from the floor all the way up to the nosebleeds. It was one of the most unifying moments of the night that didn't involve dissing Drake. 4. Several Drake features remained on the setlist In the years prior to Lamar and Drake becoming foes, they appeared on a few collaborations together, including Buried Alive Interlude, A$AP Rocky's F--kin' Problems and Poetic Justice, the latter of which Lamar had performed during other shows on the tour. Poetic Justice remained on the setlist for the Toronto show, although it was a condensed version with only Lamar's parts. In a slightly melancholic moment, it reminded the crowd of simpler times — in this case, 2012, which was when it was released — more than a decade before the two rappers were adversaries. SZA also nodded to Drake with a dance-filled segment of his 2023 song Rich Baby Daddy, which she features on. She sung the song's chorus, which mentions him by name: "Shake that ass for Drake (yup), now shake that ass for me," and then her dancers (who were dressed as insects) gyrated and twirled.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Pop singer Nia Nadurata reflects on writing her breakout track I Think I Like Your Girlfriend
The emerging singer-songwriter also discussed her debut EP on The Block Image | nia nadurata the block Caption: Nia Nadurata joined The Block's host Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe in Toronto for an interview. (Robbie Serrano; graphic by CBC Music) Open Image in New Tab Media Audio | The Block : Nia Nadurata stops by The Block to talk about her debut EP, Still Living With My Parents and how she uses real life experiences to create relatable break up anthems. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Toronto pop singer-songwriter Nia Nadurata cut her teeth penning songs for Juno-nominated artists including Boslen and Nonso Amadi, before releasing her first official single, Drive Faster, in 2023. She followed it up with a second track, I Think I Like Your Girlfriend, and the hook-y, upbeat song took off: it now has more than a million streams on Spotify and is her most popular track to date. WATCH | The official music video for I Think I Like Your Girlfriend: Embed | YouTube Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. In a new interview with The Block 's host Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe, Nadurata explains how a joke about her ex-boyfriend led her to write the infectious song. The full interview is available above and you can read an excerpt of their conversation below. You just heard one of my favourite tunes called I Think I Like Your Girlfriend from Toronto-based indie pop artist, Nia Nadurata, taken from her debut EP, Still Living With My Parents. Nia has been steadily working behind the scenes writing for some of your favourite artists, which we will get into, and has decided to step forward and release her own music. She's known for these cute, catchy, poppy, anthemic breakup songs... Welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. So that song is apparently based on a true story [and was] originally titled, Why Does Your Girlfriend Hate Me? Yes. So do you want to dive into that a little bit? Give us the backstory. Um, I mean, it was a really weird situation where I was just friends with somebody I used to see, which is sometimes a good thing, sometimes a bad thing. You never want there to be any bad blood, I guess. You don't? Well, I mean, no. I'm like, wait a little longer, my friend. Me personally, I would hate to have bad blood. But then I [wrote] a song about it. And then what do you expect from somebody? Did the song create bad blood? Honestly, the song for us, we actually got closer. Okay, wait, wait. I just need to say, so you and your ex remained friends? Yes. 15 South Asian Canadian artists to listen to right now And then following the release of this song, where he started dating someone else, you got even closer. Yes, of course. Of course, of, course, of course. They did break up on my release day. Did it have anything to do with you? That's none of my business, because by then it [was] actually not my relationship. I am just a singer, singing. Singing songs. How these Filipino Canadian hip-hop artists are creating a unique sound I love how you're just like, "I accept no responsibility for my actions." Hey, we listen and we don't judge! Honestly, I thought that it was one of these sort of queer anthems when I first heard it, it was like you had a crush on your ex's new girlfriend. Well, that was the whole joke about it, because the queer topic is something that I never really talked about in my family. So it would always just be a little joke that we would say like, "Oh, I like that guy. Maybe his girlfriend, too." And it would just be a joke that my cousins and I would say just to test the waters with our lola, just to see if she was listening. She wasn't. But that's all for the best of course, she loves the song. But we wrote it originally with the idea [of] why does your girlfriend hate me, because I was like, "I get that you don't want to be around somebody that your boyfriend used to see, but I think I'm being really nice." And I don't know why she doesn't like me. And then we thought that "why does your girlfriend hate me," would be a funny thing to say. And then I was like, maybe it's him, maybe he doesn't want me to be around her because he knows that her and I would hit it off. Like, look at us, we have the same taste, of course we would hit if off.
CBC
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Monet X Change reacts to Drake while playing Jam or Not A Jam
While touring her one-woman show, Life Be Lifin', earlier this year, Monet X Change stopped by CBC Music to play a game of Jam Or Not A Jam. She even got to share how much time she spends dancing to Rich Baby Daddy.
CBC
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
The Beaches' late-night party anthem, and 4 more songs you need to hear this week
Listen to new music from Allison Russell, Bambii, Sister Ray and more Image | The Beaches SYNTH Caption: The Beaches' new single, Last Girls at the Party, is a song you need to hear this week. (Meg Moon; graphic by CBC Music) Open Image in New Tab Songs you need to hear is CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks. Scroll down to discover the songs our producers are loving right now. Last Girls at the Party, The Beaches After taking home the 2025 Juno Award for group of the year, Toronto band the Beaches celebrated by releasing their first new single of the year, and a sneak peek at their upcoming third studio album, No Hard Feelings (out Aug. 29). Last Girls at the Party finds the women in their comfort zone: in the midst of a debaucherous night out, determined to party long after everyone else has gone home. "I'm not gonna slow down/ I'll never look as hot as I do now," singer Jordan Miller states upfront. The track is exuberant and so catchy that it'll likely stay in your head all night long, especially its shout-along bridge where they note how hours fly by when you're having fun ("It's only 1:00, right? It's only 2:00, right? It's only 3:00, right?"). Whether you're getting ready to head out for the evening or approaching last call, Last Girls at the Party is a new anthem for your night out playlist. — Melody Lau Junos 2025: full list of winners Superlover, Allison Russell feat. Annie Lennox Embed | YouTube Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Annie Lennox and Allison Russell are powerhouse musicians and activists in their own right, but together? They stop time. From Russell's first banjo notes, Superlover stands tall and sombre, a plea for peace and unity. "Tears of rage, tears of grief/ Palestine, Israel to Tennessee/ we need a superlove/ we need a superlover," she sings on the updated version of a song she originally released in 2018 as Birds of Chicago, the duo with her husband, JT Nero. Lennox's inimitable voice, which hasn't been recorded in seven years, takes over on the second verse, before she and Russell lace together for a goosebump-inducing chorus. Superlover is meditative and thoughtful, a prayer for the non-denominational. "I don't know how to pray, so I offered up this song," Russell explained in a statement, ending with: "All children are our children. All of them. Everywhere. No exceptions. This song is a calling in. We are one human family. Equally." — Holly Gordon Wings, Sister Ray Embed | YouTube Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Sister Ray (the folk project of Ella Coyes) has a voice that coils around each note before unfurling over gentle guitar strumming on Wings, the escapist track from their second album, Believer. "I know exactly which ride I'm gonna want to ride first when I arrive with you," they sing on the track's opening line, flowing over bristling guitar. Each word floats up, sounding untethered and free. "The first verse is from 2020, watching videos of Canada's Wonderland rollercoasters, trying to feel the rush of the descent locked inside," Coyes explained on Instagram, pinpointing that butterfly-inducing feeling of creeping toward something new. The writing is equal parts quirky and poetic: "I could tell that you were wasted even in a foreign language/ You stare at stars/ I call out constellations," they sing matter-of-factly, the uniqueness of their inner monologue shining through. Wings is rollicking Americana, with Coyes basking in the excitement of uncertainty. — Natalie Harmsen Bad Boy, Bambii Embed | YouTube Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. When a distorted voice bellows "It's time to feel the music," before the cacophonous drop on Bambii's latest single, Bad Boy, it's a warning for the adrenaline rush to come. The Toronto producer and DJ's first solo release of 2025 (she appeared on Shygirl's EP Club Shy Room 2 in February) teases an explosive new era ahead of her upcoming EP. It's not that Bambii has shied away from bold and brash sounds in the past (hear: Spit and Shh), but Bad Boy is in a world of its own. Clashing drum breaks and dark horns ricochet across the heart-rate inducing track, ready to overwhelm all your senses. The accompanying music video, which finds Bambii squaring up against three assailants, taps into the song's primal energy. — Kelsey Adams I Think I Do This, Sophie Noel Embed | YouTube Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Unravelling unhealthy relationship patterns can be a painful experience, but Nova Scotia-based Sophie Noel has managed to wrap that work up in a perfectly timed spring bop. "I think I do this/ I think I fall out of love, and I barely notice," they sing charmingly on the chorus, after detailing a near panic attack and a last-ditch effort to save a relationship in a Tanya Davis-style flood of nuance. Produced by Mo Kenney, I Think I Do This dips a folk sensibility in pop sheen, and cements the artist formerly known as Yukon's Magnolia as a now East Coast voice to watch. This newest track is the second in a one-two punch of releases that dropped just ahead of Sophie Noel's Eastern Canada spring tour, following the previously released Hurricane. — HG
