It’s a strenuous battle when it comes to loving oneself through flaws and strengths, and Mississuga, ON hip hop artist Vivek Mehmi showcases this internal struggle in his newest single, “Love Myself”.

Check out “Love Myself” here:

Serving as a self-reminder to accept his position during hard healing moments, Vivek looks to instill a forgiving message into his listeners. Asking listeners to surrender, and to not be overly critical of the challenges people face daily, Vivek hopes to push self-reflection and awareness onto his growing fanbase. “Loving ourselves sounds cliché, or like a catch phrase used in the spiritual community,” he says. “But it’s really important, and not something someone else can do for us.

“Sometimes we have layers of trauma that need to be healed before we can get to this point.”

Celebrating 20 years of 100% LIVE soulful-house hits, Tortured Soul have cracked open their extensive vault to release their 20th Anniversary Album — available now from Slammin Media and distributed worldwide through Believe Distribution.

A hefty mix of fan favourites and unreleased gems, the 16-track tome sees the Brooklyn-based trio toast two decades on the scene by unveiling five tracks and mixes yet to be offered — including two exclusive live recordings from the band’s 2020 performance at Little Big Beat Studios in Liechtenstein.

Check out Tortured Soul “I'll Be There For You”  Official Video here:

All ready to go and tied up with a bow, award-nominated Canadian artist Hannah Thomas celebrates the season with the release of her stunning holiday album, Christmas Don’t Be Late

Recently nominated for Young Performer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, the 18-year-old songstress from Stratford, Ontario harnesses the magic of Christmas by delivering 11 reimagined Christmas tracks that feature her gorgeous vox and ethereal delivery.

Thomas began prepping the album alongside Dayna Manning and Lori Thomas in the early months of 2020. “I love Christmas music,” Thomas says, adding she’d been considering a Christmas album for more than a few years.

The title track of the album, “Christmas Don’t Be Late”, was one of the first songs the trio considered for the project. “I love the song and thought that I could do a really unique version of it,” Thomas explains, adding, “Ben Bolt-Martin was the arranger on this album and he did an outstanding job making all of the songs unique but this arrangement was one of my favourites. It boasts a slow melodic start, then breaks into an uptempo, fast paced, catchy Christmas tune.”

Delivering messages of kindness, caring, community and more, Canadian singer/songwriter Russell Sprout’s new single “We Rise Above” is one for the ages — young and young-at-heart alike.

Check out “We Rise Above” here:

Produced by GRAMMY Award-nominated and JUNO Award recipient Ken Whiteley (Raffi, Fred Penner), the song is freshly picked from Sprout’s new sophomore album; the youth-friendly release stitched with lessons of tolerance and kindness is called Together.

Beginning as a plucking melody with simply beautiful lyrics, and speaking to rising above through the verses, the lovely new kindie ballad sees Sprout churning out a gentle chorus along with a children’s choir of “we rise above!” while asking elsewhere: “Are you kind? Are you fair? Do you help, do you care?”

When Canadian actor, singer/songwriter, and screenwriter Michael Dickson sat down to pen his first Christmas song, he wasn’t expecting to write a COVID Christmas tune; it just sort of turned out that way. The result? “Dear Santa… that’s enuff,” and it’s available now!

“The song started simply as a child's letter to Santa,” the Ottawa-based artist shares. “Then, while writing it, the child realizes just how fortunate he really is. As the song evolved,” Dickson continues, “the events of the past year kept creeping in. I just couldn’t tell the story without acknowledging the struggles people everywhere are going through; families losing loved ones… Their jobs... Their homes...

“Similar to last year, this is going to be a difficult Christmas for a lot of people.”

Once all of the elements of the song fell into place, Dickson felt he had something many people could relate to. “I wanted to get the song out there, but knew it wouldn’t have the same impact with me singing it.”

Watch and listen to “Dear Santa...that's enuff” (feat. Viggo Hanvelt) here:

Multi-award winning and chart-rising Canadian singer/songwriter Leanne Pearson pays tribute to the much-loved furry, four-legged friends that bring simplicity and joy to complicated modern lives with the release of this, her new single, “Caturday”.

Whether it’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or whatever... Every day is “Caturday” in Pearson’s lyrically layered world. Fun and folky with acoustic guitar and upbeat, lilting vocals, the sweet song about the special relationship is sung from the perspective of the cat-as-narrator.

Check out “Caturday” here:

Like any cat you could possibly know, this one is a bit of a smartass. Oh, and as a cat, it’s your right to follow your human into the bathroom, too — no place is off limits.

Set and ready to be a timely classic all at once, JUNO Award-winning reggae artist Lazo brings listeners together with the power only love and music combined can have in difficult times with the release of his new single, “Love Is On Ur Side”.

Give a listen here to “Love Is On Ur Side”:

It’s a timeless story of classic Reggae music: a story of hardship that makes the end seem so far away. However, with some love, compassion, and the inner strength to overcome obstacles we can and will make it happen. It’s human nature, and you can’t suppress love. “Love Is On Ur Side” echoes this story for generations who grew up with Reggae music while also creating a welcoming experience for newer generations learning to embrace music that loves them back.

Risking it all for love over a game of chance has never sounded like it feels so good until East Coast Acadian country artist Laurie LeBlanc sings about it in his new single, “All In”.

Check out “All In” on YouTube here:

The fourth release from LeBlanc’s 2021 ECMA and Music NB Country Recording of the Year-nominated album, When It’s Right, It’s Right, “All In” goes all out for a rollicking good time over a high stake poker tournament for two.

It takes a lot of survival instinct to stay afloat in the music industry… You have to keep believing, creating, and swimming hard to reach success and, on a much wider level, it’s akin to the struggle every living being faces to stay alive. Through her own connection to that survival instinct, Canadian indie folk-pop artist Kele Fleming pays tribute to the universal drive to survive and flourish in her brand new single, “Sturgeon Love”.

A new, one-off release following her fourth album, The Song I’ll Write For My Whole Life, “Sturgeon Love” rides along on a jubilant, up-tempo current like whitewater rushing up and down, over and under to the sea.

Check out “Sturgeon Love” here:

No matter how old we are, that sense of childlike wonder and hope, even if just a glimmer, is always sparked once the Christmas season comes around, and Canadian R&B artist JENNA Nation is igniting that very sentiment with her soaring new single “My Christmas Wish”.

Written by JENNA Nation, and produced by JUNO Award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated producer Roger Ryan, “My Christmas Wish” has all the trimmings and trappings of a favorite Christmas ballad — the piano, the slow beats, the snaps, the strings that come in at just the right time for catharsis…

Check out here:

In light of a person’s lineage playing a strong role in the choices they make and the person they become, Indigenous blues singer/songwriter Donita Large pays tribute to the power of her heritage in this, her new world-rock single “Ancestors in My Bones”.

Check out “Ancestors in My Bones” here:

“When in circle and we pray, an Elder will say, ‘Pray in your own way. All beliefs are respected in the circle,’” Donita shares of the song that is certain to speak to those who feel an ancestral connection around the globe. “I want my listeners to know that this prayer is shared with the same intention.”

Canadian artist Chris Nine’s recently unleashed EP of adrenaline-inducing post-hardcore punk-pop, the heavy, is proof positive the Toronto-based rocker is a force to be reckoned with all his own.

Featuring “fracture,” “ghosts,” and “the rage,” the blistering trio of tracks serve deeper purpose than an all-out, high-octane sonic sojourn; in fact, they nothing short of extricated the singer/songwriter after a devastating series of events — a concussion, a breakup, a global pandemic, to start.

Watch “fracture” here:

“The songs on the heavy all resemble the past, present, and future components of dealing with relationships and trauma,” Nine reveals. “I was navigating this mental fog, and confronting shadows of my past. From this, the heavy was summoned; each song sheds light on the different perspectives each version of self brings to the table, and the emotions that follow.”

Capturing the magic of Christmas, and how sometimes in life, holding the holiday in your heart year-round can keep you going, Canadian pop artist Alexis Lynn explores that joyous, hope-inducing feeling through her new single “December Dreaming” – Watch it on YouTube here:

Ethereal and lullaby-like, “December Dreaming” features soft, honeyed vocals over the familiar, comforting sound of Christmas-choir handbells. Like many of the best Christmas songs, it’s beautiful specifically because of its simplicity, and the lyrics take the listener through all the other seasons – the green of Spring in May, the golden glow of summer days, kicking up autumn leaves – with the Christmas spirit burning like a tiny ember.

Because even on the brightest of summer days
No matter the season
I’ll be December dreaming away

Renaissance musician and veteran Canadian folk-rocker Glen Foster embraces the holidays with a collection of songs sure to warm your home and hearts this season; The Spirit Of Christmas is available now!

Check out the title track “Christmas In Vancouver” here:

An eclectic assortment of classic holiday numbers paired exquisitely alongside original compositions, Foster’s extensive guitar experience lends itself to a unique twist on the Christmas standards endured for generations. Notable on the 12-song album is the remaster of Glen Foster’s 1986 single “The Spirit Of Christmas” — which was initially released on red vinyl, and inspired the new record’s title.

The “Stars Align” for Canadian electro-pop duo Gold Bonds as they launch their new single and video.

Check out “Stars Align” here:

The song serves as a preview to their forthcoming album, Growing Pains — due out Spring 2022.

'”Stars Align' is a reflection on waking from lost time and lost ground in a rapidly changing world,” Gold Bond’s Matt Gilmour and David Gervais say. “The song refers to stars aligning as an affirmation of our lucidity, and our ability to make dreams come true.”

Composed, recorded, and produced by Gold Bonds during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Stars Align” serves as a breakaway from the overwhelming isolation many artists, musicians and songwriters felt while forced to stay home, and unable to share the stage.

In a soaring ode to her past, present, and future self, along with any others who may be grappling similar sentiments, J-Pop darling Shihori releases a jubilant and spirited new video in “Your Song”.

Watch “Your Song” here:

The latest to land from her first full-length U.S. album, Mutation, “Your Song” sees the currently Los Angeles-based artist respond to previously held concerns around self-harm.

That said, morose notions of despondency are nowhere to be found in “Your Song;” in fact, quite the opposite... From its passionate percussion and expressive vocal runs — not to mention hushed piano melodies and equally enchanting harmonies — Shihori’s fusion of pop makes a grand splash through headphones and onto the screen where her visuals bring the experience into a mesmerizing 180.

Telling a tale as old as time, award-winning pop-soul and r&b singer/songwriter Rahul Samuel is whisking listeners away into a world of authenticity, romance and musical flourish with this, his silky-smooth new single, “Feels”.

Check out  “Feels” here:

Through the lens of Rahul’s unique perspective on romance comes an entirely new take on the R&B love song. The acoustic approach to instrumentation is influenced by multiple genres of music, providing an upbeat warmth that carries throughout the entire song, and vocal harmonies blend seamlessly with soothing guitars to create an atmosphere that welcomes self-discovery embedded within the hopeful lyrics.

With raucously crunchy guitar and deeply pumping bass, ‘LOVE’ bursts from the speakers as award-winning Barrie, ON-based artist Mickey Moone and band, Murder, unleash their newest single, “Perspective”.

Watch and listen to “Perspective” here:

Listeners sidled up can expect deep-fried, sun-stained harmonica tones resonating over a chilled-out, classic D-beat as the playful punk-rock rollicking celebrates the inherent flaws of a dirty kind of love.

“These are stories we can all relate to,” Moone says of the song and its surrounding EP — Murder (noun): A gathering of crows. “It’s about broken hearts, and how we heal.”

When it comes to stylistic lyrics, slashing rhythms, and raw storytelling, look no further than Toronto hip-hop artist Mark Brathwaite, and his newest album, My Season.

Check out Champion Flow here:

The Toronto-based artist’s fourth project, My Season is the culmination of Braithwaite’s professional experience in the industry, coupled with personal experiences along the way. The six-track EP is an up-and-down roller coaster of emotion, traversing layered and rich themes of betrayal, triumph, unrequited love, and the cyclic grind of life deeply embedded into its roots.

Not only that, but the work of Mark Brathwaite also features a stylized fusion of afrobeat, R&B, and good ol’ hip-hop — coupled by the energy needed to deliver such an intricate mixture.

Strap yourself in and hold on tight! Rising Bowden, Alberta country singer-songwriter Myranda Christi has saved a seat for you on the emotional rollercoaster of romance with her hot new single, “When You Come Around” — available now via Sony Music/The Orchard.

Check out “When You Come Around" here:

When romantic chemistry goes into overdrive, falling in love can definitely feel like a thrill ride; in “When You Come Around”, the Alberta-based artist and former Canadian Idol competitor sings about discovering the one who creates that love rush and reaction every time they come near.

As fast-paced and exhilarating as any five-ticket fairground attraction, “When You Come Around” showcases Christi’s expressive, joy-filled vocal in a rockin’ country track punctuated by classic pedal steel riffs.