advertisement

Canadian Podcast AMPLIFY Aims To Uplift Black Voices In The Music Industry

In its new second season, AMPLIFY shares the stories and experiences of prominent Black voices in Canadian music, from artists like Jully Black to executives, choreographers and producers.

​Jully Black

Canadian artist Jully Black, who's in the first episode of season two of AMPLIFY.

Courtesy of ADVANCE

A Canadian podcast dedicated to uplifting Black voices within the music business has released its second season. AMPLIFY, produced by Canadian Black Music Business Collective, ADVANCE, aims to educate and inspire underrepresented music workers navigating the entertainment and music industry.

ADVANCE was launched in 2020 by founders Vivian Barclay, Craig Mannix and Miro Oballa. As Black professionals in the music business, their goal was to create a space to increase Black presence in the industry. AMPLIFY is a product of this push for change.


Season 2 features interviews with people like artist Jully Black, Canada’s Drag Race choreographer and artistic director Hollywood Jade and Grammy nominated-producer LordQuest, as well as a number of Black executives from record labels and ADVANCE. Originally launched in 2022, the podcast’s second season will explore the teachings of guests and navigating the music industry by providing mentorship to aspiring Black Canadians.

advertisement

This season aims to widen the scope from its first set of episodes. Media personality Jesse Jones makes her return as narrator, while TV host Marieme Ndlaye will narrate two episodes in French that explore stories and experiences from a francophone lens within Canadian music.

“Offering conversations with an even more diverse lineup of guests with unique journeys, and expanding the conversations surrounding success, season two advances AMPLIFY's goal of being an accessible resource in our community with universal truths that all people can benefit from,” says Jones in a press release.

“It’s important for us as a part of the quilt of hip-hop, to understand we’re laying in the pages of history,” says Jully Black in episode one, which debuted on Oct. 5. “The next is now.”

First Steps, Big Dreams | AMPLIFY by ADVANCE Season 2 Episode 1

Amplify is currently airing on YouTube. Full audio episodes will come out Nov. 24 on all major podcast platforms.

advertisement

advertisement
Chappell Roan at the 68th GRAMMY Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Gilbert Flores/Billboard

Chappell Roan at the 68th GRAMMY Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.

Music News

Wasserman Fallout: Every Artist Who Has Spoken Out Over Founder’s Epstein Ties (Updating)

Clients of Casey Wasserman's namesake agency have begun defecting after his relationship to Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell came to light.

On Thursday (Feb. 5), Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino was the first artist signed to the powerful Wasserman agency to speak out over revelations that its founder and CEO, Casey Wasserman, had carried on a flirtatious relationship with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell — the main accomplice of convicted child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein — after the latest tranche of 3 million files in the Epstein case was released. Expressing anger over Wasserman’s apology, in which the executive said he “deeply regret[s]” his communications with Maxwell, Cosentino called for Wasserman to step down from his post and for the agency to change its name, among other demands.

advertisement

keep readingShow less
advertisement