advertisement
FYI

Bad Child: Breathing Fire

This young Toronto singer/songwriter/producer is now attracting international attention and this third single will fuel the buzz. It packs plenty into just 2:36, and the hiphop meets alt/art rock hybrid is fascinating.

Bad Child: Breathing Fire

By Kerry Doole

Bad Child: "Breathing Fire" (21 Entertainment and Universal Music Canada): Back in December, we reviewed the self-titled debut single from this young Toronto singer-songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist noting he is one to watch. Word has spread rapidly since then, and he is now attracting international attention (he has label deals with Capitol Records stateside and Virgin Records in the UK).


This compelling third single will further fuel the buzz. It is a textbook example of the maxim "more is less," packing plenty into its 2.36 length. It has a sparse and moody feel, with plenty of interesting production touches.  Spike Stent (Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga, Beyonce) mixed the song. The Bad Child style is not easy to define, as it blends hip-hop and alt/art-rock strains. Intriguing stuff.

Of the track,  Bad Child explains in a label press release that “’Breathing Fire’ is my journey through fleeting romance while also navigating struggles with indulgence in pain versus pleasure." That definition sounds like something out of The Weeknd's playbook.

advertisement

He is set to play a marquee of summer fests that include Great Escape (UK), Ottawa Blues Fest (CA) plus Reading and Leeds Festivals (UK). Beforehand he is pencilled in for a set of US club dates that begin in Austin on March 26. Itinerary here 

Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Publicity: Allison Phillips, Universal Music Canada

advertisement
The Weeknd at the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" U.S. premiere held at Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza on May 18, 2025 in New York, New York.
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety

The Weeknd at the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" U.S. premiere held at Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza on May 18, 2025 in New York, New York.

Rb Hip Hop

The Weeknd Appears to Do About-Face on Retiring Stage Name: ‘Imma Be Here Forever With You’

The artist born Abel Tesfaye said in 2025 that he'd "mastered" his alter ego and needed a new challenge.

Like a professional boxer who just can’t quit the ring, Abel Tesfaye can’t cut The Weeknd short. The singer revealed over the weekend that he’s reconsidered plans he announced last year to retire his stage persona. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for,” he continues. “You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”

Tesfaye has been releasing music as The Weeknd since 2011, but last year when asked by Variety magazine to explain social media teasers for his then-upcoming Hurry Up Tomorrow album that read: “The Weeknd/ The End is Near/ 8 beautiful chapters in this story,” he said he was considering retiring the name after he wrapped up his already-on-the-books commitments.

keep readingShow less
advertisement