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FYI

Haviah Mighty: Occasion

The Polaris Prize winner serves up fluent rhymes full of self-confident bravado.

Haviah Mighty: Occasion

By Kerry Doole

Haviah Mighty - Occasion (Independent): It is over a year since the highly-praised rapper became the first hip-hop artist, as well as the first Black woman, to win the Polaris Music Prize for her 2019 album, 13th Floor.


Her career path has continued on an upwards trajectory since then, and this strong new single (hot on the heels of a November single, Atlantic), will help sustain that.

In a press release, Mighty explains that "on this record, I focus on the conquest to continue working towards dominating as a music creator. I’ll continue to create through honest introspection, and a desire to lead rather than follow - even if it makes others uncomfortable. Essentially, this song is about the low expectations that people have of those that don’t follow or fit the status quo, and how I’ll push to overcome those doubts and surpass those expectations. The 'occasion' is my downfall, and in this song, I fight its existence.” 

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Occasion was produced by Mighty Prynce, Haviah Mighty, and Sauce Junky, and initially developed during an Instagram Live session in March just as the pandemic set in. Sauce Junky, on a live-stream, sent Haviah the stems, which she later flipped into a beat, including guitar arrangements by Ben Foran and percussion crafted by Mighty Prynce. 

Mighty is renowned for the compelling way she delivers her rhymes, and this cut is no exception. As seems mandatory for hip-hop, there's plenty of boastful bravado here, in such lines as "It ain’t a difficult concept, I'm on my militant conquest."

Media interest in her career ascent remains high. She has just graced the cover of the first issue of NEXT (Michael Hollett's new venture) as well as the November/December issue of Canadian Musician.

Her plans for headline US dates and major fest appearances in 2020 were sabotaged by the pandemic, but we predict she'll rise to the occasion mightily in 2021.

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Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Bandcamp

Management: Christina Cassaro, Valeo Arts Management 

Booking (North America):  Mike Graham, APA Agency   

Publicity: Ola Mazzuca, Indoor Recess

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LU KALA 'No Tears on this Ride' cover

LU KALA 'No Tears on this Ride' cover

FYI

New & Upcoming Canadian Album Releases: Fast-Rising Pop Star LU KALA Delivers a New EP

Also this week, acclaimed Indigenous electronic group The Halluci Nation release 'Path Of The Baby Face,' while hard rock heroes The Dirty Nil announce an upcoming release date. Check out the full release calendar here.

LU KALA continues her rise with a new EP this week.

No Tears On This Ride is the keenly anticipated new offering from the Congolese-Canadian pop dynamo. The big-voiced vocalist was honoured with the Rising Star award at last year's Billboard Canada Women in Music, and performances at the 2024 SOCAN Awards and opening for Cyndi Lauper further boosted her profile. The collection includes the new single "Work" with Shelailai as well as previous breakout hits like "Pretty Girl Era," "Hotter Now" and "Who's Gonna."

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