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FYI

SonReal: Have A Nice Day

The Vancouver-based hip-hop star generates major streaming and viewing numbers. Expect more with this catchy new cut that features his signature witty rhymes plus reggae-inflected vocals and a surreal video.

SonReal: Have A Nice Day

By Kerry Doole

SonReal - "Have A Nice Day" (Black Box Recordings/UMG): The Vancouver hip-hop artist known as SonReal (real name Aaron Hoffman) has been nominated for multiple Juno and MMVA Awards and has racked up Spotify and YouTube streams and views in the millions ("Can I Get A Witness" has 9.5M YT views). Expect those numbers to rise rapidly with the release of a video for this new cut, produced by Trevor Muzzy.


SonReal's signature is the free-flowing delivery of lines more witty and imaginative than most, and that skill is to the fore here. He rhymes "John Grisham," and "narcissism," with other names dropped including Walt Whitman and Tony Romo, while the positive vibe projected is welcome in these dark days.

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His raps are interspersed with easy on the ear reggae-tinged vocalizing, helping make the track a definite commercial contender. Further aiding the cause is a twisted but fun surreal video, directed by Peter Huang, in which SonReal's face is photoshopped onto the bodies of other people and dogs. 

Upcoming shows include the Safe & Sound Music Festival in New Westminster (Aug. 25) and at The Iceberg Alley Performance Tent, Mont-Saint-Pierre (Sept. 19).

 

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Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​
FYI

Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​

The man behind one of Canada's most successful indie labels talks about the late-blooming success of French-language streaming record-holder Patrick Watson, why he builds long-term relationships with artists, and why it's important for the indie sector to work together.

Justin West is a leader and advocate in Canada’s independent music scene, but he didn’t plan it out that way. When he started his record label Secret City Records in Montreal in the mid-2000s, it was out of necessity. He had met an artist he loved and wanted to build a career with, and the label was a means to do it. That artist was Patrick Watson, and 20 years later he — and Secret City — are more successful than ever.

West — a multiple time Billboard Canada Power Player – leads one of the biggest indie labels in Canada while also advocating for the sector on multiple boards both locally and internationally. When we speak to him for this Executive of the Week interview, he’s just returned from Banff for the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, and is a central figure in discussions around the Online Streaming Act and collective negotiations with online streaming platforms.

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