By Kerry Doole
Witch Prophet - Dizzy (Heart Lake Records): This hotly-tipped Toronto-based singer/songwriter released a new album, Gateway Experience, on May 1, accompanied by a video for one of the focus tracks, Dizzy.
In a label press release, Witch Prophet explains that “This is a song I wrote about the overwhelming feeling of being out of control and the fear that takes over when there are unknown elements to whatever you are dealing with. In my case, I'm speaking directly about the spinning sensation I get during focal aware seizures."
The song is produced by her wife and business partner SUN SUN and features a trumpet by Tara Kannangara. "I invited Tara to our home to record on my track Aura, then SUN SUN played her the beat to Dizzy, and she literally heard it once through and recorded a freestyle. It was magical," recalls Prophet.
Dizzy is a mellow cut that showcases Witch Prophet's warm and soulful vocals (a mite reminiscent of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill) and is given a rich atmosphere by Kannangara's haunting trumpet. At 2.51, this is a short but really sweet slab of neo-soul.
Witch Prophet is described in the press release as "a neurodivergent artist who struggles with focal seizures. Gateway Experience is an album focused on the connection with the human brain, seizures, god and otherworldly abilities. The order of the songs and track names on the album are named after Witch Prophet's symptoms with focal seizures. The title, Gateway Experience, is an ode to the released CIA report where they studied the use of sound tapes to manipulate brainwaves with the goal of creating altered states."
The album features collaborations with notable peers DillanPonders, Begonia, SATE and Zaki Ibrahim.
Witch Prophet has shared the stage with and opened for acts like Lido Pimienta, Sudan Archives, The Hallucination (fka A Tribe Called Red), Sean Leon, and Snotty Nose Rez Kids, toured Europe and performed at major North American and European music festivals. Her second album, DNA Activation, made the 2020 Polaris Prize shortlist, and she is clearly an artist to be reckoned with.
Links
Publicity: Susan O'Grady, New Moon Publicity
Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance of Bob Moses at the W Toronto in September, 2025.Lane Dosey
Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance of Bob Moses at the W Toronto in September, 2025.Lane Dorsey