The new Departure Festival, formerly Canadian Music Week, ran from May 6th to 11th with big hitters gracing the Toronto conference stage, and stages around the city with comedy, music, DJ sets and more. We heard from amazing talent over the course of the festival and here are some of our highlights.
Bryan Adams Unveils New Album At Departure
Bryan Adams sat with Jamar McNeil and Josie Dye from CHUM 104.5 in an intimate conversation about his legacy and new works he is developing. He showed the crowd several minutes from a music video and then the latest album art work. During the showing of his music video, Adams sat on the ground to get a better view of his own video. Adams revealed the art work cover had been done on an iPhone by Adams himself.
The three also spoke to Adams’ new radio show which airs across 60 iHeart Radio channels. He also shared what touring has been like, making music in his hotel and his continued love of his home country.
Shaggy Shares His Iconic Voice with Audience
Reggae artist Shaggy sang his way through his interview, sharing his influences and singing bits of his music. He shared that, when in the military he would sing with the platoon and mock the COs voices, which became his iconic singing voice – much different to his speaking voice. Shaggy also discussed his relationship with Michael Jackson, who was a fan of his, and even let the crowd know he was offered to be part of the song “Who Let the Dogs Out” but turned it down because he thought it was corny. His hit “It Wasn’t Me” was also put on a back burner, because Shaggy didn’t think it would be popular. Someone in ANR heard the song, told him it would be huge, and they re-added the song to Shaggy’s album, changing the trajectory of his career.
Tegan and Sara Share Philanthropy Intricacies
Musicians and twins Tegan and Sara, who have founded the Tegan and Sara Foundation, shared why supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community is important to them as artists and queer folk themselves. In conversation with Vivek Shraya they discussed the difficulties of advocacy, finding funders at a time of such uncertainty in the world and were transparent on how they impact community. They have funded queer summer camps so queer kids can be themselves, around likeminded people and surrounded by queer adults who are successful. They also have an online portal sharing queer medical professionals so queer people can find health practitioners who are sensitive to their needs. Tegan and Sara foundation also fund small groups and grassroots organizations across the country with a queer focus.
Dallas Green Tells Us How 20 Years of ‘Sometimes’ Feels
Dallas Green, of City and Colour and Alexisonfire fame, was candid in conversation with Canadian musician Shad. He talked about writing music at 15 years old, his band HeliconBlue and how City and Colour started because people in the Saint Catherine’s community leaked songs he wrote. Those songs would become the album Sometimes which is celebrating 20 years this year. Green’s inspirations include Joel Plaskett, Sloan and of course the Tragically Hip – Green shared many special moments he shared with Gord Downie during the conversation. Green also shared what Save Your Scissors was about for him when he wrote it, not being molded and cut up by other people. The song has since been interpreted as about self-harm. Green added that after so many years he has come to accept how songs will be interpreted and after 20 years, feels the album Sometimes belongs to his fans.For the artists in the room, Green added there was no blueprint for being independent, but he knew he wanted to be a songwriter and built a team that pulled away the garbage so he could thrive.
Matty Matheson Opening New Hamilton Restaurant in Arena
The always overzealous Matty Matheson touched on his career, highlight his grandfather’s and their East Coast roots, the restaurant one grandfather started called Blue Goose in PEI and how that impacted him. He shared that he passed out 100 resumes before being hired by French Toronto restaurant Le Sélect while studying at Humber College. He also shared that he makes the playlists for the restaurants he owns, and how acting in The Bear on FX was not what he expected but he has been having fun with the role and the show. He is opening Iron Cow in Hamilton, so the name comes from the fact it is located in the steel city. He aims to have food including British fair, like a Sunday roast, while also having hot dogs, burgers and good arena bites for before a show.
Indigenous Content Creators Bringing Representation to Digital Platforms
Journalist Kelly Boutsalis spoke with Shayla Stonechild, Kai Potts and Michelle Chubb on how they grew their platforms as content creators. Stonechild is a podcaster, works in wellness and is a global Lululemon ambassador. Potts runs a comedy podcast and Chubb is an activist, and mom who spoke out about her sobriety online. These amazing creators can spoke on being two-spirited, partnering with major companies, making podcasts in various formats and how they have found success.
Max Kerman Reads From Try Hard
Max Kerman, lead in the band The Arkells, spoke in conversation with Eric Hoffman about his book Try Hard which is a bestseller. He shared how he grew up in Toronto, and that the husbands of his teachers worked in music which allowed him to connect and work with them. This lead to him gradually working in the industry and then building his career. This played a role in his novel, as Kerman shared feeling like an average person who loves creating music versus a major rockstar who might be a prodigy or have a shocking talent that is then nursed from a young age.
Click and Tell Podcast Goes Live with Lauren Toyota
Sangita Patel and Carlos Bustamante interviewed Lauren Toyota at Departure! The trio have all worked in traditional media and talked candidly about the ebbs and floes of the industry, difficulties in journalism, pivot to social media and proving veganism is delicious. The conversation was enlightening and in true Click and Tell fashion, we saw photos from Lauren’s Instagram which she explained – her children, her friends, wellness retreats and of course her first book cover!
Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards Share Future of Fashion
The Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards held a stacked panel with Fashion Talks Podcast host Donna Bishop interviewing Dorian Who, Spencer Badu and Steff Eleoff. Steff being a jewellery designer and the other speakers being fashion designers offered insight into contracts gone awry. fun partnerships, the need of funding and mentorship in the industry on top of explaining what makes them feel creative and helps them break the mould.
Kardinal Offishall and B.Dot Talk Authenticity
Canadian legend Kardinal Offishall spoke with B.Dot about having spent 30 years in the music industry. He shared that he never chased relevancy and choose to navigate and evolve through the three decades. He has worked with Def Jam and Lil Wayne, and shared that being signed with them has allowed for representation and visibility as they understood his needs as a Black male artist. Kardinal shared heartfelt moments, praising his Mom who won the Queen Jubilee for work on anti gun violence, adding that his own awards are at his moms house so Kardinal’s children are able to stay grounded.
These talks were insightful, educational and fun for all in the room. We can’t wait to see what Departure Festival holds for next year!
Hillary LeBlanc
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