There’s so much up-and-coming talent in Canada, it’s hard to keep track.
Musically, we’ve always been a country that has a lot on offer, and at any given time there are numerous Canadian artists featured on the music charts. 2018 is no exception: talents from yesteryear, like Drake, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, are international sensations and dominate the charts on a regular basis.
So who’s next to break out on the global scale? We’ve selected 8 Canadian musicians who are starting to make waves.
Daniel Caesar
Daniel Caesar, whose real name is Ashton Simmonds, is a Canadian Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter from Oshawa, Ont. His debut studio album, Freudian, earned two Grammy nominations, including “Best R&B Album,” and for his performance of his hit song Get You.
Caesar sold out five straight shows at the Danforth Music Hall in 2017 and he scored a spot on Barack Obama’s list of favourite songs of 2017 for his song Blessed. The 23-year-old Juno award winner performed at the Coachella Festival in April and he’s scheduled to perform at many other music festivals this summer including Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, Lollapalooza and Afro Punk Fest. — KS
READ MORE: 8 Canadian music albums to look forward to in 2018
Jessie Reyez
Jessie Reyez is a Canadian-Colombian singer-songwriter from Toronto, Ont. The 27-year-old singer won “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at this year’s Juno Awards. Her EP Kiddo features the hit songs, Figures and Shutter Island. Reyez’s debut LP is due in 2018.
Reyez has worked with big names in the music industry such as Canadian artist Daniel Caesar and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris. She has also collaborated with Bachata superstar Romeo Santos on the song Un Vuelo A La (A Flight To) from his latest album Golden. — KS
anders
Anders is a 22-year-old R&B singer from Toronto, Ont. His debut EP, titled 669, features his standout single, You For You, which has been featured on many prominent playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.
He released his sophomore EP, titled Twos. Production for Anders’ newest 8-track project was handled by producers including Luca, FrancisGotHeat, S.L.M.N., Jordon Manswell and Bizness Boi. — KS
Nav
(Warning: This song contains graphic language.)
Navraj Singh Goraya, better known by his stage name Nav, is a Canadian hip-hop artist and producer from Rexdale, Ont. Nav is signed to The Weeknd’s label, XO, and he was also a special guest on The Weeknd’s 2017 Starboy Tour.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Nav revealed that the first time he ever “stepped on stage was the O2 Arena in London, U.K. on The Weeknd’s tour. There were 20,000 people.” — KS
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Virginia to Vegas
Virginia to Vegas, whose real name is Derik John Baker, is an American-born Canadian singer and songwriter, based in Toronto, Ont. He’s best known for his singles, We Are Stars, Lights Out and Selfish. His debut studio album, Utopian, was released in December 2016.
He received a Juno Award nomination for “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at the Juno Awards of 2018. — KS
Charlotte Cardin
Charlotte Cardin is a Canadian pop, electro and jazz singer from Montreal, Que. The 23-year-old singer released her solo debut EP, Big Boy, in 2016 and featured songs in both English and French. In 2017, she released her second EP, Main Girl.
She received two Juno Award nominations at the Juno Awards of 2018 for “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” and “Songwriter of the Year” for Main Girl, Paradise Motion and The Kids. — KS
The Reklaws
Small-town brother and sister country duo, The Reklaws, grew up in Cambridge, Ont. The Reklaws, whose names are Jenna and Stuart Walker, previously opened for Dierks Bentley on the Boots & Hearts main stage in 2013, where there was an audience of 40,000. They were invited back to perform for the three following years and have opened for acts such as Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw and Thomas Rhett.
The Reklaws, which is their last name backwards, are signed with Universal Music Canada. — KS
J-Soul
(Warning: This song contains graphic language.)
Canadian rapper and R&B artist J-Soul has released notable singles such as Slow Wine and Toronto Plaza Hotel. From the west end of Toronto, the Jane Street native went from being homeless to being a signed artist by Cash Money Records, which has previously signed artists such as Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj.
J-Soul’s most recent mixtape, L.I.S.A., was released in November 2017. — KS