Kimberly Tanious is a freelance model/ influencer born and raised in Toronto. She has walked Fashion Week Toronto, African Fashion Week and more. Kimberly is representative of the plus-size community, people with disabilities such as epilepsy, and women of colour. Learn more about her @kimberlytanious
HAWA B is a project led by singer-songwriter Nadia Hawa Baldé. As a bandleader, composer, and singer-songwriter, her passion lies in creating dense and exciting soundscapes, pushing limits with innovative content, and employing a rich palette of colours and textures. She has created her own musical universe to portray sadness in a positive light, inspiring the title of her debut EP, “Sad in a Good Way” which was nominated at Gala Dynastie in 2023 for “Révélation musicale de l’année”. As a young ...
Some trees breed fruits as per designated seed, as for Goitsemang Mvula from South Africa it's a different story. A writer at heart and a scientist in mind. From the streets of Soweto to the world. She has created a name for herself by branching her love for writing and numbers into solving problems and telling stories through media, marketing and recently tech. Find out more @mamgo__
A happily slutty, kinky and pansexual woman, Vanessa Cliff works for a future where all people, regardless of their body, identity, sexuality, or labour, are healthy, safe, free and loved. Although Vanessa’s career in sex work began as a for-hire porn actress, these days she’s the one calling the shots - or, more accurately, she and a team of other women and queer people who have joined together to form an unusual production company. Cliff Media operates at the intersection of two unlikely world...
Anita Li is a longtime journalist, news entrepreneur, media consultant and educator with over two decades of experience as a multi-platform journalist at outlets across North America. Currently, she is the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Green Line , an award-winning hyperlocal Toronto-based news outlet. Anita is the Journalism Innovator-in-Residence at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and also teaches community-driven journalism at Centennial College in Toro...
Dr. Yulinda Renee Rahman aka Doc Yu Roc is a trauma-informed, board-certified Kink Conscious Sex Therapist with a Doctorate in Clinical Sexology. She is a researcher of sexual trauma, therapeutic BDSM, and creator of resources for sexual trauma healing, and author of "Healing the Angry Black Woman: The Research" and “A Power Exchange with Your Pain: A Guide Towards Reconciliation with SELF. Her vision is to break the stigma around sexual trauma in the Black community that prevents us from seekin...
ZWERG is the solo musical project of Eldon Thiele, a queer-identifying Canadian-American who grew up singing gospel music with his family and winning piano-playing competitions in his hometown of Moncton, New Brunswick. At 19, he enlisted the help of local alt-rock god Rick White (Elevator To Hell, Eric’s Trip) to realize his first EP. The resultant Sepsis (1997) was a bloodletting of sorts, a clear rebellion against his conservative Baptist upbringing. This EP was played several times on nation...
Andrew Jackson is a Juno Award-winning trombonist and composer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His versatility and unique sound have made him one of the Maritimes first-call players. Jackson keeps a busy playing schedule with many of the premiere artists in Halifax spanning a variety of styles, including Roxy & The Underground Soul Sound, Erin Costelo, David Myles (with whom he won a Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year), Classified, Aquakultre, Jerry Granelli and many more. Since 20...
Chris Pierce, as he would put it, is not only a Popstar but a Superstar. In the brief 3 years of work, he’s charted Top 15 and played across Europe, America, Australia, and Canada. Chris has an album with 1+ Million streams despite it not being out yet. Chris’s music and message are perfect for the celebration of love and diversity. Within a short time, he's shown what a force he is. Check him out @partsofchris
#JordanOccasionally or JD is a Black, Nonbinary, Independent Dance Pop/RNB Artist and Activist with nearly 1.9 Million streams, 5.9 Million likes on Tik Tok, and over 120,000 followers across social media. Jordan Occasionally is a touring global artist with most of their fans coming from NY, LA, and the UK. JD’s fanbase is purely grassroots, based in their hometown, Memphis, TN, and gaining critical acclaim with their first EP “1998”. However, it was their album Indigo that solidified their rout...
Vibrant, energetic, and dynamic are words used to describe Paige Rutledge. Recognized as one of Ontario’s most exciting upcoming Canadian country artists, Paige is no stranger to the stage and has curated a live show that has audiences engaged start to finish. Paige’s music has landed her the playlist cover for Breakthrough Country on Amazon Music, Spotify's RADAR playlist, and caught listeners' attention across North America. Paige is set to release her debut EP later this year. Find out more @...
Jayden Duplessis or better known by his stage name ‘JayTheKidd’ is an 18-year-old anomaly, to be more specific the next ‘Great’ hip-hop artist coming out of the Great White North. Hailing from a small rural area in Nova Scotia, this Lyons Brook teen has been attempting to accomplish his high goals in this ever-changing music industry, and with 500,000 streams across all platforms with only 3 songs he is ultimately succeeding. Using strategic marketing and working with the right people while cons...
Toronto-born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jessica Sevier is an up-and-coming country music artist with lots of accomplishments under her belt. Sevier has released a few singles since her debut “Ghost of Tom” in 2019, with her music being collectively streamed over 1 million times. Sevier's success has gained the attention of some of Sony/ATV and Liz Rose Music's most talented writers, landing her single "Confetti". Recorded down in Nashville with Grady Saxman (Luke Combs, Tenille Arts) thi...
Naruemon Chaingam is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with a focus on investigation, female stories, and the drivers of social change in Southeast Asia. Her work is characterized by human connection and empathy, with a focus on outliers and the marginalized in Southeast Asia, and is carried out with meticulous research, teamwork, and a creative reflex. Naruemon's films have aired on Canal+France, MyCanal, Vice America, Vice Asia, Al-Jazeera 101 East, and Channel News Asia's 'Undercover Asi...
Andy has been the CEO of the East Coast Music Association (ECMA) based in Halifax Nova Scotia since April 2014. As the East Coast’s most prodigious music and industry event, he is responsible for delivering a nationally televised music award show, 5–day music festival and an industry conference as well as a world-renowned international export buyers program. Arriving from Manchester, England in 1982, Andy started his career as a Canadian recording artist, completing two albums for Sony Records w...
Lindsay Ruck is an author and editor from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She studied journalism at Carleton University's School of Journalism in Ottawa before returning to her home province to continue her writing career. Lindsay's first book for younger readers, Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians (2020), was nominated for a Hackmatack Book Award. Her first children's picture book, called My Favourite Colour, will be released in the Fall of 2023. Check out @lindsay_ruck...
Janice Ho is a Korean-Canadian who freelances as a copy editor and marketing consultant. She is currently training to become a psychotherapist. Janice hosts The Soul's Work Podcast, the show about uncovering our authentic selves through doing both the light work and the shadow work. She is known for getting vulnerable about uncomfortable topics like trauma, alcohol dependency, sex, and polyamory in an open and nonjudgmental way. Janice is passionate about breaking down the silence and stigma aro...
Nick & Mathilde have left everything behind to go on a World Tour in their Landrover Defender 'Albatross'. Join them as they travel around the world in their tiny home on wheels for the next 3 years! Going from one Meridian to another, making new friends, exploring cultures & traditions, and road-tripping around this beautiful planet. 3 Years | 88 Countries | 7 Continents | 300 00km Find out more @nextmeridien.expedition...
Jackie Torrens is a Halifax-based actor, writer and film director. She and producer Jessica Brown have, under their company Peep Media, completed four documentary films for CBC, the Documentary Channel and Bravo which include Edge of East, My Week on Welfare, Small Town Show Biz and Bernie Langille Wants to Know Who Killed Bernie Langille, which premiered this spring at Hot Docs. Jackie has also done two documentary films for Telltale Productions, Free Reins and the feature-length Radical Age. T...
Ashlye is an artist from Brampton, Canada. This singer and songwriter strives to bring music that heals, expresses and touches upon souls other than her own. This genuine artist connects influenced sounds of R&B and soul with a history of classical by the warmth and passion of her voice. Her music captivates experiences and emotions when words limit the language of expression. In hopes to continuously heal and recover her soul, the motive of her success derives from impacting others and bein...
Mehret writes the weekly newsletter, time spent offline, about spending less time online and (re)discovering the pleasures of the offline world. It is a documentation of her journey and lessons from years of plugging/unplugging, connecting/disconnecting, and learning/unlearning in our digitally-caffeinated world. Check out www.mehretbiruk.com
Lila Quinn is a poet, performer, and kinkster from rural Missouri. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her work has appeared in Rabbit Catastrophe Review, TulipTree Review, and Boulder Weekly. Her poem, “To Helen and River of A.A.'', was an honorable mention for TulipTree’s 2021 Wild Women story contest, and her story, “When Light Floats” was a finalist for Vocal Media’s Short Fiction Prize in 2022. Lila began making erotic art in earnest just bef...
Tre. Charles is an Alt Soul Singer/Songwriter who dives into the depths of his soul and invites you into his world with an expressive blend of warm and soulful undertones, simplistic and powerful lyrics, and emotive crooning; all of which help you navigate your way through the encompassing experience. Growing up along the East Coast from city to city, Tre. Charles has been exposed to a myriad of different cultures. It is from these experiences that he has cultivated a sound of his own which pays...
Over the past decade, JoJo Worthington has emerged as a distinct presence in creative Canadian music, pairing deftly penned songs with spectacular sonic landscapes. Having wandered through the “lost, enchanted forest” (Bandcamp, New & Noteworthy) of 2016’s breakthrough album, \\, and sailed the seas of her epic avant-pop odyssey TCYK (2019), BAPTIZED I sees this visionary songcrafter adorning her armour, grabbing her sword, and beginning a quest for a destination that isn’t tangible—a quest ...
Since the release of his self-titled debut album, Chris Ryan has caught the attention of the East Coast music industry, playing showcases during East Coast Music Week and Music Newfoundland and Labrador Week, along with receiving nominations for "Country Recording of the Year" and "Songwriter of the Year". Chris' songwriting skills allowed him to be part of the 2016 ECMA SOCAN Song House, working with Nashville’s songwriting guru Ralph Murphy. This also led to Chris touring with Canadian country...
Nice Horse is wild: wildly talented, wildly entertaining, fun, fresh, fierce and feisty, and they’ve established themselves as one of the most buzzed-about and fast-rising groups in the Canadian music industry. A live act to be reckoned with, the self-contained all-female band has played high-profile festivals across Canada and Europe and toured as direct support for legendary artists including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tom Cochrane, Washboard Union and Tebey. The band has garnered significant...
Nigerian-Canadian independent musician, Shopé, embodies the new African aesthetic; globally-minded, deeply rooted in tradition, yet steeped in the west. Having emigrated from Lagos to Toronto, the singer/rapper’s personal and musical narratives weave tales of poverty, determination, and love, through a masterful blend of the fast-rising Afrobeats sound with already established Hip-Hop/R&B, aptly called Afrofusion. Shopé's musical ambidexterity continues to garner him accolades and win gl...
Halley and Carla. A 10 year married couple discovered that there is more to their life than the normalization of marriage. Carla a crossdresser for many years came out to Halley in late 2021. Halley a vixen that has learned to rekindle her sex drive. Their communication is top-notch and helps others with their ongoing experiences. Check out their podcast Carla and Halley
Hi! I’m Kat, short for Katüsha. I always knew I wanted to do something creative. It’s been a journey trying out different vocations and then trying out all types of photography to get me to my current interest, which is portrait and women empowerment photography. This includes intimate portraiture, women empowerment photography, and everything self-love. It started with modelling in college while studying Graphic Design. Which lead to an interest (read: complete obsession) in photography. Within...
Israel Obasola is a Nigerian animator and illustrator who took advantage of this period and used it to hone in on his skills. As a result, he gained more confidence in his craft along with growing viewers on his various social media pages. On TikTok, where he goes by the name Israelthecreator , he has amassed over 32.2 million views. Like most children, Obasola grew up watching cartoons on Saturday mornings, and that is how his passion and love for drawing started. He gravitated towards comic bo...
