Canada’s largest airport is at the heart of many Canadian travels: the first place newcomers touch our soil, the front door to a Toronto adventure, and the gateway to our great nation. This summer, visitors to Terminal 1 can enjoy YYZ Live, a musical celebration with 150 performances from 75 local artists in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday.
Performances are free and open to the public, running from June 26 to September 15. Visit the YYZ Live stage in Terminal 1, International Arrivals, or the YYZ Live acoustic stage on the Terminal Link train platform.
- 7:00 p.m. daily – YYZ Live stage, Terminal 1, International Arrivals
- 8:00 p.m. daily – YYZ Live acoustic stage, Terminal Link train platform
Born in Montreal, raised in Toronto, Shyann is an emerging Canadian singer/songwriter who combines jazz, trip hop & soulful vocals to craft her sound. She’s influenced by the likes of Amy Winehouse, Radiohead and Erykah Badu, to name a few. Starting off in a musical world of opera singing, then expanding into jazz and soul music, you can hear the product of her musical influences in her debut album titled ‘Into The Ground’, produced by Nick Name.
Since the album’s release, Shyann has been nominated for Best Emerging Performing Artist from the Mississauga Arts Council as well as qualified as a top finalist in the Canadian Radio Star National Songwriting Competition. Her live act ‘The Shyann Collective’ have opened for July Talk at the SoundBites Food Truck Festival, headlined the Canadian Beatboxing Championships, performed at DesiFest (Yonge-Dundas Square) and opened for Bunji Garlin at Irie Music Festival. They will be opening for Keys N Krates on New Years Eve at Celebration Square, Mississauga.
With Shyann’s live act expanding, and a new album in the works, Shyann is eager to continue crafting her sound, both as a recording artist and performer. To learn more about Shyann, listen to her music.
With a voice like “gravel on silk”, indie-soul/alt-folk songwriter AHI (pronounced “eye”) is a rare talent with the keen ability to deliver a story with the eas…e and familiarity of an old friend. Favouring passion over precision, it’s easy to see why comparisons to Richie Havens, Ray LaMontagne and Tracy Chapman are common for this soulful troubadour.
From humble beginnings in Brampton, Ontario, AHI independently toured over 50,000 miles, through the vast woodlands of Canada and the neon lights of Nashville, to the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and eventually beyond the Atlantic to the brick lanes of London. Along the way, he has recorded with leading acoustic sessions across the UK and Europe, but none has been more viewed than a simple home video of his stunning rendition of Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry’, filmed in a London alleyway and accompanied by the sweet harmonies of his three-year-old daughter. The video caught the attention of the Marley family who featured it on the official BobMarley.com website and sent AHI a personalized note from Mrs. Rita Marley herself – an unparalleled experience for an artist who cites Bob Marley as his greatest musical inspiration.
Soon after, AHI returned to find his Indie Soul EP (2014) was chosen one of CBC Radio One’s top 10 records of the year, and he has since been recognized and awarded by Folk Alliance International, Nashville Songwriters Association International, the Songwriters Association of Canada, and the Canada Council for the Arts, among others.
For his debut full-length We Made It Through The Wreckage (2017), AHI has collaborated with CMA winning producer Eric Masse (Miranda Lambert) to create what Masse has called an entirely “new genre”, blending folk, soul and rock, and topping it off with a vocal performance to be expected from a seasoned powerhouse rather than an indie debut.
The feel-good single Ol’ Sweet Day broke the Billboard Spotify Viral 50 Chart and hit #34 on the U.S. Viral 50 without any promotion or marketing. The track took off on playlists worldwide and surpassed 1 million streams; a rare feat for an artist yet to make his mark. Now a 2017 finalist in the Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class, it’s not hard to see why AHI is one of Canada’s most promising emerging acts.
Maria Ryan & Chris Bennett are a duo based in Toronto, ON, Canada. After years involved in separate musical pursuits, they came together in 2013 to blend Maria’s honey soaked gravel voice and percussive rhythm guitar playing with Chris’s artful layers of lead guitar work and vocal harmonies.
Both songwriters, their original material is a collaborative effort in which they explore themes that include lust, love, betrayal and longing. Maria and Chris also enjoy covering a select few songs and switching them up with their own distinctly dark twist.
With a mix of rock, roots, blues and a tiny splash of punk, they are often compared to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Patti Smith and late 60’s era Rolling Stones.
Their self-titled debut album was released in October of 2015.
Upcoming Performances
- June 29 – Jon Brooks | Bluegrass/Folk – jonbrooks.ca
- June 30 – Brighid Fry | Folk/Indie rock – brighidfry.ca
- July 1 – Mattie Leon | Folk/Indie rock – mattieleon.com
- July 2 – Ben Hermann | Folk – benhermann.ca
- July 3 – Donne Roberts | International – donneroberts.com
- July 4 – Winnie Brave | Roots/Country – winniebrave.com
- July 5 – The Young Novelists | Folk/Rock – theyoungnovelists.com
