This week we're celebrating the fact that we've left January in the rearview mirror with the groovy, summer-roller disco jam "Chances", and hoping it will inspire mother nature to bring the heat back to Canada. The track comes from Kaytranada's 2018 EP NOTHIN LIKE U / CHANCES that's structured more like a 12″ single with three main tracks and instrumentals on the B-side.
For "Chances" Kaytranada enlists fellow Montrealer Shay Lia for the vocals. Like Kaytranada (who was born in Haiti), Lia's family immigrated to Montreal (from Djibouti) at a young age, and grew up in the genre-mashing underground Montreal scene, which helped pioneer some of the nation's underground dance, hip hop and afrobeat concoctions. Kaytranada first found out about Lia singing on Facebook, and the two struck a friendship. The world first met Lia through Kaytranada's live streamed Boiler Room DJ set, as she danced in a (mostly male) pack of wild fans that delighted online viewers, many asking who the "Boiler Room Girl" was. The two have since released many tracks together, including Lia's single "Funky Thang" and "Leave Me Alone" from Kaytranada's award winning 99.9% album.
"Chances" is about taking a leap of faith, for Shay Lia and Kaytranada, it's leaving their homes behind for the road, taking a chance to live their dreams. Saying goodbye to friends, family and lovers for pursuit of something truly crazy. But, as you might infer from some of Lia's lyrics, it's also a jab at those who have tried to hold her back. She's breaking away from these toxic relationships to get out on her own. Because, as we know, success is the best revenge.
You can learn more about Kaytranada here:
About the curator - Cormac McGee
Cormac McGee is a DJ, artist manager and concert promoter based in Toronto, Canada. He’s played in front of crowds from 10 – 1,000 people and has run concerts with some of today’s top hip hop artists, including Drake, Future, Mac Miller, 6lack, Ab-Soul and more. He also runs the Music Den at Ryerson University, a business incubator for entrepreneurs in the music industry.
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