We first saw lemin (pronounced "lemon") perform at a showcase this past summer, where she was one of about a dozen artists, each with 10 minutes to show their stuff. Most artists came out with big outfits, high energy, dance moves, and hype men to get the crowd's energy up. Lemin was different. She shuffled onstage slowly, wore a hoodie and preferred to sit while performing, whether at the piano or centre stage. Her soft backing tracks gave way to her powerful voice, and for her 10 minutes, the crowd seemed dazed, pulled completely into her world, only to snap out of the vortex and back into reality when she stepped off stage. Lemin was different, and she was incredible.
Our track today comes from lemin's hold a: act 2 project, the second in a three-part series that will take listeners through a breakup: from sadness and depression, to anger and resentment, and finally acceptance. The series' name, "Hold A" comes from lemin's favourite N64 video game, Mario Kart, in which players hold the "A" button to accelerate. For lemin, it's a metaphor for accelerating into who we are.
Lemin has embraced this concept wholeheartedly. Her name itself is a reminder. As she told Missbish "It came from a Volkswagen ad. In the ad, it talked about how the Volkswagen came at a time when all of these luxury cars were being made and the Volkswagen was little and ugly. When something is a lemon, it’s known as bad or different; something that's not “good enough." That’s me, I’m a lemon. But in the sense that I’m unique and different, and just not like everyone else."
We hope this lemon keeps on this authentic path, and we can't wait to hear what she's got in store next for us. For now, listen to "Body High", the lead track off hold a: act 2, about the battle between lemin's body and mind, as she lusts for her ex.
You can learn more about lemin. 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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