Canada

Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Los Angeles, Pop, Songwriter, Toronto, Voice May 29, 2020

‘I need to be myself if I want the world to love me’ – Mississauga artist Ali Gatie embraces vulnerability in his music

Nick Krewen Special to the Star Inside the chest of Ali Gatie beats the heart of a hopeless romantic. And the Yemen-born R&B singer and songwriter, who calls both Mississauga and Los Angeles home, is the last to disagree with that assessment. “I’m 100 per cent a hopeless romantic, the most hopeless,” concurs Gatie, who celebrates his 23rd birthday on May 31. The evidence is overwhelming, beginning with his worldwide…

Alberta, British Columbia, Business, Canada, Education, Events, Halifax, Hamilton, Manitoba, Montréal, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Saskatchewan, Stratford, Toronto, Vancouver May 13, 2020

Editorial: Why streaming services should rescue musicians

Nick Krewen Special to the Star Spotify, YouTube and streaming services in general: It’s time to step up. For way, way too long — Spotify, it’s been 14 years for you and 15 for YouTube — you have ridden on the backs of recording artists, musicians and songwriters that have provided you with content and, in turn, billions of dollars in profits, without offering them much in return. How much…

Alberta, British Columbia, Business, Canada, Events, Festivals, Halifax, Hamilton, Manitoba, Montréal, Music Industry (Trade), Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Saskatchewan, Stratford, Toronto, Vancouver May 9, 2020

What is the future of live concerts in Canada?

Nick Krewen Special to the Star There seems to be a light at the end of the pandemic-stricken concert tunnel. As reported by several publications, Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, during a first quarter earnings call with shareholders on May 7, indicates that his company is gearing up for concert ticket sales “in the third and fourth quarters for 2021 at full scale.” While it seems…

Beach Boys, Canada, Hip-Hop, Rock, Songwriter, Therapeutic, Voice May 6, 2020

Stranded Toronto musicians share touring anthems

Nick Krewen Special to The Star As the shutdown of live music — now entering its eighth week — drags on, it’s no surprise that entertainers are getting antsy. So, we asked some locals to name the road song that they usually adopt for the touring mindset, and what they miss most about their livelihood. Ewan Currie, The SheepdogsCurrent album: Changing Colours, 2018Road song: “Ramblin’ Man,” The Allman Brothers Band “It’s such…

Business, Canada, Events, Perspective, Robbie Robertson, Rolling Stones, Toronto, Tourism April 15, 2020

All fixed up with no place to go: Toronto venues like the El Mocambo and Wheat Sheaf postpone grand reopenings

Nick Krewen Special to the Star April Fool’s Day may have played its cruelest joke on the El Mocambo’s Michael Wekerle. After spending five years investing a reported $30 million (in a follow-up e-mail, he’d only say it’s “extensive”) in renovating the legendary Spadina Avenue music club that has played host to everyone from The Rolling Stones to U2, the merchant banker and Dragon’s Den TV personality was finally set…