Toronto-based artist Ikky said recording his pair of Spotify Singles — a revisiting of "80 90" and a cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" — was an "incredible honour."SUPPLIED
The Canadian music scene has always been one of the most creative in the world, and with good reason: Its strong multicultural makeup shines through its artists who experiment with sounds, genres and their creative processes.
But getting the world’s attention hasn’t always been easy.
That’s been the impetus behind the Spotify Singles program. Since 2017, the major streaming service has offered musicians – newcomers, big stars and major icons alike – an opportunity to link up with best-in-class recording pros to create new music for their fans. In Canada, a dozen artists including Roxane Bruneau, Milk & Bone, Ikky and Savannah Ré released recordings through Spotify Singles this year.
“Spotify Singles was created to give artists an opportunity to record new versions of their own songs, the songs of the artists they love, or an original song. It’s been an outlet for artists to express themselves, engage their fans with new music, and connect with new listeners,” says Adrian Burke, Spotify’s lead on artist and label partnerships.
Music fans are listening. With 800 recordings by more than 300 artists across all musical genres, Spotify Singles listeners have racked up nearly seven billion streams in the five years since the program began. “We strive to empower a huge cross-section of Canadian artists, and lift up their cultures on local and global stages,” Burke says.
What’s more, local fans are showing up for homegrown talent. Although the Singles program has a global footprint, Canadian music fans have been one of its most voracious consumers – and they show no sign of slowing down.
Bringing exclusive music from Canadian artists to fans around the world
In the Spotify studios, artists had access to a treasure trove of musical instruments and recording gear, plus the guidance of seasoned recording pros.
Ikky, a Toronto-based artist and producer, is known for making Punjabi music his own. Spotify gave the 22-year-old a chance to showcase his talent not only to his community, but to other listeners on the platform.
Given a blank slate and total creative freedom, the young artist decided to bring his 4.5 million listeners on a journey to discover other artists from his label, 4N.
“It was so much fun being able to revisit ‘80 90′ with Garry Sandhu and having another chance to make something else out of that song. Beyond that, getting to work on a 4N version of ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ with Preston Pablo and Himmat Sandhu was such a cool moment,” Ikky says.
The Punjabi-influenced cover of the Bill Withers soul classic has racked up 700,000 listens — many of which came from fans in India — making it one of his 10 most popular songs on Spotify.
For Juno-award winner Savannah Ré, Spotify Singles was an opportunity for her to explore a different side of her popular song “WTF.” In the Spotify studios, Ré opted for a slower, softer version of the song, revealing a part of her that didn’t shine through in what she describes as the more “aggressive” original version.
Ré was pleased with the outcome of her new “WTF” treatment, but what really left a mark was her cover of 50 Cent’s “Many Men (Wish Death).”
“As a singer, no one really expects you to sing a rap song, but there are so many layers to me as an artist,” she says. “I never want to be pigeonholed into a box and I never want to be told I can’t do something creatively. So, this version is just very different and I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anybody deliver it the way that I have.”
Ré's listeners agree with her; as with Ikky, her Singles cover is one of her top 10 songs on the platform.
A more intimate setting
For the Montreal band Milk & Bone, Spotify Singles gave them the occasion to revisit “Bigger Love,” one of the songs off their latest album, Chrysalism. The electro-pop duo has been repeatedly recognized as one of the most daring acts on the current Canadian scene, and has a big following across the country.
For the Spotify Singles version of their song, they decided to take their song down another path – one they think highlights the heartbreaking nature of the lyrics.
“We wanted to make the song feel a bit more relaxed and intimate because it’s a song about heartbreak, and the original version is a bit dance-y and has this intensity to it,” say Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin, the artists behind Milk & Bone. “The Spotify Singles version has that more intimate, more kind of introspective aspect to it. We wanted to go into a trip-hop direction for it, and we can hear more of the harmonies we did in the studio.”
The Spotify Singles version of “Bigger Love” gives a glimpse of Milk & Bone’s smoother side, showcasing the power of their voices. This version delighted fans, who pushed it into the duo’s Top 10 most-listened songs on the streaming platform.
A bigger vision for 2023
As Canada’s most popular audio streaming service, Spotify has been integral in getting the word out about Canadian artists.
The company’s mission is to help a more diverse set of artists get noticed and make a living off their music. As one of the most multicultural countries in the world — home to English and French speakers, as well as First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists and people with more than 250 ethnic origins — it is critical for Spotify to reflect the country’s diversity in the Singles program.
In 2023, Spotify says it will create more opportunities for artists in Canada to reach new audiences throughout the world by creating unique, attention-grabbing recordings that showcase the country’s diverse, world-class talent.
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with Spotify. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.