QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL: Michelle Mondesir, IAMREBELWILL, Tafari Anthony + Cory

Celebrate the best of Toronto's Queer Music Scene at QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL, featuring an all-2SLGBTQIA+ lineup of local indie musicians including: Tafari Anthony, IAMREBELWILL, Michelle Mondesir and Cory Stewart!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Tafari Anthony

Tafari (pronounced Ta-far-eye) Anthony is a JUNO nominated artist whose music blends pop, soul and alternative. Known for his sleek vocal tones, sultry melodies and music which oozes with personality, Tafari leaves listeners in awe – somewhat apt considering his name means “He who inspires awe”.

Tafari has spent much of his career working behind the scenes with various artists. He has written and vocal produced for Juno nominated artists (Tanika Charles, Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar), and Drag Race royalty (Priyanka, Katya) among others. His authentically humble but powerful performance style has kept him as an in-demand vocalist throughout the country, allowing him to have toured through Europe, Canada, the United States, and even a stint in South Korea.

Tafari has seen success with his music garnering acclaim from the likes of PAPER Magazine, Billboard, Gay Times, Earmilk and MTV to name a few. His latest EP “The Way You See Me” was released to critical acclaim from PAPER Magazine & Billboard in November 2020 & nominated for a 2022 JUNO Award for Adult Contemporary Album of The Year.

MICHELLE MONDESIR

Michelle Mondesir has always had a passion for music. She is a singer, songwriter, pianist and producer but also the CEO of the recording studio Poetic Groove Productions.

Her accomplishments over the past 10 years is quite impressive as she's been nominated and won a number of awards.

Though currently fronting the indie alt-rock band Madame Psychosis which has produced two successful albums, she also released 17 solo R&B songs in 2019.

Michelle released “Give Me All Your Lovin’” on Nov 1st, which BuzzMusic refers to as “a few minutes of musical bliss and delicacy” and EARMILK says that “(Michelle) has a natural talent for crafting soul- gripping musical arrangements”. More recently, Michelle released "Sunday Sun" on Dec 9th, which BuzzMusic calls "a song of hope and love" and says "the vocal performance is absolutely flawless." Furthermore Reignland says, "The song consists of soulful vocals over a hip hop undertone and beautiful harmonies that add fire to the already outstanding song."

2020 proved to be a difficult and frustrating year but also inspired Michelle to write "Crazy World" released on June 25th, which She Makes Music describes as "honest and inspirational". Later Michelle featured Toronto-based artist pHoenix Pagliacci of TRP.P on her single “Look What You Started.”

Most recently Michelle teamed up with Cory Stewart on his debut album "TOV" (released Jan 22 2021) for the uptempo pop track "End of Me" which Metro Weekly refers to as "a showstopper of a dance track" and UK-based Culture Fix calls "a dreamy and intoxicating number that ponders how a relationship can deteriorate...[that is] ethereal and emotive".

Michelle looks forward to working with Madame Psychosis on their third studio album as well as continued R&B work.

IAMREBELWILL

Born and raised in bilingual Montreal, Toronto-based pop entertainer, IAMREBELWILL is influenced by the showmanship of Janet Jackson, the eclectic artistry of Andre 3000 and the vibes and feels of Kaytranada.

His EP RebelFuturism, the artist is using his voice to challenge the stereotypical perspective in mainstream pop music and help empower the underrepresented LGTBQ+ and POC community to be fearlessly themselves. RebelFuturism, is seductive, contemporary pop, soaked in the neon bleached nightclub vibes of house bass-lines, infused with irresistible pop hooks and melodies. “It’s a soundtrack for modernity, addressing sexuality, sexual fluidity, identity and equality,” says Rebel. “As a proud queer black man I wanted to create something that gave a voice to my experience and a voice to folks whose stories the majority of time are not told.”

CORY STEWART

Cory Stewart (AWAL/Kobalt) has been described as a synth-pop artist with “smooth voice” (Billboard, 2020) that creates “fearless, unapologetic and relentlessly catchy” music (Canadian Beats, 2018). Cory has been a supporting act for a number of legendary artists including Boy George and Crystal Waters. Stewart’s debut album ‘TOV’ was released in January 2021, hitting #9 on the iTunes Pop Charts and receiving overwhelming praise from critics.

A Royal Conservatory of Music vocal program graduate, Stewart has been a songwriter and student of music since the age of seven, receiving accolades from numerous music festivals across Canada. Cory has also toured and performed in several countries around the world including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria.

Cory recently completed The QUEERANTINE North American tour for which he was recognized with a "Best Collaboration Award" from the 2022 Wavy Awards in NYC.

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PLUS

Stay after the show for the official afterparty starting at 10pm. ONE MORE TIME! is a retro night with tunes from the 80s, 90s and 00s. This event is FREE for all QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL ticket holders. See more event info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/881580352967765