Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, Music Monday

Love at First Listen with QUIETLOVE

1 Comment
Love at First Listen - QUIETLOVE

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules (virtually, for now) and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release.

This is Love at First Listen — a new series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

Welcome to the world of QUIETLOVE, a new project fronted by Canadian singer-songwriter Brendan DiStefano. You may recognize Brendan from his previous solo releases or as the lead singer of indie-pop trio Navigate the Sky. After four years of behind-the-scenes planning, QUIETLOVE represents a name and identity that he says “exactly conveys the right tone” for the alt-pop music he’s been writing.

Get ready to fall in love at first listen with “The Dream,” QUIETLOVE’s catchy, self written and produced debut single about battling through self-doubt and remembering why you started your journey. Take it from me that this is just the beginning of a very exciting journey ahead for QUIETLOVE!

While you play “The Dream” on repeat, check out my new interview with QUIETLOVE below for the inside scoop on defining ‘the dream,’ the songs he’s loved at first listen, and what’s next.

“The Dream” is your first single as QUIETLOVE. What does this song mean to you, and why did you think it was the perfect song to introduce your new project?

“The Dream” is a very honest song for me. It’s about chasing your dreams and the harsh realities that sometimes come along with doing so. I felt the message was relatable to my peers, and I knew it had to be the first single to establish who I am. I hope someone hears it and it helps them through their own battles.

Where were you the first time you heard the final track and what was your reaction?

I’ll never forget. I was on the TTC in Toronto and I received the first mix to my email from my mixing engineer, Jack. I remember riding around the city and listening for the first time with an ear-to-ear smile. It was definitely a memorable moment for me.

Inquiring minds want to know: What exactly is “the dream”?

I honestly think it varies for everyone. Whatever you define as success to yourself, is the truth to you. To me, ‘the dream’ would be making music for the rest of my life and living comfortably doing so.

For fans who have followed you throughout the years, how would you describe your sonic evolution?

It’s tough to describe. I’d say the songs lyrically have gotten more and more personal, closer to the heart. Sonically, a year or two ago now, the band and I started producing ourselves, which I think really helped find an authentic sound.

How do you plan to continue, or even integrate your releases as QUIETLOVE with and/or alongside the work you’re doing with your band, Navigate the Sky?

I think it’s a fun way to keep the creative energy flowing, whether I’m writing as QUIETLOVE or with the boys. I really look up to bands like The Maine and Alexisonfire where they’ve managed to steadily release songs over multiple projects or side projects. As a listener or fan, you’ll always have new content to consume.

Music has been a close friend to so many of us over the past year. Can you share some of the artists or “quarantine anthems” that you simply had no choice but to love at first listen?

Oh, too many to count. I recently discovered a local Toronto-based artist, Verzache, who produces himself and is very DIY as well. Check out his song called “Think About It.” He’s definitely one to watch blow up over the next year or so — mark my words. Also, “Listerine” by Dayglow has been on repeat the last month or so.

What’s next for QUIETLOVE?

More everything. Now that my debut single is out, I feel like I’ve finally established who I am to the world. I’ve still got so much more to say. I’m looking forward to the future of QUIETLOVE. Keep your eyes peeled to my socials for more!

Continue Reading

Interviews, Take 5

Take 5 with Makeway Co-Founder Abby Albino

No Comments
Abby Albino Interview blog post cover designed by Angela McLean

Calling all female sneakerheads: You’ll want to follow and bookmark Makeway, a first-of-its-kind women’s “sneaker, streetwear and things” boutique in Canada. Co-founded by Abby Albino and Shelby Weaver — best friends, business partners and former colleagues who met while working with the Toronto Raptors — Makeway is a space for women to come together over their shared love of sport and culture. 

Whether shopping with Makeway online or at their standalone retail location in Toronto’s Stackt Market, customers can browse their favourite shoe styles and collabs in women’s sizes while discovering new female-run small businesses, including Ki Collection (amazing masks!) and Santa Isla (the cutest happy face ring!).

In this edition of Take 5, Abby shares behind the scenes details about the Makeway journey—from deciding on a name to cultivating a community—and her top picks for this spring’s sneaker trends.

What is the significance of the name Makeway? Has the meaning changed at all since you opened the shop last year?

After months of struggling to find the right name for the shop, the name Makeway came to Shelby and I while we were both in our respective homes watching a Raptors game. During a WNBA commercial, Seimone Augustus says the words “make way” and that struck us so deeply that simultaneously, we reached for our phones to pitch each other that name as an option. Coming from basketball worlds and being strong advocates for girls and women in sport, we knew it was the right fit and tone for what the shop stood for. 

To be completely honest, the name means even more to us now than when we opened. We’ve met so many women since opening and many of them have expressed how much the name resonates with them. It’s so validating and we’re so happy to have a space they feel is their own. 

Makeway co-founders Abby Albino and Shelby Weaver in their Toronto retail location at Stackt Market
Makeway co-founders Abby Albino (left) and Shelby Weaver (right) opened their online shop and Toronto retail location at Stackt Market in November 2020. (Photo courtesy of Abby Albino)

How do you strive to cultivate a Makeway “community,” rather than being solely (pun intended!) a storefront and online retailer?

To us, Makeway belongs to our community. If it wasn’t for them, we simply would not exist and it’s important that they feel welcome, whether it’s IRL or digitally. We plan to include our community in our social storytelling and throughout our programming. It means the world to us to have such an incredible community of women and we want to give them all the flowers!

Makeway is the only Canadian retailer to be selling WNBA hats, which have already been a massive success on preorder alone. Given the incredible buzz, what message do you think—and hope—this sends to the traditional, male-dominated brands in the industry?

We’d like them to understand that the female consumer is not a trend. We’re not just jumping on a sneaker bandwagon; we’ve been fans and participants in the sneaker scene for quite some time and are here to take up space and make sure our voices are heard. Having women in decision-making roles is so important and we hope our store encourages them to hire more women and to consider their female consumer and how different we are.

Which spring streetwear and sneaker trends are you most excited to integrate into Makeway’s stock and your closet?

From a streetwear and things perspective, I’m excited to integrate more local brands into our product assortment. I think there are such amazing women-owned brands in our country and I would love to work with more of them. As for sneakers, I’m looking forward to retro styles and brighter colours. Spring is a great time to show off your style through sneakers and we have some fun ones coming in the next few months. 

As we wrap up Women’s Month, here’s your chance to shout out some of the women who inspire you personally and professionally! Who do you think deserves some extra love and praise?

I’d love to shout out the team at Makeway. I’m so grateful to work with such talented and smart women every day and they deserve all the shine. Other than that, from an entrepreneur standpoint, I’m inspired by Luanne Ronquillo from Ruru Baked. She’s done an amazing job growing her business and it’s been awesome to see its growth.

Continue Reading

Interviews, Take 5

Take 5 with Entertainment Publicist Amira de Vera

No Comments
Amira de Vera Interview blog post cover designed by Angela McLean

With over 10 years of experience in the media industry, Toronto-based publicist Amira de Vera has worked behind the scenes building buzz around some of Canada’s top talents with career highlights in music, movies and TV. But four years ago this February, Amira set her sights on her biggest and most personal publicity campaign to date — the launch of her boutique entertainment PR and management firm, Project Four Public Relations. 

In this edition of Take 5, get to know Amira and her inspiring journey from employee to entrepreneur, as well as her take on why publicity should be choreographed like a slow dance.

This month, you celebrated Project Four PR’s fourth anniversary. What pushed you to take that leap of faith and become an entrepreneur?

The leap of faith came from a place of rock bottom. After leaving the small agency I worked for, I decided to try my hand at corporate PR and ended up hating it. I was also in a very toxic environment at the time. Looking back, I am so grateful for that dark period because it is what pushed me to start my own company. One freelance client turned to two, which turned to five, then at one point I was taking on over 10 clients at a time. My mom basically gave me the nudge and told me to start my own PR company. I always said that I was a great employee, but I didn’t think I had it in me to be a boss. But with the full support of my parents as well as the confidence I got from my clients, I created Project Four PR four years ago and haven’t looked back. I pinch myself every day!

What is one common misconception you see about publicity and PR, and can you set the record straight?

That results will come easy and you can expect to see them overnight. It’s such an unrealistic expectation. PR and publicity is all about reputation building. You can’t build someone’s reputation overnight. You have to lay the foundation and slowly place the bricks on top of that. Your client needs to earn the public and the media’s trust, and to do that it’s a slow dance — but a very effective one.

Every PR pro’s daily routine is vastly different, but what are a few things you make time for in your day to help you stay sane and on schedule — particularly since the start of the pandemic?

I didn’t really learn this until I entered my 30s, but my self-care routines are non-negotiable. When I was in my 20s, I had the mentality of “I will rest the day I die.” It’s such an unhealthy way of looking at your work and career. As a society, we are so conditioned to believe that if we aren’t hustling, then we are not being productive. I experienced major burnout in my late 20s and it was the most unproductive I had ever been. Yes, I was doing a lot and going, going, going, but my mental and physical health suffered as a result. Now, I set timeframes for myself. As any business owner or entrepreneur will tell you, the clock doesn’t stop unless you set those boundaries. I don’t answer any emails or calls after 6:00 PM and before 8:00 AM. I also make time to work out, meditate, go for walks and journal.

Early in your career, you took on a number of volunteer opportunities and internships. What did you do to make yourself stand out in those competitive environments? 

Funny enough, the only reason I even entered the world of PR was because I met a PR professional through a volunteer opportunity, who at the time happened to be looking for an intern. She said I stood out because I went out of my way to help her out. That really is the only secret to standing out. Go the extra mile and I promise it won’t go unnoticed. Don’t be afraid to take risks and ask for more tasks and more responsibilities. Have the confidence to share your own ideas. Instead of fulfilling the minimum requirements, always strive to do more.

Can you share a piece of advice you’ve received that you wish you knew when you were starting out?

There is no such thing as a marketing emergency. My dear friend told me this once and it changed the way I handled the stress that comes along with this job. When things didn’t go right or a client was particularly unhappy, I would internalize it and take it extremely personally. When she said that phrase, it changed the way I looked at things. It wasn’t about not caring and letting the problem slip off of your shoulder. It was about realizing that this wasn’t the end of the world, and whatever challenges came up, they could be solved. It was a great shift in perspective that I wish I had adapted earlier on. It would have helped with all those sleepless nights in my early 20s!

Continue Reading

Interviews, Take 5

Take 5 with Madison MacGregor

No Comments
Madison MacGregor Interview - Angela McLean

New year, new priorities. If taking care of your mental health is at the top of your to-do list in 2021, you need to meet (and follow) activist Madison MacGregor.

At the age of 21, the Toronto-based multi-hyphenate has already worked with Emmy Award winning dance choreographers, starred in two Family Channel shows (Backstage and The Next Step), published a novel with her sisters through a fully-funded Kickstarter campaign, and built an online community of more than 25,000 Instagram followers. Madison has since turned her attention to a cause close to her heart and launched Mind Time with Madison, an insightful new podcast with non-profit organization Teaching Everyone About Mental Health. TEAM. serves as a pocket guide for the support networks of those struggling with mental illness and aims to inspire people of any age, but especially youth, to pursue their passions without fear of stigma or judgement. 

Madison is living proof that your struggles can be turned into your superpower. For my first Take 5 of 2021, see what Madison had to say about her mental health journey, prioritizing self care (something we all can and should do!), and her favourite accounts to follow on Instagram.

How did you first connect with TEAM. and come up with the idea for Mind Time with Madison?

I discovered the founder, Mackenzie Drazan, on my Instagram explore page and messaged her as she was a trained professional for mental health. At the time I was struggling with depression, an eating disorder and anxiety, and both of us were bullied growing up and wanted to do what we could to help other people. She brought me on and has been a great mentor to my sisters and I. Through the podcast, which is one of the facets of the Instagram page, we normalize talking about mental health, especially for young people.

What empowered you to feel comfortable talking openly about your mental health journey?

I had struggled for the first couple of years when I was going through depression and I didn’t even know then that I was going through it, so I actually had a whole learning curve myself of figuring out what was happening to me. My family helped give me perspective on exactly what we’re doing at TEAM. — the power of talking to people and just simply communicating what I was going through. They were able to assure me, You’re not crazy. There’s something deeper going on. 

I also watched a lot of people and professors online talking about depression or anxiety. Hearing their experiences helped me put words to my own experiences, and by sharing my journey I hope I can do the same thing for other people.

On Mind Time with Madison, you’ve spoken with experts in the health space, as well as philanthropic celebrities like actress Lexi Underwood. What was one of the biggest takeaways from your chat with Lexi?

A lot of what Lexi has experienced with mental health has been due to the racial injustice in the United States and how traumatizing it’s been to see people who look like her being killed. It makes her feel like her life doesn’t matter — and so she shared a lot about that, and about therapy. Having a therapist who was a Black woman helped her because they could understand and talk about microaggressions and other lived experiences.

I love what Lexi is doing with We the Voices of Gen Z, which is something she created with her production company, and how that’s a space to help open up discussions, support activists, get more representation in Hollywood, and raise awareness around mental health. She has so much wisdom that I just remember being blown away by her level of maturity at such a young age. 

Do you have a favourite mood boosting activity you turn to when you’re having a bad mental health day? 

I do as much as I can to get out in nature — and for the people who are reading who don’t have access to nature, movements like getting up and walking, taking a shower, washing your face, and simple things that connect you to the elements are really helpful. For me, walking outside feels like meditation and that definitely helps ground me and helps with whatever symptoms I may be experiencing. My goals this year are going on a walk and journaling every day.

Take 5 profiles inspiring and influential people we should all be following. Who are some of your favourite people to follow?

I like TEAM. (@myteam.social) of course and think they are a great resource. I would also recommend Jay Shetty (@jayshetty) — he’s incredible. There’s also The Holistic Psychologist (Dr. Nicole LePara, @the.holistic.psychologist) who talks a lot about trauma and articulates it very well. She does this thing where she gets your number and every day she’ll text you a quote or piece of advice, which has been really helpful.

As far as books go, I interviewed Dr. Alex Korb on Mind Time with Madison and his book The Upward Spiral is a game changer for people who are struggling with depression. It’s an Amazon Best Seller — and for good reason. I’ve recommended it to so many of my friends and I think especially now, it’s extremely valuable to have really great, actionable steps backed by neuroscience to help you cope. 

Continue Reading

Interviews, Music, New Music Friday, Take 5

Take 5 with Michelle Treacy

No Comments
Michelle Treacy Interview - angelamclean.ca

In the midst of a year defined by political and social unrest — not to mention an unprecedented global pandemic — a new chapter is what we all need. For Canadian singer-songwriter Michelle Treacy, the release of her new single “Time Off From A Letdown” is just that — the start of something new, and something “unapologetically Michelle.”

Three years after releasing her breakout track “Armageddon,” Michelle won an episode of CTV’s music competition show The Launch and was officially “launched” into the spotlight with an angsty new single, “Emotional.” Fast forward a year, Michelle is stripping her sound down to the basics, embracing a more somber and reflective folk-pop tone that’s perfect for the times.

To celebrate her first independent release, I caught up with Michelle to chat about “Time Off From A Letdown,” using your platform and performing with Lady Gaga (yes, you read that right!).

What does “Time Off From A Letdown” represent for you?

Thematically, the song represents the feeling of letting everyone down — the reality being that you are only letting yourself down by putting others first. It is about refocusing on yourself, as I have spent the last couple of years doing just that after going through a dark time in my life. The cinematic video is a beautiful representation of this created by an all-female team. It is a piece of art in its purest form, and I hope people take something from it. 

You’ve been vocal throughout the pandemic about mask education (masks are definitely sexy!) and #BlackLivesMatter. Why is it important for you to use your platform to shine a light on global issues?

I am really grateful to have a platform where people see my stuff and listen. If you have a platform and you’re not using it to educate people on current issues — why bother having a platform? I am pro mask and #BlackLivesMatter. If you are not, you are on the wrong side of history. It’s time to get educated.

The pandemic has presented a bit of a creative block for many artists. Which singers have inspired you the most this year and why?

Finneas has inspired me a lot. He has taught me that you don’t need anything to make a good song and record. He taught me that recording from home is cool. I mean, look at all his work… all done from his bedroom. So, that’s what I’m doing now. All my music is recorded in my closet.

Can you share the story behind that moment with Lady Gaga where you got to perform with her on stage in Montreal? Also, I have to ask: What’s your favourite song off Chromatica?

Long story short, I got really lucky when it came to singing with Gaga in 2014. I had met her a bunch of times prior and asked her. She said yes and the rest is history. My favourite song off Chromatica is “Sine From Above.”

What’s next for you? Are you working towards another EP or perhaps an album?!

I’m working on a bunch of new music. No release date yet but it will be worth the wait I promise. We are gonna do this right this time!

Continue Reading