Montreal, QC-based French-Moroccan artist, Nora Toutain has unveiled her debut music video and single, “Bad at Love” on November 29, 2019, which was produced by Busty and the Bass member, Chris Vincent. The release is off of her upcoming album, Grounding Place Vol. 1 which is set for release in Spring 2020.
Check out the video for “Bad at Love” below and find out more about Nora via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers.
Hey! I’m Nora Toutain, a singer, songwriter, and performer from Morocco/France, based in Montreal.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
My music is an expression of my eclectic cultural background and influences. I was born and raised in Morocco, but I also lived in India for three years before moving to Canada to study at McGill.
I grew up listening to all styles of music, like soul, blues and jazz, but also western classical music, traditional Arabic, African and Indian music, reggae, and rock, just to name a few.
My writing style is very intuitive and organic. My ideas always stem from life experiences, that can inspire a melody or a chord progression, and I usually feel a rhythm or groove that sets the mood for what can potentially become a song.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
I do actually! My next show on Dec 14th, at Quai des Brumes, and it’ll be an acoustic version of my usual set.
When I play live, I want to be authentic and create an experience for the audience, with my sound, my message, and the energy emitting from the band. It’s a sacred moment that is shared on stage among us, that we communicate to the audience, who in turn participate and play a crucial role in the process!
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
It would be Grounding Place, because of the message it carries.
I wrote this at a time when I had doubts and fears in my life, and this song came to me as an antidote to these feelings we all have at some point or another.
This song was created therapeutically, for myself, but now I realize how powerful a message it can be to everyone.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
Good question!
Shay Lia, Kaytranada, Daniel Caesar, Anomalie, Busty and the Bass, Charlotte Day Wilson, Mallika Tirolien…