Quebec City duo, 28. & The.Blind.Monkey have unveiled their second single, “Say That You Love Me”, from their upcoming EP, Listen To Your Art, set for release in March 2022. The new track was produced by 28. and also features backing vocals from artist Erika Zarya.
The duo is composed of rapper and producer Simon Turcotte (28.) and rapper Sébastien Roy (The.Blind.Monkey). Together they co-founded the production studio, I-Rise before forming the creative duo.
“Say That You Love Me” follows their single, “Night Nurse”, which was released last month. The song was written during a difficult period for the duo, while they re-examined their priorities and worked to better understand each other in order to continue their musical journey with respect and trust. The single is a call to the new generation’s thirst for love and acceptance, apparent on social media. This song is a reminder to keep our heads above the cloud of preconceived notions and redirect that attention to love and affection in all its complexity.
Check out “Say That You Love Me” below and find out more about the duo via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
We are two young and creative Quebec City native artists. It is all through high school that we both find a matching and discover our common love for music and passion for the grind of it. We quickly realize our complementary fits, and expose ourselves to a wide variety of ideas, styles and working techniques. Having lost his mother at the delicate age of 11, Monkey had to face dramatic change and deep sorrow at a much early phase in life. Bringing about himself an older and wiser spirit than his face could show, Monkey spontaneously delivered a contagious positive mindset whilst naturally focusing on the bigger and brighter picture, constantly upping his closer peers and loved ones. As of 28., he has always been deeply ingrained in his spiritual nature and the bigger nature, being complexly intertwined and affected by one another. Along his path, the number “28” has always seemed to be itching in the back of his mind and guiding him as a light which he was confident to follow- leading him all the way through his true purpose: music. As Twenny reached his teenage years, he constantly fought between his dreams and the common reality of his environment, ferociously attempting to blend them together in an unhealthy mix. It is then that he realized he had a choice to make and decided to make his dreams his own reality, from then on to the day he dies. Together, we have a mission to inspire all to grow and dedicate themselves to their dreams and ambitions, since anyone can become the living proof that “everything is possible if you believe and work hard enough”. It is first in 2013 that we are to accomplish 100% of our music production. We both are singer-songwriter of our own lyrics- and 28. is the exclusive producer and beat maker of all the instrumentals on which we appear. Our first album « The Blow Out », composed of 22 songs, finally came out during the spring of 2020: after years of performing our unreleased songs on multiple stages across their hometown of Quebec City. It is in 2019 that we first realize one of our early dreams by opening a studio and music label « I-Rise Records ». Since then 28. has taken the lead in managing and growing the company. He has coached a fair dozen of local Quebec City artists in the heart of St-Roch. In 2021, Twenny opened a second studio feets nearby to enlarge his fleet of upcoming and boiling talents. After years of hard work and improved methodology, our synergy remains our most brilliant asset and powerful weapon. Furthermore, our connection and shared intensity on stage have not, and will not, go unnoticed.
Tell us a bit about your writing style.
Our style is a perfect mix between the old school hip-hop and today’s. It’s a unique blend made out of vintage textures, powerful drum sounds and real instruments played by local musicians: guitar, bass, synthesizer, drums, and very often female back vocalists. Our writing style is also greatly versatile, you never know what to expect on the next song. Both MCs have influences from various styles and eras, going from underground Hip-Hop, to R&B, to Reggae. We can hear an interesting and unique sound that has not yet been visited in Quebec City.
Do you have any upcoming shows or live performances?
Our next show is March 30, 2022. All combined, we have been doing about a dozen gigs here and there in some dope venues in town and on university/college campuses in Quebec. Funny thing is, we have never done a live show since our first album came out due to COVID-19: meaning all our previous shows were total blind dates. We’ve been up on the stage since 2016 included, performing in front of fresh eyes and ears every time. Going out there and performing unknown songs is quite a challenge… Which one is going to bring this emotion? Which series of track combinations will be the best? How can we bring up a better performance? All those questions were arguably very hard to answer for obvious reasons. Certainly though, the challenge brought us to work harder and swallow the critics. Now, people love our energy and our connection on stage seems to be what gets the most attention: shooting lines back and forth at each other like kung-fu masters. We are very expressive, stylish and have constant practice time behind our preparation. Our shows are dynamic, and our catchy lines bring about an immersive experience you will not forget.
If you had to suggest only one song for a new listener, which would you choose?
We would definitely suggest our latest Single “Say That You Love Me”. The song is truly contagious as well as refined, catchy and energetic. Plus, it has that “good vibe” factor… We believe it’s a great way to get you started in our sonoric world.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian bands/artists, who are you current favourites?
28.
1. Magi Merlin
2. Érika Zarya
3. Arcade Fire
The.Blind.Monkey
1. Kardinal Offishal
2. The Weekend
3. Rascalz
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