QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL hosts its inaugural event in downtown Toronto with some of the city’s top Queer artists, including JUNO-nominated Tafari Anthony, Michelle Mondesir, IAMREBELWILL, and Cory Stewart.
Toronto’s music scene is gaining a new outlet for Queer musicians come January 26, 2023, with the inaugural QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL presented by pop musician Cory Stewart. Featuring a lineup of some of the city’s top Queer talent, including Michelle Mondesir, IAMREBELWILL, Tafari Anthony, and Stewart, QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL will provide a platform outside for Pride celebrations for Queer musicians to be seen, heard, and celebrated.
With 92% of LGBT consumers considering themselves passionate music fans (GLAAD, 2016), QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL fills a huge void in the Toronto Queer music community. Taking place in the Queer-owned and operated new west-end hot spot Boombox Toronto (647 College Street), the evening promises to be a community-building extravaganza for both performers and attendees alike.
QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL initially began in 2020 as an online artist community, in which Cory Stewart hosted special guests such as music PR expert Eric Alper and 604 Records (Marianas Trench, Carly Rae Jepsen) President Jonathan Simkin for Q&A style sessions. The monthly event provided an opportunity for 2SLGBTQIA+ indie artists to get a peek behind the curtain of the music industry through an intimate and informal chat with numerous industry experts.
“Both being Queer and trying to navigate the music industry can make a person feel very isolated. The vision with QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL is to provide a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ artists and music fans to connect and feel a sense of community – all while enjoying some of the best artistry our city has to offer,” says Cory Stewart. “As wonderful as Pride celebrations are, there are few platforms servicing the needs of our community the other 11 months of the year and my hope is that this may provide an answer to that problem.”
Tickets for QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL ($15 advance, $20 door) are now on sale at www.queermusicsocial.com.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Michelle Mondesir (MM): Sure! My name is Michelle Mondesir. I’m a Toronto-based non-binary singer, songwriter, producer, and the owner of Poetic Groove Productions. I am primarily a Neo-soul/Alt-R&B artist, however, I am also the lead singer, keyboardist, and co-songwriter/lyricist in the Toronto-based Alt-Pop Rock band Madame Psychosis.
IAMREBELWILL (RW): Hey world, I go by IAMREBELWILL; proud black queer Canadian artist! I’m so glad to be a part of the Queer Music Social! It’s going to be an amazing show, I hope to see you there!
Tafari Anthony (TA): Hey, I’m Tafari Anthony, your next queer indie pop obsession.
Cory Stewart (CS): I’m Cory, a pop singer/writer- the best way I can think to describe my music is witty, snarky, and sometimes thoughtful songs that make you smirk.
You’re participating in the upcoming Queer Music Social event on January 26. Care to share how you feel about this event?
MM: I’m very excited to be a part of the first-ever Queer Music Social event. I haven’t had a lot of recent opportunities to perform my R&B solo works, and I’m really looking forward to taking in and being a part of this amazing line-up that Cory Stewart has put together!
RW: I’m honestly so excited about the show. It’s the first of the year, and it feels good to usher in the new year with my community and the artists I respect and love.
TA: I’m excited to be part of this event as my first performance of the year. It feels special to be doing this with a bunch of other indie queer artists. I think it sets up the tone of the year nicely.
CS: Throughout the end of last year, I was touring the US through a similar initiative I co-founded called QUEERANTINE with my NYC artist friend Kisos. I wanted to bring the concept to Canada because we really do lack performance opportunities for Queer Indie musicians outside of Pride events. I’m so excited to be able to make this happen at home in Toronto — starting off 2023 with a bang!
What can we expect from your setlist for the event?
MM: As I’ve been primarily focusing on Madame Psychosis songwriting and performing over the course of 2020-2022, I’ll be focusing my performance on releases from 2019 and 2020, bringing to the forefront some of the most loved releases from that time.
RW: Sex. Lol! Just kidding. It’s a blend of songs from my latest project, “RebelFuturism” and covers. I wanted a chance to showcase the many facets of myself. So it’s high energy, sensual, and very queer.
TA: I’m going to be giving y’all a very intimate set, with some old favourites and a few unreleased songs from the upcoming album… which I haven’t performed live yet!
CS: I’m from the Bette Midler school of performance (i.e., I grew up watching her concerts on VHS), so I try to make my sets a bit of a story interwoven with some laughs and camp. So essentially, a less attractive but still talented drag queen.
There is a great lineup of artists for the event. Who are you excited to check out?
MM: I am honestly thrilled to finally take in the live performances of all artists included in the line-up! I have been personally following the careers of each artist and truly admire each one of them for their spectacular talents!
RW: It’s an amazing line-up, but I’m so excited to see my boo, Tafari Anthony. I can’t wait to hear some of the new tracks he’s been working on. I got a preview, and yup, he’s done it again!
TA: I feel like you’re trying to get me in trouble with this question… because I’m excited to see everybody! These are all artists that I’ve known about for a while, one of which I’ve worked with before. But I’ve never seen them perform live, so I think it’ll be a great show!
CS: Selfishly, I built this lineup stacked with people I’ve wanted to see perform for ages! My hope with QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL is that we can continue to make this event happen in the city, so I can indulge myself in watching all my favourite Queer Canadian talent shine on stage.
The event takes place at Boombox Toronto, which is a Queer-owned and operated new west end hot spot. Has having this new venue changed the performance dynamic for you?
MM: Definitely! I think it is so important to have spaces where queer artists and patrons of all categorizations can come together, share, and be authentically us without judgment or fear of alienation. I’ve also never performed here, so it’ll be a first!
RW: I think it’s important that we not only have queer spaces but queer spaces that are inclusive of all who fit under the LGBTQIA+ and allies. To be able to help usher in a new era of queer artists is truly an honour!
TA: To be honest, I only recently found out about this venue, but I think it’s great to have another queer-owned space that supports queer musicians and art.
CS: I had been searching for a while to find a spot that was Queer owned and operated to make this event happen because I really do think it is important to support our community to help it grow. As soon as I walked into this space, I knew it was the one — the vibes are on point, and interestingly, Little Italy is where I first moved to in the city, so it’s sentimental too!
What other types of events would you like to see in Canada’s Queer music scene?
MM: I’d like to see more events like this one as well as networking events that include consistent representation of LGBTQQIP2SAA and non-binary POC and non-POC artists of all genres that will allow for a true cohesive artistic community.
RW: Simply, I want to see more events that cater to the different facets of the community. We don’t all fall into a box. So it’s important.
TA: It would be amazing to see an event that can showcase queer musicians, drag artists, visual artists, and more all in the same event. Kind of a way to get a bunch of different queer art in one space that can co-exist together. I think it would open people’s eyes a lot more to what’s out there in the queer art space.
CS: More events focusing on artistry, in general, would be amazing! We’ve all been through a lot over the past few years, but this community is resilient and strong. It’s up to us to create these spaces, and my hope is that we see many other community-grown events popping up right alongside QUEER MUSIC SOCIAL!
Last but not least, what is your goal for 2023?
MM: My current goals for 2023 include a 3rd studio album with Madame Psychosis, more performances around the GTA and beyond (both solo and with MP), and, if possible, the release of at least one solo R&B single.
RW: I will be working on my new project this year as well as solidifying an IAMREBELWILL TOUR. Stay tuned loves!
TA: My goal for 2023 is to keep finding more balance in my life; between doing music, seeing friends and family, time with my partners, and, oh yeah, putting out my first full-length album!
CS: I’m dropping an EP called SH/EETS on Jan 27, 2023, that you can pre-order/save now – beyond that, I’m hoping to take this year to write more music, perform and be a little self-indulgent (well, a lot self-indulgent if I’m honest hehe).