Puma June Sheds the Past on New Single “Glass Curtain”
Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Shanti Abbott, also known as Puma June, evokes a hopeful sadness through her introspective songwriting. A self-taught guitarist and Suzuki-trained violinist, she has a dreamy yet rich, experimental chamber-pop style with a sprinkle of R&B.
The “emerging Canadian artist you need to hear” (Exclaim!) wants to continue to change the conversation in pop music – pushing discussions on the hard truths and painful pasts that shape us into the people we become. She focuses on familial trauma, with her music centered around regaining power and recognizing the duality of people.
“Glass Curtain” is ultimately about shedding the weight of the darkness of the past.
“My sister, brother, and I didn’t have an easy childhood,” Puma June discloses about the new single. “This song started as an apology to my siblings for how much pain they felt, and my own feeling of helplessness to take that hurt away. It grew into more of a call for us to come together and let [it all] go.”
Watch the video for “Glass Curtain” below and learn more about Puma June via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hey, I’m Puma June, a Toronto-based soul pop/R&B artist. I am a vocalist, songwriter, producer, Suzuki-trained violinist, self-taught guitarist, and pianist. I grew up surrounded by eclectic styles of music, from big jazz vocalists like Aretha Franklin to old school Folk like Gordon Lightfoot to pop punks like Avril Lavigne. I think that the range of artists has really shaped the way that I blend genres in my music. I love pushing the boundaries and mixing styles, genres, and eras when I write. I spent my formative years writing music and getting involved in musical projects in my hometown of Barrie, Ontario. Most notably, I had a folk duo with my twin sister, initially known as “Shanti & Vale” and later “Concordia”, along with various other indie-rock bands and classical orchestras. I veered off my musical path for a time and began working as a nurse in 2020, helping me fund future musical plans. Around that time, I started exploring this new sound– my first solo project – called Puma June, pulling away from the folk-rock scene and mixing all the styles of my youth. I released my first single in November 2022, “Lost Years”, and have been consistently releasing since, with my most recent single, “Glass Curtain,” having been released on April 7th, 2023. I have lots more in the works, and I am looking forward to sharing more sides of Puma June.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
“Glass Curtain,” which I released on April 7th, is the second of three songs that I recorded in Montréal in July with an incredible group of jazz/indie musicians (along with “Holy” and another upcoming release). I was lucky enough to find some very talented musicians and a co-producer who brought my ideas to another level and really brought new life to the track. This song is deeply personal and meaningful to me. I wrote it initially as an apology to my siblings for the pain they experienced during some hard times we had growing up and my inability to take that pain away or help. As we have grown, the realities of that time have weighed us down – when the truth comes flooding into your mind in waves as an adult, it can be very heavy to take on and overcome. Ultimately, Glass Curtain is about shedding that weight together and the growth that is necessary and inevitable with the passing of time. For the music video, I really wanted to create a juxtaposition between the light and innocent parts of my youth and the resilient and powerful parts, coming out of my cocoon and shedding the weight as I have grown. It was a cool and rewarding experience to choreograph, direct and edit the music video myself, with mentorship from filmmaker Nathan Hughes-Berry, and to bring this vision to life. I learned so much, and I really enjoyed being involved in every part of the creative process.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
It sounds like a cop-out, but I really truly do pull inspiration from everywhere. Obviously, the music that I have released so far has been deeply personal and tied to feelings and experiences in my life, but the sparks of ideas for songs come from many places. I often find inspiration through images or sometimes even just words that are drawn in a beautiful way. The concept for Glass Curtain came from an image I saw on Pinterest of Steve Lacy standing behind a clear beaded curtain – once I had the spark (the title), I dug into what it meant to me. I am a very visual person and have always connected music with imagery or visuals in my head. I have even written songs to fit an idea that I have for the cover art or music video. I also often find inspiration from meaningful conversations with friends or family. I have rudely gone on my phone when someone is telling me something serious or sad because I love how they worded it, or an idea came to me that I needed to write down (or it would be lost forever). I think the more I have written, the better I have gotten at writing fictionally or from the perspective of someone else. Whether it’s a friend or a character in a movie or a made-up story in my head, I think once I have that spark, I just create the narrative that feels emotional and relatable – sometimes that is my own, and sometimes it is someone else’s.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I have a very fun show planned at Supermarket in Kensington Market in Toronto on June 3rd. It is going to be a night of women-led bands, which I am really excited about. I really love performing live, and I can’t wait to share some funky new songs with my full 8-piece band, which includes saxophone and two backing vocalists. My live sets are quite a bit more upbeat than anything I have released yet, with more funk and soul feel to them. I’ll be playing my released singles as well, of course. So, get ready to cry and then dance!
What’s your goal for 2023?
My biggest goal for 2023 is to record more music. I have written so many songs over the last year, and I can’t wait to share more of the sides of Puma June. I’ve got some exciting little projects cooking up, and I think my listeners are really going to like what’s in the works. I love the process of preparing to record, making demos, and working through how I want the track to sound. I want to keep learning and growing as a producer, so I can produce myself more in the future and potentially other artists. I feel the momentum and drive more than I ever have before, and I am excited to keep pushing forward and doing what I love.