Teaming up with JayWood, Indigenous artist Ethan Lyric shares new single/music video
Winnipeg-based Indigenous indie-pop artist Ethan Lyric teamed up with JayWood on his lead single, “I Love You More.” The single is from Ethan’s upcoming EP, Saskatoon Berries.
Ethan shares,
“’I Love You More’ was written after watching the show Heartstopper and was inspired by my real-life views on love. I think this single shows off the simplicity of love while growing up and just how easy it can feel. The song works to encapsulate the memories you may have of when everything reminds you of a person, and everything you do seems dull in comparison to them. Not being able to put into words how you feel about someone is a common occurrence, and I guess my way of dealing with that is writing a song like this.”
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Ethan Lyric I’m an Indigenous singer-songwriter out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. I love to create fun and simple music that anyone can connect with and hopefully creates a momentary escape from the complexity of daily life. I grew up in the art scene of Winnipeg doing acting and filmmaking, which later led to me finding my love for music. The arts scene in Winnipeg, I always like to say, fosters the best musicians partly because of how warm and inviting the scene is and partly because there is nothing better to do here than make good art. I hope my music can bring you a little piece of Winnipeg, my Indigenous worldview, and everything else that comes together to make my songs mine.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
“I Love You More” is the first single off my upcoming EP “Saskatoon Berries” and was written after watching the show “Heartstopper”. The track was produced by one of my favourite local artists, JayWood, who helped bring out the indie quality that was hard to grasp when it was just me in my bedroom. I think the song encapsulates the feeling and simplicity that young love can offer that often feels missing as we get older. I hope the song can bring you back to memories of being so in love with someone that everything you do seems to remind you of them. Not being able to put into words how you feel about someone is a common occurrence, and I guess this song was my way of doing that.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
For this song specifically, it came mainly from the TV show “Heartstopper”, but I would say that it is fairly rare for me to take influence from media like that. I think more often, my music comes from just whatever is on my mind at any given moment. I like to say that it often feels like I’m not even the one writing the songs, my subconscious is. The words like to just fall out of my mouth, even sometimes it takes me some time to realize what I was truly trying to say with each song.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
This summer I had the chance to play lots of shows across Manitoba, from small local gigs to festivals. I even had the chance to play The Winnipeg Folk Festival as part of the Young Performers program. Upcoming, I have a tour across four different reservations alongside fellow Indigenous musicians Don Amero and Troy Kokol. As well I hope I am able to tour many places outside Manitoba alongside these new releases.
What’s your goal for 2024?
My big goal for 2024 I think is to just find people who really connect with this music. I feel like my goals are always shifting for what I want out of this industry but right now my hope is just that my music can make people as happy as it makes me doing it.