NORA Releases Fierce Anthem, “Natural Disaster”
Braeden, also known as NORA, is a 24-year-old mixed-race artist hailing from Toronto. His eclectic musical style captivates listeners, seamlessly blending elements of punk rock, post-punk, shoegaze, post-rock, soft grunge, and surf rock. NORA’s debut EP, Strange to Bloom, has earned more than 500,000 streams to date.
In collaboration with BIG KILL’s Cayne McKenzie and Andrew Huckaliak (both formerly We Are The City), the new single “Natural Disaster” liberates the rebellious spirit within NORA.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Shout out to you if you made it this far in reading, thank you for your time. My real name is Braeden, and honestly, I’m not really good at playing any instruments. I’m also a pretty shitty singer, but I love to do it, so what more can I say? I grew up with my mom and sister; my sister helped me sculpt my diverse taste in music. For as long as I can remember, sound was always my everything, and at 12, I started writing music and put together a band with some friends. I’ve always just wanted to be heard and have my songs make others feel the way I felt when listening to some of my favourite songs. It took me years to write my first song, but that’s all I ever thought about and all I ever think about to this day… So now I’m here.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
My most recent release was a song called “Natural Disaster.” It’s basically just a “fuck you” to anyone who made us feel we are not enough, aka my boss at my day job at the time. It’s hard for me to stay focused being in a place where I don’t want to be, and my head is always just thinking about the next song I’m going to make, or the next show I’m going to play, or the next video I’m going to film. To most people on the outside, it’s quite the pipe dream, but I’ll die on this hill before I ever give up. I don’t need much in life other than music and creating art. This song is a reminder to always rise above and resist becoming a slave to the man or a victim of the system. Don’t allow anyone to diminish our worth or suffocate our dreams.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
For me, every song comes out differently or is put together in a different way. The song usually reflects how I’m feeling; if I’m sad, you can hear it; if I’m happy, you can hear it; if I’m worried about something, you can hear it. I write my lyrics usually throughout the day, every day. If you look at the notes on my phone, they are completely chaotic. Sometimes someone will say a specific phrase, then I write it down, and other ideas usually follow right after, or I witness a certain situation and try to capture that situation in the best words possible. I pretty much turn them into poems, and then I decide what lyrics I use depending on the instrumental in front of me, or if there’s something I really love, that I’ve written I’ll make the instrumental around the lyrics in my notes.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
I did release a music video for this song; one of my best friends Lebni Avitia (Heirmanos) is the one I have to thank the most for the visuals. Best director ever. He was able to capture the true essence of the song and put an amazing team together to shoot it. Truly a visionary and someone who is as passionate about his craft as I am about mine. I owe that guy a lot, and we have another video already in the works. There’s a lot more content coming soon; we are just beginning. In terms of shows, we just played the Velvet Underground with Wicca Phase Springs Eternal and 9 Million. There’s a recap of us playing “Natural Disaster” on my socials/website. We have an Ontario/Montreal tour lined up for May with one date in Vancouver.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
I think the biggest turning point of my career so far was when I linked up with Cayne McKenzie and Andrew Huculiak. We have a whole project coming together, and those guys have become some of my best friends. When working with them, they are able to bring out something special in me, and because of what we do together, it has inspired the people around me (Lebni) to make visuals that are truly timeless. Since they came into my life, it’s like people around me believe in my vision even more now. Truly grateful. Shortly after meeting them, I played the Opera House, which was a dream of mine, with Kenny Hoopla. That was a highlight for sure, and then another sold-out show two weeks later with Crawlers at the Hard Luck. Crawlers is one of my favourite bands, and they have the best fans. Same with Kenny Hoopla; Kenny inspired my live performance a lot, and I’ve been a fan forever of that guy. The show with Wicca Phase Springs Eternal (Adam), though, was my favourite show I ever played. It was sold out at the Velvet Underground, and I’ve been listening to him since he was in Tigers Jaw. So blessed to have played with some acts I’ve loved since high school, all within a year of forming NORA.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Cam Kahin, Cam Kahin, Cam Kahin. The OBGMS, The OBGMS, The OBGMS. Both of these groups are some of my favourite acts, period, and I’m honoured to consider them close personal friends. Massive shout out to 9 Million also, such an amazing group, and such talented individuals; they’ve been on repeat heavily recently. They’re on tour right now, and me and Matt Tomasi from 9 Million are planning to work on some tunes when he’s back this summer. I also gotta mention the Get Alongs; they just dropped such a sick album, and those dudes rock. Toronto has got a lot of talent. I’ve been loving Distraction4ever recently too from Montreal.