Toronto Alternative R&B Artist Puma June Shares Bold Track “Bad Habits”
Puma June, an “emerging Canadian artist you need to hear” (Exclaim!), is a Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. With an eclectic array of influences from Stevie Wonder to Billie Eilish and everything in between, her music is a unique blend of pop, funk, hip-hop, and R&B – a genre-bending sound that is both nostalgic and distinctive to the listener. With a clear political point of view, Puma June’s feminist-laced songwriting pushes unfiltered honesty and centers around regaining power in one’s life, with a particular focus on women’s/gender issues, familial trauma, and the battle of self-doubt as an artist.
She entered 2024 as a Round 11 recipient of the RBCxMusic x The Prism Prize MVP Project Grant, which she used to make a music video for her single “My Body, My Problem,” released earlier this summer. Puma June has lots on the horizon for 2024, including being selected for SOCAN Foundation’s EquityXProduction Level II program, an initiative designed to help develop skills for women in music production, as well as one of RBCxMusic’s ‘First Up’ Artists for 2024, a prestigious artist development program and workshop series, powered by MusiCounts.
The latest single, “Bad Habits,” is an unapologetic jazz and hip-hop-infused pop track off her upcoming debut EP A Woman That They Want. The song’s themes explore the idea of bad habits being internal battles like self-hatred and shedding trauma, rather than solely the traditional idea of bad habits.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, my name is Puma June and I am a Toronto-based pop/R&B artist. I am a very eclectic, creative person from my fashion to my influences in music. I love to experiment and mix the unexpected. With inspiration from Stevie Wonder to Billie Eilish and everything in between, my music is a blend of pop, funk, hip-hop, and R&B. I grew up surrounded by music, training classically on violin for 12 years, and starting songwriting at age 8 with my twin sister. After being in various bands and orchestras throughout my formative years, the pressures of finding grounding and stability took over after highschool, and I veered away from music for a time. When I came back to it in 2021, I finally found my own voice, and started my first solo project, ‘Puma June’. I became very interested in the production side, and in 2022-2023 studied Independent Music Production at Seneca College. At the end of 2023, having released 4 singles and accompanying music videos, I received the MVP Project Grant through RBCXMusic X The Prism Prize. This was used in the making of the music video for my single, “My Body, My Problem” the first single off my debut EP that came out in June. This year, I was selected for the EquityXProduction Program through SOCAN Foundation, a development program for women in music production. I am also one of 30 people from around Canada chosen for this year’s RBCXMusic’s ‘First Up’ Program, a prestigious artist development program and workshop series. I am excited to continue to share my music and show more sides of who I am as an artist through my debut EP, coming out in early 2025.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
“Bad Habits” is an unapologetic jazz and hip-hop-infused track and is the third single off my debut EP. The lyrics explore the idea of bad habits as the internal battles of past trauma and self-image. My favourite quote is by a Persian poet called Hafiz and it is, “the words we speak become the house we live in”. In other words, way we talk to ourselves – negative self talk or victim mentality – is the space we create for ourselves. Then we allow people into our lives who confirm that low self-worth. “Bad Habits” is ultimately about shedding that bullshit, changing your mindset, and freeing yourself from places/people that make you feel like you have to dim who you are.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
I don’t have a particular method for songwriting, I find inspiration in many places and that sparks my writing process. I am a very visual person and am often very inspired by imagining what visuals could accompany music – I have written many songs based on an image on Pinterest that evoked a certain feeling or memory. I also make sure that I always take notes or voice memos in my day-to-day life – I never let something slip me by that inspires me. I have hundreds of voice memos and notes in my phone called “song starters” that I will pull up if I am looking for lyrical/melodic inspiration. I write primarily on piano and often find chords to fit a melody idea. I also have started writing about other people’s stories, rather than just my own. But my methods are always changing and no matter what I write about, I find meaning for myself in the words – even if they are not about a personal experience, there is personal feelings intertwined.
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 released the music video for “Bad Habits” on September 19th. I wanted to create another video with the incredible director from “My Body, My Problem”, Arden Grier, who is a Canadian based in Los Angeles. I visited California for a week and we filmed, edited and released the video all within that week while I was there. We wanted to do a film challenge and complete the video (filming and editing) within 72 hours. This was a huge challenge but was very rewarding and I’m so proud of what we created. We worked with a small but incredible team made up almost completely of women/non-binary folks. I am so passionate about creating with women/non-binary people/the LGBTQIA+ community, whose voices are often muffled in these industries. The music video itself is like a fever dream, getting deeper and more lost in the dream as each section of the song unfolds. We wanted to make something that was hugely about eccentric fashion, and like all the songs on this EP, it has a theme of unfiltered and unapologetic self-expression. I am looking forward to sharing the next single off the EP soon.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
As I mentioned, I took some time away from music after highschool. I completed a nursing degree at Western University and then moved back to Toronto to start my nursing career. Weeks after I started working at a hospital in Toronto, the pandemic hit. It was a very intense and difficult time in that industry. Through those difficult days in 2020, my partner’s mum gave me an electric piano she had bought for herself but never used. I had only played guitar and violin up to this point and wrote folk music primarily. I started playing piano and it opened up a whole new genre for me – I felt stuck writing with guitar and piano allowed me to finally find my own musical voice. I remember so clearly writing my first song on the piano, “Lost Years”, and realizing that music was the only thing that made me feel truly fulfilled. I still work as a nurse casually to pay my bills, but I haven’t looked back since I started playing piano and feel really driven to create a career for myself in music.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
I highly recommend the Palestinian-Canadian artist Nemahsis. She just released her debut album, Verbathim, and she is a truly independent artist who speaks her mind. Very inspiring as a person and as a creator.
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