You may recognize Toronto, ON-based artist, Adrian Mitchell from his previous band, NEW CITY. Adrian left the band in 2019 and is continuing his journey solo and on an independent path. Today, he has unveiled his single, “Natural High“. The single incorporates live instrumentation, such as groovy bass lines, rich saxophone, unique guitar riffs, and his soulful vocals. He speaks to a vulnerable side of himself which he has never expressed before, diving deeper into themes of love & commitment.
Adrian shares,
“Natural High is a combination of everything I’m inspired by, and is just the start of so much music I’m excited to release”
Check out the lyric video for “Natural High” below and find out more about Adrian via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I would love to! My name is Adrian Mitchell and I’m a singer/songwriter from Toronto. I have my first single out now called, “Natural High”, and I hope anyone reading this will have a listen to it!
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
With this new music, I’ve been pouring myself into a combination of R&B, Soul, Pop, and Jazz, which are all genres I’ve always loved and felt the most inspired by. I don’t want to necessarily put my sound into any box just yet, as I’m still getting my feet wet with experimentation. Which is actually a really cool spot to be in.
My writing style is really organic, the lyrics and melody usually all come together in about an hour. I try not to have any notes going into the studio, I like to let whatever is inspiring me in the moment that day just kinda flow out of me. For example with, “Natural High”, I was in a really passionate mood that day and wanted to create a song that represented the love I was feeling for my girlfriend. The whole song just flowed out of me in around 45 minutes. Then myself and the producers, Tyler TSang & Andrew Afework, dove right into the post-production and built up the sound from there!
It’s also a bit like therapy for me in a way. When I feel like I have a lot on my mind, that’s when I love to get into the studio and let it all out. Then once I’m done writing the song, I always feel like a weight’s been lifted, I just feel like lighter, I can’t really explain it.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
Right now, I’m focused on releasing a lot of music during the second half of 2020. I have so much I want people to hear, and then I’ll be hopping into the live side of things. Which is just as exciting as the studio for me, they both get my adrenaline going. So stay tuned on all of my socials @adrianmitchell for all my new music and for when the show dates start to release!
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
Well, since I only have one song out right now, it would have to be “Natural High” haha! I feel it shows everything I love sonically and lets you into my mind as an artist. So if you haven’t listened to “Natural High” after you’re done reading this, go check it out!
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
I love how much Canadian music has just exploded. Drake, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, and a ton more are just killing it right now. Makes me feel even more proud to be Canadian.
One artist that I’ve stumbled upon recently who I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from is the band “jacksoul” the lead singer Haydain Neale, who has now passed away, had such a unique sound and vision for the music. I’ve been bingeing all of their old interviews. Really cool band! I remember hearing them when I was a kid in the late ’90s & early 2000s, then recently heard them on the radio again, I think it was the song “Can’t Stop” I just literally started jamming out to it in my kitchen and it has been my go-to feel-good song for the last couple weeks!