12/7/2023 0 Comments Canadian pop stars![]() ![]() On that stage, backed by the members of BadBadNotGood, Mustafa cemented his position as an artist without parallel. When Mustafa finally brought the songs home again, for a performance at Massey Hall (a venue just a stone's throw from Regent Park), the outpouring of collective mourning and love was palpable. The songs memorializing the lives of his friends - the ones he lost and the ones who grieve with him - reverberated off ceilings in cities far away from the violence that took them. Mustafa spent most of this year far from Regent Park, the Toronto neighbourhood whose stories he paints vividly on his debut. He had stints in London, Paris and Los Angeles where he performed the songs live for the first time in intimate spaces and cathedrals. But the pop hits he helped write are in stark contrast to the complex folk odes he would pen as he released years of pent-up rage and despair into the songs on When Smoke Rises. He was virtuosic and young when he was first discovered, and in recent years, has written songs for artists including the Weeknd and Selena Gomez under the tutelage of super-producer and fellow Toronto native Frank Dukes. Early singles released in 2020 were signs of a promising new artist, and when Mustafa dropped the entire project in May, accolades spilled in from the likes of the New York Times, Pitchfork and the Guardian. The album was also our introduction to Mustafa the singer, as he carves out his own place in the Canadian music landscape, but beforehand we knew him as a poet. Mustafa's debut, When Smoke Rises, is a singular album that explores the nuances and tragedy of life in the hood in an entirely new context, and an album that CBC Music named the best of the year. Who were some of your favourite new artists of 2021? Share with us at Mustafa 1 album of the year is a debut release from a relatively new solo artist.īelow, we've highlighted 10 Canadian artists who truly broke out this year, whether it was wowing us with a debut album, taking home a prestigious prize or achieving viral success online. Between features like Beyond the 6, Songs You Need to Hear and our latest season of The Intro, 2021 has been filled with wonderful musical discoveries. Every year, CBC Music searches far and wide for the best in music, but especially for bright new talent. ![]()
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