Homelessness isn’t pretty. It needs a voice and the United Way is making a stand against poverty.
The Edmonton non-profit in partnership with St. Albert’s PlanIt Sound has launched the first My United Way Voice contest. The campaign asked emerging singer-songwriters to speak up about the issue of poverty through video submissions of their music.
Five finalists were selected and their videos are posted for online voting. They include pop artist Toxsic, rapper Rellik, spoken word artist Rayne, folk singer Emilie Louise, and St. Albert country artist Julia Nicholson.
R.J. Cui, CEO of PlanIt Sound, is providing studio time to create a polished version of the winner’s chart to be announced at the United Way’s Red Tie Gala on March 5, 2015.
“We had 35 entries. We were very happy with the numbers. We would have been happy to receive 15 to 20 entries,” Cui said.
“We knew there was a huge amount of talent in the area. But we were still blown away by the quality and amount of talent in the submissions – many who I had never heard of before.”
A great example of the dynamic input was Rellik a.k.a. Bill LeBlanc’s entry of My Voice in tackling poverty. Raised in a low-income family, LeBlanc knew first-hand the fears poverty creates.
Adding a graphic element to his submission, LeBlanc crafted and recorded his song in a couple of days before heading out to Mustard Seed Church to shoot the video, a meaningful locale to capture the face of poverty.
“He’s very hip hop. He’s very catchy. His lyrics are well thought out and he shot the video and took time to go to the community. We like the honesty and the grittiness. His understanding of poverty and going out to seek it was something we were impressed with,” Cui added.
Toxsic’s Make a Change presented a completely different genre and feel
“He’s definitely more pop oriented. I like the dynamics of him singing and rapping and bringing in a female to sing with him. He’s definitely uplifting. We didn’t want just gloom and doom. Toxsic shows a positive light, something inspiring and uplifting.”
In Broken Souls and Shoelaces, Emilie Louise presents a busker singing for coin on a cold snowy day. Shot in black and white, the camera follows a young woman walking the streets struggling to find work or a warm place to stay warm.
“She has a beautiful tone to her voice. I can see her with her guitar captivating audiences. She took time to do the video and quotes relatable ideas about poverty.”
Cui instead describes Rayne a.k.a. William Rayne Strongheart as an outstanding spoken word vocal performer.
“He has to be. It’s just him with no background. Just you and the story, and he has a compelling story. He not only has profound abilities to know when to delve into the song, but he knows when to pause and change the dynamics of a statement.”
And finally, Julia Nicholson in Better Life borrows a leaf from the humble platform of roots singers.
“You hear the first few seconds and you know she’s an artist. She plays guitar and she has the ability to get big and dynamic and then pull back and be intimate.”
Cui was asked if he felt any one artist would scoop the campaign.
“Having reviewed who I thought would be in the top five, I change my mind from minute to minute. I cannot pick a favourite, and that’s the beauty of this project. It’s in the hands of the community. They get to pick who makes an emotional connection with them.”
The winning presentation receives a $5,000 prize package that includes studio time.
The deadline for online voting is Jan. 19. Voters can place one vote per artist per day at www.myunitedwayvoice.ca.
