Similar yet different, Tanika Charles and STORRY are musically elegant with powerful voices that glide seamlessly over a song. Gifted, battle tested and fiercely independent, they also refuse to be boxed into one genre or discipline.
These two amazing recording artists are giving Canadian music new life and will provide a taste of their soul and R&B in a concert at the Arden Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 28. Based out of Toronto, this is their debut tour, a five-stop event from Sydney, BC to St. Albert.
Tanika Charles, a beautiful soft-spoken woman with a dynamic voice, can be surprisingly abrasive and honest describing her vulnerabilities. She leans naturally into soul and R&B and when listening to her sing, one hears a dreamy vibe reminiscent of Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Charles, who grew up in Edmonton surrounded by a musical family, started singing while in the single digits. Her older brother Rudy, a music producer, encouraged and coached his younger sister.
“And it became my life,” she said simply. So far, the soul/R&B powerhouse has released three studio albums. The first two were Soul Run (2017) and Gumption (2019), both listed for Polaris Prize and Juno nominations.
Her 2022 album release is Papillon de Nuit: The Night Butterfly. The 10-track's title was inspired during a conversation with a friend in Paris after sunset.
“He was swatting at this creature, and I asked if it was a moth. Instead, he described it as a papillon de nuit, a beautiful description for a not-so-lovely creature that transformed and went through a rebirth. I felt that what the moth went through, I too went through dark times before completing my album,” Charles said.
The dynamic singer-songwriter was on a high after Soul Run received critical acclaim and an overwhelming response in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. She repeated the magical blend of classic Motown soul and 21st century production values with Gumption. However, the pandemic shut down any possibility of touring. Unable to tour, the album nearly disappeared from headlines and Charles returned to Edmonton to be with family.
While dealing with career-associated depression, Safe Space Records sent her a package of music. Leafing through it, she realized that music was reigniting a creative spark.
“I realized that writing was therapeutic. I was able to write the songs quickly and I realized if you’re not mentally stable, it’s hard to cope. I’ve created three albums and I’m going to do other albums until I can’t think anymore or can’t tour anymore."
STORRY
“Resilience” is STORRY’S mantra. From a straight-A student to opera trainee to exotic dancer to yoga acolyte, STORRY has crammed more in her lifetime than most people her age.
Showcasing a classically trained soprano voice, STORRY is a Juno-nominated artist who performs arias with as much confidence and vocal elasticity as hip hop, R&B and gospel. Balancing a beautiful voice, her lyrics are written and sung with a raw, unflinching look at life.
A multi-faceted performer, she writes, visualizes and produces all her music. Among a list of honours, STORRY’s video for Up, a claymation short, won the Best Editing Award from the Montreal International Wreath Film Festival. She also received two Juno nominations for her reggae recording single, Another Man, and for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year CH III (Chapter 3): The Come Up.
Born in Canada to Lebanese-Greek parents, Dina Koutouflakis grew up in a chaotic family where financial worries overshadowed quality of life. Despite family pressures, both parents supported her love of music.
Taking her love of music to the next level, STORRY studied opera for one year at Vanier before transitioning to the University of Toronto.
“I got these chops trying to diversify the way we use our voice. I got into rock, reggae, gospel and I’ve been all over the world,” STORRY said.
While attending university, the gender-fluid artist formed a relationship with a man who introduced himself as a producer. Within five months, the relationship had become abusive as he pushed her into working as an exotic dancer. Typical of toxic relationships, he controlled her finances and the rights to her music, as well as social contacts with family and friends.
After eight years, they parted ways and STORRY left on a three-month journey to India to cleanse her emotions and study yoga. When she returned to Toronto, the decision to make music her life was cemented.
In the debut 2020 album, CH III: The Come Up, STORRY based it on her own experiences – that of a woman leaving the sex industry determined to succeed in the music industry, only to discover both are equally misogynistic and problematic.
“I drew parallels and it was disheartening. As a person writing an album it was a healing process. I had just gotten out of an abusive relationship and realized I was sex trafficked. This album was therapy for me.”
STORRY has since released Interlude-19 and on Tuesday, Jan. 24, four days prior to her concert at the Arden with Tanika Charles, she will release the deluxe edition of her album, CH III: The Come Up.
“If you have reservations about our concert, try and come out. I know whoever comes out will enjoy the show. Tanika and I will give our all and we will be authentic.”
The double bill is Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arden theatre, 5 St. Anne Street. Tickets are $36 plus charges. Call 780-459-1542 or online at www.tickets.stalbert.ca.
