Tuesday, April 17, 2012
T. Mills Pleases Female Fans during Canadian Music Week
What started out as a rocky trip with lost luggage at the airport, ended with a packed show at Toronto’s Opera House for Travis Tatum Mills, the Riverside California pop-rapper, better known as T. Mills.
“I love Canada. Every time I come here, it’s super amazing. Toronto shows me so much love,” says Mills, who is in town for Canadian Music Week (CMW). The 22-year-old artist is not only in town to perform but to take in new Canadian artists during his first time at CMW, he explains. “I’m excited for all the new music that I’m going to discover this week.”
His enthusiasm to discover new music makes sense, given T. Mills’ own unique sound which cannot be categorized into any set genre. He blends pop, hip-hop and rock to create his own lane of music based on his own personal influences. “I don’t feel like it is something that is manufactured. I try not to think too much, so when I go into the studio, I’m not approaching a song like, ‘I want it to have this element, with a little bit of this,’ I just listen to what’s in front of me, and work with what I have and what’s in my head.”
Mills grew up listening to a variety of artists from all genres, aiding him to create the music that he does. Musicians such as Queen, Elvis, Blink-182, Lykke Li, The Smiths, Placebo, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q have all influenced and musically inspired Mills. Because Mills intertwines various genres of music, he finds that his fans are diverse and that there is no specific “T. Mills fan prototype”. The most rewarding experience, he says, is when someone he would never picture to listen to his music stops him to let him know they like what he does.
In 2011, Mills released Leaving Home, an EP which earned him an MTVU Woodie Award nomination, and a serious fan following. He is now in the process of completing his first full-length studio album that will be released by Columbia Records later this year.
“I feel like Leaving Home was a huge leap for me, and the new album, which is untitled, it’s the same, I just keep progressing,” explains Mills. “I’m excited to go home and finish it. I’m a little more than halfway done. This album is for me, it’s what I’ve been working so hard for. I just want people to accept it and to understand what I’ve been doing with my life and how I’ve been living my life through music. I’m maturing as a person so my lyrical content is going to step up as well. That’s why on Leaving Home, I had some serious songs, I had some slow songs, some love songs, and that’s important because I don’t want any of my songs to ever sound the same. I want to be a well-rounded artist,” says Mills. “As my life progresses and dips and rises, I want my music to do the same.”
T. Mills has been in the studio working with artists such Boi-1da, Kane and T Wiz on the untitled album. He is also continuing touring for the next eight months.
Before the show, T. Mills interacts with fans at the city’s Community 54 venue during a meet and greet presented by iLuvLola and Community 54. Fans Kaitlin Lowry and Alessia Dall’Agnese waited 11 hours to be first in the line to meet their favourite artist. The two teens say they are drawn to T. Mills’ original style and carefree attitude. “He doesn’t copy any other artist. He’s original, and he does his own thing. “Smoke and Mirrors” is an amazing song and I think it relates to anyone. It’s a good confidence booster,” says Lowry.
By nighttime Opera House is predominantly full of screaming adolescent females who sing along to every word of Mills’ lyrics as he performs tracks like “Scandalous”, “Vans On” and “She Got A…”. “You all know T. Mills shows are for the ladies right?” he says to the crowd, as the young girls lose their minds. With nothing accompanying him on stage, it is obvious nothing more is needed, as T. Mills’ stage presence commands the full attention of the packed crowd who rocked out with him
Photo By. Adrian McKenzie
ReelWorld Film Festival
This week, Toronto welcomes the 12th Annual ReelWorld Film Festival, which was founded by actress Tonya Lee Williams, to celebrate diversity in film. This Friday, at Famous Players Canada Square Cinemas at 8:30 p.m., Kardinal Offishall and RT! will be hosting the festival’s annual Music Video Night as part of the five-day event.
Attendees can expect music videos from a wide range of genres by Canadian artists and directors from all over the country, including Classified, Fefe Dobson, Shad, Rich Kidd and A-Game among many others.
Cazhhmere, a Toronto director who has worked on videos for Classified, Masia One and Choclair has gained a relationship with ReelWorld for many years. She was asked to program this year’s event, as she found that there is not as much acknowledgement of the art of music videos by the film community.
“Nobody that has a specialty in the genre of music videos and I felt that that was reflective in previous years and I wanted to shed a little but more light on what’s out there from Canadian filmmakers that are making music videos,” she says. “It was not on people’s radar. There aren’t a lot of festivals that acknowledge music videos as a film medium. Some people don’t take music videos seriously. They look at it as commercials for artists and that’s not really what it is. Most directors don’t know that there are festivals out there like the ReelWorld that are dedicated to the work that we do.”
With events such as Music Video Night, Cazhhmere hopes to draw attention to the program and aid in giving a voice to the medium of music videos.
Canadian pop artist, Anastasia will debut the music video for her new single “Kiss & Tell” at Friday’s event, a video that she describes as fun and flirty. She says that festivals and events like Music Video Night at the ReelWorld are important for artists like her to showcase what they can bring to the table and give them a platform to release their material.
“It brings everyone together and I think the most important part of being involved in art, film or music is bringing people closer together and connecting people through music or film so I think that holding a festival like this is very important. People need to come together and to collaborate and share their experiences and their talents and bring it all together into one big festival.”
Host Kardinal Offishall will be premiering a short film which he wrote, directed and starred in, and is using as a promotional platform for the release of his upcoming album, Mr. International; following that he will participate in a Q&A session with the audience.
Both Cazhhmere and Anastasia say they look forward to attending other ReelWorld events taking place this week, such as the film screening of LUV, a feature film starring rapper/actor Common, which will kick-off the festival as the opening gala at Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Cinemas on Yonge & Sheppard at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11.
For a complete listing of ReelWorld events and programming, visit www.reelworld.ca
Attendees can expect music videos from a wide range of genres by Canadian artists and directors from all over the country, including Classified, Fefe Dobson, Shad, Rich Kidd and A-Game among many others.
Cazhhmere, a Toronto director who has worked on videos for Classified, Masia One and Choclair has gained a relationship with ReelWorld for many years. She was asked to program this year’s event, as she found that there is not as much acknowledgement of the art of music videos by the film community.
“Nobody that has a specialty in the genre of music videos and I felt that that was reflective in previous years and I wanted to shed a little but more light on what’s out there from Canadian filmmakers that are making music videos,” she says. “It was not on people’s radar. There aren’t a lot of festivals that acknowledge music videos as a film medium. Some people don’t take music videos seriously. They look at it as commercials for artists and that’s not really what it is. Most directors don’t know that there are festivals out there like the ReelWorld that are dedicated to the work that we do.”
With events such as Music Video Night, Cazhhmere hopes to draw attention to the program and aid in giving a voice to the medium of music videos.
Canadian pop artist, Anastasia will debut the music video for her new single “Kiss & Tell” at Friday’s event, a video that she describes as fun and flirty. She says that festivals and events like Music Video Night at the ReelWorld are important for artists like her to showcase what they can bring to the table and give them a platform to release their material.
“It brings everyone together and I think the most important part of being involved in art, film or music is bringing people closer together and connecting people through music or film so I think that holding a festival like this is very important. People need to come together and to collaborate and share their experiences and their talents and bring it all together into one big festival.”
Host Kardinal Offishall will be premiering a short film which he wrote, directed and starred in, and is using as a promotional platform for the release of his upcoming album, Mr. International; following that he will participate in a Q&A session with the audience.
Both Cazhhmere and Anastasia say they look forward to attending other ReelWorld events taking place this week, such as the film screening of LUV, a feature film starring rapper/actor Common, which will kick-off the festival as the opening gala at Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Cinemas on Yonge & Sheppard at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11.
For a complete listing of ReelWorld events and programming, visit www.reelworld.ca
Local artists bring diversity to Canadian Music Fest
The McKee Agency hosted its third annual showcase during the 30th annual Canadian Music Week Festival on the third floor of Faces Nightclub on Saturday, March 24. Featured artists ranged from Peter Jackson and Raz Fresco to Queen of Hearts. McKee, a booking agency founded by Chris McKee which represents North American hip-hop, R&B and pop artists, delivered the audience an energy–filled, genre-blending event.
Special guests R&B artists Rufus and Tuzzy both performed with sweet, soulful vocals, while the triple threat group Queen of Hearts charmed the audience with its pop melodies, dance and beauty. Raz Fresco added his hip-hop flare to the mix as he grabbed the microphone, ready to shut the place down. He commanded the attention of the venue and brought along Bakers Club brothers, The 6th Letter, Chill Will and Prime rapper Buck Rogers to perform new material off his upcoming mixtape Cakey Pocket$.
Peter Jackson and dancehall artist Trinity Chris closed off the show allowing attendees to dance, with their upbeat energetic sets and powerful voices, which boomed through the nightclub. The McKee Agency showcase was an opportunity to celebrate Toronto music, and succeeded by bringing together talented artists of various genres.
