TORONTO, ontario
MEET ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT CALL TORONTO HOME...
Ross Medaglia is an emerging creative multi-hyphenate based in Toronto and hailing from Sault Ste Marie. Though he dabbles in music, photography and painting, his foundation is in graphic design.
Fabio Dessena is a UK-based model and rapper. With campaigns for Fred Perry and New Era under his belt and collaborations with Jimmy Prime on the horizon, his future looks (and sounds) very promising.
Sumiko Wilson is a student and writer based in Toronto. Since getting her start in poetry, she began to explore different forms of writing and finally decided to pursue journalism at Ryerson. She now writes a column for HOLR Magazine and contributes freelance content to NOW Magazine and NewInHomes, the Toronto Star’s real estate subsidiary.
Caitlin aka Theo is an emerging R&B singer and songwriter whose raw sound fits right into Toronto’s moody musical tapestry spearheaded by artists like The Weeknd.
Nader aka FunkyWhat is a forward-thinking beatmaker based in Montreal. The sophistication of his beats can be attributed to his background as a guitar player and his immersion in rock and skate culture. The amalgamation of these factors makes for stand-out hip-hop and R&B beats with an edge.
Audre is an emerging artist from Scarborough. She seamlessly switches from fire freestyles to silky vocals to tell unique stories and create well-rounded tracks. Her infectious energy is juxtaposed next to her smooth vocals and moody beats from her producer IVI.
By day, Sarah Barrable-Tishauer is a marketing consultant for major brands. By night, she is DJ Me Time, a self-proclaimed ‘bass witch’. Since her character Liberty Van Zandt graduated on Degrassi, she has spent a decade putting in work in the marketing industry and has recently transitioned to freelance life to make room for more Me Time practicing behind the decks.
Stats: 13.1K followers
IVI is a self-taught producer based in Scarborough. In contrast to some of his peers, IVI’s talents go beyond beatmaking. He works closely with artists to produce and develop their vocals, transforming a great beat into a great song.
Mookie Morris is a Canadian Idol alum with a laid-back, nostalgic musical style that spans far past the defunct show’s history. Mookie heads his own band, The Mooks, which features Owen Norquay on bass and Luis Figuero on drums. With Mookie on lead vocals and guitar, The Mooks evoke the ease of old-school rock with their own whimsical flair.
Luis Figuero is the dynamic drummer for The Mooks, which also features Mookie Morris on lead vocals and guitar and Owen Norquay on bass. The Mooks evoke the ease of old-school rock with their own whimsical flair.
In their Twitter bio, BizZarh describes themselves as ‘two intuitive girls from the hood’ but it’s clear that they are so much more. The genre-bending duo rap and sing over a diverse array of beats to create a variety of vibes that can’t be defined or contained.
Owen Norquay is a soulful,seasoned bass player with The Mooks, which also features Mookie Morris on lead vocals and guitar and Luis Figuero on drums. The Mooks evoke the ease of old-school rock with their own whimsical flair.
John Samuels aka Just John is one of the rappers at the forefront of Toronto’s DIY art scene. His distinct look merges contemporary, bold leather looks and more classic militant vibes. Meanwhile, his musical style often blends trap with jazz. In addition to his own musical projects, John is the founder of Blank Canvas, a multidisciplinary arts collective that doubles as a platform for underrepresented emerging artists. You can often spot him vibing out to his own music and rocking his signature beret.
Dom Dias works double time as a graphic designer by day and music producer by night. His intricate production paired with his hands-on recording approach always makes for A1 quality tracks that push Toronto’s sound into further greatness, just as he did in his collaborations with Just John, Don and the upcoming Don II.
Eric Richards is one of the creators of WIL Studios, a new menswear brand that offers a new take on everyday silhouettes. WIL, an acronym for What I Like, is favoured by Daniel Caesar, who collaborated with the brand to create tour merch commemorating his week-long Toronto stop last year. V Magazine declared WIL Studio’s to be “Canada’s next Supreme,” placing Eric and his co-founder Rahul Madan at the forefront of Toronto’s emerging streetwear scene.
Kim Esquila is a designer, DJ and event producer from Toronto. She has dabbled in fashion as a production assistant for Nomad and has collaborated with Soho House’s Monique Hinds and Thank You Kindly to create the Take-Out Social Club, where she championed IRL experiences with some of Toronto’s most prominent influencers.
According to Matthew, his job is to “kill fat & build some booties.” With that, Matthew Vautour is a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor based in Toronto. In the future Matthew has aspirations to eventually open his own training facility. But for now, after training sessions, he runs with Nike’s IN Run Crew, which he credits for normalizing LGBTQ+ folks in sports.
Beatrixx is a bicoastal beatmaker, originally from the Philippines. Just as she splits time between Toronto and Vancouver, between beats she moonlights as a graphic designer. As a woman in a very male-saturated industry, each of Beatrixx’s beats breaks barriers and bops.
Between working real-estate and studying business, Apolonia Rodrigues is a model and influencer based in Toronto. Apolonia’s influence spans beyond the timeline; she has done shoots for emerging Toronto designers like Mary Young, ultra-established brands like Nike and was profiled in High Snobiety’s Meet the Muse series.
Sisi Berhe is a PR maven who has quickly ascended from associate to executive with MSL Group, where she specializes in lifestyle, beauty and fashion. After her 9-5, she works with L’Ame Inconnue (Unknown Soul), a creative collective working to bring the designs of African designers to the forefront of the industry and to change the mainstream perception of African fashion. Staying true to her Eritrean roots, Sisi’s work with L’Ame Inconnue is setting the foundation for borderless future for African designers.
Imad Elsheikh is the man behind Pique, an online platform for emerging artists. While Pique was initially built around 15-second clips of each artist, in collaboration with Bell, it has since expanded into a central hub for events and exposure for creatives based within and beyond Toronto.
Imad Elsheikh and his platform Pique have a combined following of 7k with good engagement on each account. Each post averages 330 likes and 14 comments, with videos peaking at almost 800 views.
Jacqueline Ashton is a self-taught photographer and self-proclaimed ‘good gyal’ based in Toronto. Since studying film and dance in high school, she transitioned into photography, where she captures subjects through her signature raw, filmy lens. Her work has been featured by CBC, Vice, The Fader, Kastor and Pollux, and Lola Who.
Stats: Almost 10k Instagram followers.
On a timeline full of self-proclaimed photographers, Othello Grey stands out. As a self-taught photographer, each of his photos are infused with an inimitable coolness that you can’t scroll past without liking, screenshotting or wishing that you took it yourself.
As Othello gets closer to 50k followers, he receives an average of 590 likes per post with an engagement rate of 1.2%.
In their Twitter bio, BizZarh describes themselves as ‘two intuitive girls from the hood’ but it’s clear that they are so much more. The genre-bending duo rap and sing over a diverse array of beats to create a variety of vibes that can’t be defined or contained.