As Canadian Music Week wraps up in Toronto, we can agree that this year’s event was a success. Some of music’s biggest names, Tori Kelly, Shawn Hook, Hailee Steinfeld and Skepta, just to name a few, took to the stage and put on quite a show. However it wouldn’t be Canadian Music Week without the obvious; Canadian talent! Canadians have been dominating the music scene for quite some time now (Drake, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd), but Ontario isn’t the only place where young talent can be found; the province of Quebec also has its own hidden gems.
Quebec is known for being multi-ethnic (and yes, they do speak french there!), but in the past couple of years, music lovers are starting to familiarize themselves with some well-known local artists, such as High Klassified, Kaytranada, and Lukay. On friday night, Revival Bar hosted the ‘Best of All World’s From Quebec’ show as part of Canadian Music Week. One particular performance that stood out was by Montrealer, singer-songwriter Oliver Charles, whose smooth voice and heartfelt lyrics take you to a place of heartache, love and passion. His ‘pop-folk’ genre can be described as a hybrid of modern folk songs brimming with hooks that are more common in pop music. Not only does he sing, but he also plays the guitar and the piano very well; kinda like a triple threat!
The 26 year-old singer has always had a passion for music and after graduating from college, he started making a name for himself through his voice and musical skills. In 2012, he released his first EP, called “Rage for Fire” and two years later, “Heart of Stone” dropped and during that time, he focused a lot more on writing and composing music. In 2015, Oliver’s single “I Can’t Love You Just Yet” peaked at #2 on the ADISQ charts in Quebec, and his most recent one, titled “Follow Me”, has been getting a lot of airplay across Canada. Remember the name, Oliver Charles…
Watch the clip below of his performance: