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House of Paint calls this year's festival a "reunion" to reunite the various elements of Ottawa's hip-hop culture after two pandemics. calling. -A rickety year thwarted any effort to collect.
The theme of the reunion is reflected in the program, the Toronto-based rapper's Headliners who have rocked his HOP audiences in the past, such as Javier Mighty, are back. This year, she became the first woman to win the Juno Award for Best Rap Album for Her, and Francophone made history as her hip-hop legend D Her track. The festival starts on Friday and runs through Sunday.
But the program also shines a light on emerging artists who are making their mark during lockdown. His one of these promising new talents is Mischa Plouffe, the 29-year-old Ottawa-based rapper who goes by her first name on stage. She will be performing on Saturday.
"She's someone who has really come onto the scene in the last two years, making her name and joining the community," said her HOP executive her director. said. Veronica Roy. "It's an honor to introduce her."
Misha appeared in 2020 on Alpha, a catchy, beat-heavy track that garnered attention for her feminist swagger. The dynamo who is in charge of Barbie and throws words. Since then, she's created a momentum that's starting to propel her career, with a string of singles including One Up, G2G, and most recently her 999. So far this year, she has won the Capital Music Award for Best Music Video (G2G) and has already performed at RBC She's Ottawa She's Blues Fest, Kranium Arts Project and Montreal's Metro She's Metro Festival. .
"I love to seek empowerment in my songs," said Misha. , or G2G says, 'Hey, I have to stand my ground and get what I want in life because I deserve it' or Alpha Barbie Female Empowerment, Telling People My With the confidence that you want your music to be heard. ''
She doesn't seem to have lost her confidence now, but it took her several years to get there. Although she was born in Ottawa and spent her first five years of her life here, Misha grew up primarily in her Waterloo area of Kitchener. Although she had been writing songs since her teenage years, it never occurred to her to make them until she moved back to Ottawa with her parents about eight years ago.
"I always wrote all my emotions as an outlet," Misha said in an interview. But she's 25 and for the first time she's like, 'Look, look. I think I'll try making a song. I didn't know how to structure a song, but I just wanted to try. She enlisted the help of a producer/DJ friend she met through work, Johnny Brown. He liked the — remake of the Rihanna song they recorded together — and encouraged her to pursue her music as a career.
Undoubtedly, Misha threw herself into it. She completed her audio engineering course (through The Audio Recording Academy) and now works as a production her manager and technical her director, gaining skills that give her an insider's view of the music business.
"I believe that if you want to be successful in certain aspects of your life, it's also great to know what goes on behind the scenes. ,” she said, noting that creativity is just one piece of the puzzle.
Mischa also utilizes resources provided through the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC), including networking her events, information sessions and her panel discussions. and provide her with knowledge. -How to manage her own career as an independent artist.
But her first love is performing and she has ambitions. Her ultimate goal is to get out of Ottawa and attract a global audience.
She said, "Honestly, I want to put out the same energy whether it's 1 person or 10,000 people. I want to show a perfect performance." "I love performing and want to share that energy with people all over the world. I want that international fan base and I am ready to do whatever it takes to get to that place." It's ready.I really can't wait to see what unfolds."
Fingers crossed for a successful event that paves the way for the 20th Anniversary Edition. “We are financially sound right now and feel great. But we rely on donations and grants, so we really need to make sure the community wants this festival to happen.”
Highlights of this weekend's festivities include the return of popular features such as the OG 500 Poetry Slam and Breakdance Battles, musical performances and murals. will be The main event on Saturday runs from 11am to 11pm. At the Festival's traditional home under the Dunbar Bridge between Carleton University and Brewer Park. Admission is by donation.
In keeping with its mission to foster hip-hop culture, the festival also includes events aimed at nurturing the next generation. There will be an introductory workshop and performance at the Seeds tent on Saturday, and a knowledge conference at Club SAW on Sunday. For programming and ticket details, visit houseofpaint.ca.
lsaxberg@postmedia.com