It’s perhaps never been tougher to identify Canadian artists bubbling up, but it’s in no way due to lack of talent in this country.
The pandemic, and especially touring grinding to a halt, messed with the momentum of countless artists and we’re still feeling the reverberations. For instance, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that an international festival like Coachella only featured a handful of Canadian artists, all of them known quantities. It can be tough for artists in smaller markets to break through the almighty algorithms on social channels, but then again, artists from here have managed to find their audiences.
Slowly but surely, the talent in this country will find a way back to the forefront, including some on this list. These are Complex Canada’s picks for the artists to watch in 2023.