At 10,000+ views and rising, alt-pop, electro-synth and velvet-voiced Saskatoon-based artist 鈥渧elours鈥� is cutting through the 鈥淪ummer Haze鈥� with the release of her new single and EP聽Identity聽鈥� both available now.
鈥溾�楽ummer Haze鈥� was the most intimate song I had written for聽Identity and it鈥檚 meant to evoke a feeling of renewal 鈥� An escape from an internal cage,鈥� she considered. 鈥淭he afternoon I wrote it, I was inspired by the realization that it鈥檚 okay to not know the ending to the story of my life and that I鈥檓 fine to still be messy. And that none of this makes me any less of a complex and strong person,鈥� she explained.
鈥淚 usually begin writing my songs with the first line,鈥� she continued. 鈥淭his one was 鈥榮till think I鈥檓 messy and I鈥檓 intimate with only myself to fit inside my home鈥� and (it鈥檚 about) how I know who I am more than anyone else does. The term 鈥楽ummer Haze鈥� sounds sweet and pleasant initially, but it paints a picture of how we sometimes ignore our feelings and get stuck in the haze of everyday life. The storm represents the harsh reality of experiencing hard times to come out the other side stronger.鈥�
鈥淚 hope this song shows you can overcome the hardest parts of your life and that it鈥檚 better to face the storm than it is to stay in the haze,鈥� she added. 鈥淎nd that it鈥檚 okay to be 鈥榰nfinished鈥� as long as you remember how capable you are.聽
"The song reflects the larger imprint of聽identity," she said.
鈥淭he album is about finding yourself and knowing that that鈥檚 a constant journey. There鈥檚 a narrative that developed in these four songs, even though it wasn鈥檛 intentional when I was initially writing each song individually. I could spend literal hours talking about the lyrics.鈥�
With features on CBC, velours has also been selected for a SaskMusic Songwriting Challenge, a semi-finalist for the Unsigned Only Music Competition and has performed at the TSAR Showcase in Yorkton as part of the International Women鈥檚 Day concert and the SaskMusic Open House Livestream.
鈥渧elours channels a colourful range of textures and emotions to create earworms well beyond her years,鈥� Versa Films鈥� Dylan Hryciuk said. 鈥淭he聽Identity聽EP speaks to an artist who is unapologetically a work-in-progress, which is powerfully vulnerable and something we can all relate to.鈥�
Produced by multi-Platinum JUNO Award-winning songwriter Ryan Stewart (Carly Rae Jepsen, Bif Naked, CARYS),聽Identity聽is available now.
Click here to listen and watch the official video for .
