Shopé Enchants at the Allan Slaight Juno Master Class Showcase [Interview + 5 Quick Questions]

Shopé is right smack in the middle of a big year.

The Toronto-based artist who won the CBC Searchlight top spot was in Toronto this week for the Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class. We met up at The Hideout to talk before his sound check for the evening’s industry showcase.

He arrived smiling and friendly. We shook hands and he graciously accepted my direction for seating arrangements.

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I wanted to start as close to the beginning as I could, and when asked when it all started, he first talked about being fourteen or fifteen and then realized, he’d been writing rhymes at the age of eight. That’s taking it back. At the age of eleven, his family moved here from Nigeria, and while they tried to keep him sheltered, hip hop and rap made its way into his life. The real work started around ten years ago.

Shopé’s sound is a blend of Afropop, Hip Hop and R&B, and it’s delicious. His lyrics are honest and vulnerable, yet fearless and self-assured.

I asked about the day he found out he’d won the CBC Searchlight competition, and he said it was surreal. He knew it was a huge deal. Then he laughed and told me this story.

“I submitted to Searchlight without really giving it much thought, and then I forgot about it. Quite literally forgot about it. And then I got a notification telling me that “Oh, you made the first round of 2,000. That’s cool. Awesome. Then I made the top 100. Okay, that’s even cooler. And then I made it to the top 10. At that point, I went back and read the rules, regulations, prizes, and whatever. And I thought this is actually a really big situation. So when I finally found out I won, I definitely had to catch my breath. It was super exciting and extremely validating.”

Life has been a whirlwind full of hard work. It’s a brand new experience, and I wondered out loud if Shopé, had spoken to previous winners. He said, “I reached out to Haviah, and I reached out to aquakultre as well.”

The thing with the Master Class is that they customize it. So while talking to past winners was a great help, his experience has been unique.

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Shopé commented that as the week went on, the experience got deeper and richer. He’s met people and been connected to different resources and opportunities, that he might not have without this particular set of circumstances coming into play.

“It’s a whole nother level. So when you’re still doing your own thing ragtag, kind of like this scrapping together tours, scrapping together recordings, you achieve a certain measure of proficiency and a certain measure of competence. And then something like this happens, and you realize that all those skills that you’ve developed, have gotten you to where you’re are.  And you can definitely leverage some of them. But at this point in time, the stakes are that much bigger than just get a sense that okay, like, I’m dealing with somewhat professional professionals.”

He’s excited and grateful to be where he is.

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We discussed past tours, favourite spots and Bielefeld, Germany came up. He described playing his first show there and that there were about 60 people, and that was cool. And year two he played again, and there were 120 people there, but the big surprise came when those people knew the songs. We’ve explored that moment with other artists before. It’s a real moment for the artist. That first time the crowd sings back, it stays with them. It’s a moment of elevation, an energy exchange, and then a memory.

The singer-songwriter is headed into the study in Calgary as part of his prize package, and he’s ready. Word is there’ll be new music in the first quarter of 2020.

Before I left, I asked if he’d be kind enough to play a round of 5 Quick Questions. He generously obliged.

5 Quick Questions with Shopé

To check out all the links mentioned, watch this video on YouTube. Start the video and then click on the word YouTube near the bottom right of the window.

Later in the day when I watched him take the stage with his band, I felt the energy. I felt his joy, and the crowd did too.

Shopé’s Links

Web / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / Phone

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Trish Cassling

Writer/Photographer/Editor

Toronto Music Blogger