Toronto singer-songwriter/ producer Chris Grey has stepped back in front of the mic. After working on collaborations with Brazilian stars Öwnboss and Zerky, and Canadian hip-hop duo 88GLAM (including a pair of tracks on their JUNO-nominated album New Mania), Grey delivers a sweet R&B/pop mix on ‘I Should Be Happy’.

Released on August 18th, you can expect to hear his signature falsetto on the track. It’s rife with intensity, urgency, and emotional impact. In addition, the song highlights feelings of social anxiety & hidden depression, giving voice to feelings many of us have been experiencing.

I Should Be Happy – Chris Grey

“‘I Should Be Happy’ is about the internal struggle of feeling guilty for not feeling good, even though things are going well. I had just started seeing someone, and everything was going well, but for some reason, I just didn’t feel as good as I thought I should. I was overthinking everything so much I couldn’t even stop to enjoy things. I think this song is in some ways even more relevant now as life returns to normal, which, as much as we’ve all been looking forward to, can also come with a lot of anxiety.

I wrote this song with Allegra Jordyn, who’s been a big collaborator on my upcoming music. I started the song alone one night, and all I had was the hook and the beat. I brought it to her later that week at our co-write, and she loved it, so we finished it. Fun fact, at the end of the song, I wanted it to sound like a crowd. I was singing it at a concert, so the 2 of us recorded it 30 times in different voices while jumping up and down.

For the video, I really wanted to capture the vibe of the song. I wanted to show myself in happy celebratory situations but just sad in my own world. Initially, the video was going to be different scenes that I “should be happy” in but eventually, I came up with the idea to do it in one take. The video took a long time to pull off. I had actually been planning it for about 6 months. It was a very stressful shoot, but once we got through one full take, we could relax and have fun with it!” – Chris Grey

5 Quick Questions with Chris Grey

Grey was surrounded by music as a child. His parents were born in Kingston, his dad in Kingston, Jamaica, and his mom in Kingston, Ontario. Chris said, “My sound really stems from those two worlds“. Dad, a well-known DJ, exposed Grey to reggae, R&B, and disco. Mom added to the mix with her favourite Canadian rock and pop tunes.

‘I Should Be Happy’ will resonate with everyone.

You can find Chris Grey at the following internet locations.

Web / Instagram / YouTube / Soundcloud / Spotify / Twitter

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Trish Cassling

Writer/Photographer/Editor

Toronto Music Blogger