Sami Ghawi and Keely Rammage-Scott are set to co-host another Music City Showcase of Surrey-area talent.
Expect a cabaret vibe at the second annual concert when a dozen musicians perform at Surrey Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 10, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28 on tickets.surrey.ca, or call 604-501-5566.
Founder/leader of FUSIONpresents, Ghawi helped assemble a list of worthy artists including FKA Rayne, Argel MDR, Colin Sankey, Wilona Joy, Tess Anderson, Vercenzo, Jessie Cavalier, Maddy Lofvendahl, Glisha, Haleluya Hailu, Matt Hermano and Richard Tichelman.
Three years ago, Music City Surrey Showcase was launched to spotlight Surrey-area musicians in a series of videos, and last year’s inaugural Showcase concert featured many of the musicians who performed during pandemic-era online shows presented by FUSIONpresents and Surrey Board of Trade’s Music City Centre project.
Ahead of the Feb. 10 concert, this year’s Showcase artists are profiled in another series of videos posted to FUSIONpresents’ Youtube channel, with interviews and music.
Ghawi sent me biographies for all 12 of the players (originally the concert was to feature 13 musicians, a number reflected in the photo with this story). Let’s showcase them here and spotlight their talents, shall we?
Colin Sankey is a bass player, composer and arranger from Surrey. He’s been compared to Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller and Alain Caron for his use of extended techniques, such as tapping and harmonics.
Argel MDR is a Filipino-Canadian singer/songwriter among finalists of CBC’s Toyota Searchlight 2021 and the Music Category winner of Surrey Board of Trade’s 2022 Surrey Art and Business Awards.
Described as “raw, authentic and relatable,” singer-songwriter Wilona Joy was born in Nigeria and raised in Surrey. She’s currently working on a single, out this month.
Tess Anderson is said to captivate audiences with moxie-filled performances. Combining the gloss of pop with heavy grit of alternative-rock, she fronts a five-piece band and has opened for Mother Mother at the Commodore Ballroom.
A UBC music grad, Héctor Darío González Aguirre, known as Vercenzo, began singing at age seven and possesses a diverse musical background, from salsa/pop to Mozart arias.
A singer/songwriter based in Surrey, Jessie Cavalier draws inspiration from Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter. She released a self-produced song in 2022, and plays local gigs with plans to release more music.
Maddy Lofvendahl has a debut EP is set to hit streaming platforms this spring. The 21-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist makes music combining elements of pop and R&B with hints of funk and jazz — upbeat and soulful.
The award-winning Glisha, 20, began writing and recording her own songs in 2018 after years of doing covers and performing at events since a young age. Her R&B-influenced sound earned her Best Female Artist at the 2020 Fraser Valley Music Awards.
FKA Rayne, an alternative singer/songwriter, pairs elements from her prior stint as a pop musician alongside heavy, industrial and nu metal-influenced production and song structure.
Also from Surrey, Haleluya Hailu is a multi-instrumentalist, poet and activist who turns “the awkward transition to adulthood into songs that anyone could lose themselves in.”
Born in Vancouver and raised in Surrey, Matt Hermano began crafting songs at age 16. His diverse musical influences are rooted in ‘70s Motown and 2000s music. In September Hermano released a debut single, “Lost in Your Eyes,” followed by ““One Night Love” on Jan. 10.
Charismatic pop artist Richard Tichelman is a Surrey success story. He started 2023 with the single “Red Lights,” continued with “Missing You” and plans to release a debut album this spring called “Out of Love.”
Let’s support local music and fill the studio theatre on Feb. 10.
JUNOS ARE COMING
It’s great to see a 2025 return to Vancouver for the JUNO Awards, last held here in 2018 with Michael Bublé as host.
The event host committee, along with Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), last week announced JUNO Week events for March 2025, including an awards broadcast at Rogers Arena. For first access fans can sign up online, junoawards.ca/vancouver.
The 2025 event will mark the fifth time the JUNOS have been held in Vancouver. The 2018 event attracted nearly 29,000 people and generated around $11 million in economic activity in B.C.
We know B.C. is a hotbed for emerging talent (see Surrey’s Music City Showcase, above), and yes, the JUNOS bring opportunities for diverse artists and audiences alike to come together and celebrate this vibrant music scene, says Nate Sabine, Vancouver JUNO Host Committee co-chair and president of Music BC.
“We’re incredibly proud of the legacy Music BC has continued to develop and bringing The JUNO Awards back gives us another avenue to continue the work we’ve done to extend, include and incubate British Columbia’s music industry.”