Kat Harlton
Photos provided via PR team
The SOCAN Foundation recently held their fourth annual SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards, which were created to recognize and celebrate the artistic merit demonstrated by Black Canadian music creators of any genre.
This year’s winners were recently announced as: DVBLM (Toronto, ON), Liza (Toronto, ON), Myles Castello (Toronto, ON), NAIIM (Current: Hamilton, ON, Hometown: Montreal, QC), and Savannah Ré (Toronto, ON). The distinguished winners receive a prize of $10,000 to bolster their career development.
DVBLM (pronounced “Double M”), was born and raised in Toronto. Being raised in a Caribbean household, a lot of her musical inspiration draws from her upbringing. Growing up she was musically influenced by artists like Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah, Monica, Ciara, Missy Elliott & Timbaland. Predominantly known for her presence in rap, she is no stranger to a variety of other genres. With a winning personality she has managed to make great strides in the Canadian music industry developing an organic fan base. She has performed at numerous events, most notably at Manifesto where she captivated an audience of 16,000 people. Her undeniable talent has caught the attention of popular media outlets, further solidifying her presence in the industry. Artists such as Shenseea and Chinese Kitty have recognized DVBLM’s talent and asked her to share the stage. DVBLM resonates and is poised to leave a lasting impression with her music.
I had the opportunity to chat with DVBLM about winning a SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Award, career highlights and what’s next.
Kat: How do you feel about being recognized with the SOCAN Foundation’s SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Award?
DVBLM: It was an amazing experience, very surreal. When we had gotten the news at first we didn’t believe it was real. I’m so appreciative of the recognition especially because we are working so hard to make our dreams come true. So winning this award meant a lot to me, and it was a great win to bring in the new year.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest release?
DVBLM: My latest single with video was “B.G.A” which is an acronym for “Bod Gyal Adrenaline”. This song was inspired from just wanting to express myself and show the world a different side of me along with my music. Sometimes I get deep into my thoughts and emotions when I listen to beats. To cope with it I’ll go to the studio and leave it all on the track. And I feel like I did just that with B.G.A.
Kat: What do you hope fans connect with on the track?
DVBLM: I hope my fans get a better sense of me, as well as self-confidence. I’m a very versatile artist and with this song I feel like I showcase that. It’s not easy, people face different challenges in the world every day and I understand it’s hard. So I just hope my fans will hear it, be able to relate and feel better than they did five minutes ago.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
DVBLM: The most challenging part of my creative process and trying to give something different than I gave with the previous record. I always look for ways to be different and show people that I am not a one trick pony per se. I really am an artist, and it’s deciding what aspect I want to give back to my fans that I find to be the most difficult.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
DVBLM: The highlight of my career thus far is winning this award. This was really a different type of recognition and validation for me personally. I’ve done many incredible shows in the past couple of years but to be recognized by an institution and also be awarded was a very humbling experience.
Kat: What’s next/upcoming?
DVBLM: My EP Customer Service is coming soon! I’ve been working really hard and I’m very excited. This will be my first major project and I can’t wait for the world to see what I’ve been working on.
Connect With DVBLM:
Instagram: @Dvbl_m
TikTok: @Dvbl_m
Snapchat: Dvblm
Twitter:@__Dvblm