No. 17: Because our musicians are topping the charts—and local landmarks
Here’s just a sampling of the heavy dose of CanCon on the Billboard charts
As far as patriotic pandemic moments go, it didn’t get more poignant than Jessie Reyez kicking off the Raptors’ playoff season from the top of the CN Tower. Taking a knee on the SkyPod, secured by a carabiner and wearing a mask reading “Breonna Taylor,” Canada’s pop queen was the first musician ever to tackle the anthem from the top of our local landmark. With her debut full-length album Before Love Came To Kill Us, Reyez added to the already heavy dose of CanCon on the Billboard charts. The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” earned song of the summer honours, hitting number one in early April and setting a record for most radio play. In May, Justin Bieber joined Ariana Grande on the instant quarantine anthem “Stuck With U,” the fromagefest we all needed, featuring footage of Mr. and Mrs. Bieber slow-dancing in the mega mansion where they rode out the early stages of the pandemic.
In terms of up and comers, Drake’s protégé PartyNextDoor took a cue from his idol by featuring Rihanna on a new track. The first artist ever signed to the OVO Sound label donated proceeds from his merch sales to Covid relief. In the golden oldies category, Raffi continues his mission to inspire the next gen with a new single, “Black Lives Matter To Me.”
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