ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Local hip-hop artist Winnie Churchill released his sophomore album “Us” this past weekend, with the 20-minute long, seven-song record hitting all major streaming services at midnight on Saturday.
Toronto-born and now Newfoundland-based for eight years, the 24-year-old singer, songwriter and musician had plans to release “Us” at a private event. Due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the province, Churchill made the difficult decision to cancel his launch party for the safety of everyone involved and everyone planning to attend – like this writer.
I’m late to the game, having only heard Churchill’s 2018 debut EP “i” recently, after seeing the rapper’s involvement in local dancer Louise Moyes’ docu-dance, titled “Long’s Hill: I Live(d) Here.”
After hearing the EP, I immediately made a playlist based on my new favourite song, “Liquor & Lust” and sought out the artist in hopes of reviewing a future performance. That review will have to wait until less uncertain times – but I was certain I wanted to know more about Churchill and his music.
“Our plan was to host an evening where people could get a better sense of “Us” – not the album; the concept,” Churchill said.
The launch was set to feature a series of speakers – doctors chatting about the connections between humans and wellbeing, speakers to discuss identity as a Black Canadian, and those involved in the creative process of the album.
“All these conversations are ones we’re committed to having ... We just have to adjust the size of the audience a bit, and instead of doing it just once, we’ll do it time and time again until the messages resonate,” he said confidently.
The message of “us” is a complex one.
“The conceptualization of the album started with the release of my debut album “i,” Churchill explained. “In my mind, the story was always meant to lead from “i” to “us” – however, I could never have imagined what that path would end up looking like.”
That path was filled with collaborators like producers Nick Halfyard, Corey LeRue, Teresa Earles and Richard Seypka, videographer and editor Raza Gilani, photographers Eric Mclean, Brady Wakely and more, web developer Mehul Kapoor, and his own personal sounding board Jovana Randjelovic, and assisted by artist development funding from Music NL.
Churchill also listed his family and girlfriend – “without whom I can’t see, feel, or think” — as collaborators.
“I consider myself to be a multi-disciplinary creative. First a dancer, then a writer, now a songwriter and composer. But of course, there is no way to do this sh*t alone.
“Pardon my language, but the emphasis is necessary,” he laughed.
“I definitely feel as though these last few years have brought me into a stronger, more developed sense of self and as a result, I’ve been able to draw a greater amount of inspiration from those around me,”
Being a part of a creative community is integral to Churchill’s inspiration for songwriting, as well as album execution.
“I definitely feel as though these last few years have brought me into a stronger, more developed sense of self and as a result, I’ve been able to draw a greater amount of inspiration from those around me,” he said. “Us” is a product of the process I’ve gone through in thinking for only myself, to thinking about my community.
“At some point, you really have to start looking at the state of the world. There’s a lot of pain, a lot of uncertainty and also a lot of healing happening all over – for me to not feel that would be inhuman. I’m very aware that all over the world, but namely in North America, there is a lot of societal suffering going on,” he shared.
“Being sheltered and comparatively safe in Newfoundland makes it seem like we’re not dealing with the same demons. But make no mistake, we’re still feeling the same tensions and upheavals, we’ve just managed to make it look palatable. The fact is that we are not that different at all and we certainly have our own stories to tell. The music had to be written and our stories had to be heard, and I knew that I would be able to contribute to that dialogue as long as my thoughts remain honest and sincere.”
Though it seems like Churchill’s stories, projects, and events may be “on pause” due to COVID-19, the artist reminds us that this is not the case.
“I want people to know to stay tuned because really, we haven’t even started yet.”
Press play and get into it.
• “Us” is available on all major streaming services, such as Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud, Deezer, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Tidal.
• Learn more about Winnie Churchill by visiting www.winniechurchill.com
