That’s a Wrap! Meet the 2022 RBC Launchpad Music Entrepreneurship Program Cohort

The 2022 RBC Launchpad Music Entrepreneurship Program has come to a close! Over the past four months, our incredible cohort of emerging artists, music creators and entrepreneurs have participated in workshops, one-on-one training, mentorship sessions, creative projects and networking events – all with the aim of accelerating their creative and entrepreneurial endeavours. 

Artscape Daniels Launchpad is honoured to have been able to share an environment for learning and collaboration, and would like to congratulate all of the amazing participants. To close out the program, we presented an RBC Launchpad Artist Showcase on June 24th, hosted by 10 musicians from the program cohort. Attendees were treated to eclectic sounds, intimate atmospheres and vibrant performances from the following artists:

Chelsea Russell:

Jamaican born and now Toronto based, Chelsea Russel has become a multifaceted artist actively pursuing a career as a singer and songwriter, actor and playwright. Her dynamic combinations and incredible vocal range transition seamlessly from R&B to opera to feelings of afrobeat and reggae, transcending any traditional expectation of genre. Chelsea aims to capture the hearts of her listeners through retelling stories of love and loss with ethereal and harmonic ambience narrated with passionate lyrics.

Cindë

Toronto born and raised artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Cindë combines emo guitar/vocal melodies with rnb flows and a blunt approach to her lyrics. With over 850K cumulative Spotify streams since 2019 alone, and over 1 million streams on SoundCloud, Cindë makes music for emo kids going through their post-depression god complex, or just tryna cry alone in their room.

Geneva Lei 

Geneva Lei is an R&B singer/songwriter from Mississauga, Ontario. Geneva’s heartbreaks and soul breakthroughs are told through her unapologetic and honest lyrics. With contemporary R&B sounds along with infusions of hip hop, trap and soul, Geneva Lei’s music fills in the gaps of the unspoken words and unfinished thoughts of her listeners.

Lou Celestino

Growing up in a traditional filipino family, music was always frowned upon. March 2020, Lou was laid off from his job due to the Pandemic (Covid-19). Lou describes this experience as one of the most tragic he had endured in a long-time . Music became his therapy and safe place to heal from this loss. He was orginally known under the name Sweeter Lou and released mutilple singles most notably “Smile On Your Face” which is available on all platforms.

Meagan De Lima

Meagan De Lima is a Toronto singer-songwriter crafting R&B music that comes from a place of heart-centered sweetness and compassion. Together, herself and producer Mark Pelli (Sabrina Claudio, Chris Brown) blend contemporary R&B with acoustic soul that is warm, earthy, and lush. Her records are at equal turns vulnerable and relatable to anyone dealing with personal struggles.

Paris Unltd

Paris Unltd is an alt-pop singer, writer and producer who is invariably marching to the beat of his own sonic dictations. With a background in theatre, the queer artist strives to build cheeky narratives that typically contemplate navigating love and friendship while pushing through depression. As the content of his art is laced with wit, melodrama and sarcasm, the genres from which Paris references are also varied and make for an even more interesting storytelling experience.

Rowan Buratti

Rowan Buratti is a young Canadian artist based in Toronto, Ontario. With a Bachelors degree in musical arts from Western University,  Rowan’s music is refined, creative and  pleasing to the ear. She capitalizes on personal experiences to inspire her work, but captures the essence of feeling to song in a playful way, creating an edgy singer songwriter persona.

The Moon & I:

The Moon & I is a solo project from Montreal-based indie alternative artist Eric Nguyen, a classically trained pianist, producer, and singer-songwriter. His sound has been described as dreamlike and melancholic, drawing comparisons to artists like Thom Yorke and James Blake for its use of cinematic piano, synths, and electronic drum loops. His lyrics are introspective and self-reflective: helping listeners explore themes of mortality, love, and mental health.

Thank you to all of the program participants and facilitators for a wonderful year!