Astro began DJing at the age of 12. Starting off only playing music for Schools, Astro began to DJ for weddings and local town events by the age of 16. During his time in University, his Student Union and Larger student bodies had him DJ parties and events. Now living in Toronto, Astro is a Resident DJ at Crews & Tangos as well as freelancing all around the city. Additionally Astro creates his own EDM compositions as a diary of sorts. During the Pandemic, Astro discovered his queerness and relied heavily on the village for guidance and advice. He wishes to continue to share music with people for many years to come.
Legend has it that Detroit is the birthplace of dance music. If that's the case, then it's no surprise that Josh Karmin quickly climbed the ropes of success, beginning his musical career in the Motor City a decade ago. Using edits, mashups and remixes, Karmin delivers a sound that is different from other electronic artists in the biz, resulting in high demand performances all over the country. Karmin’s career, while rooted in Detroit, originated in Windsor-Canada and expands to the club scene of Toronto and Montreal. Fast forward fifteen + years later, and Josh has performed at some of the premier nightclubs festivals and events in North America, including stops in Detroit, Miami, Chicago, Costa Rica, Windsor, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, London and Columbus, alongside some of the worlds most respected dance music DJ’s and producers. His versatility in the booth helps bring the party from ordinary to extraordinary. Now based in Toronto, Josh has taken his musical abilities from the decks to the studio, as he works on producing his own unique style of original tracks, edits, mashups and remixes.
Tearing through Toronto on a groundswell of breezy, gripping slacker rock, non-binary singer-songwriter CJ Wiley doesn’t waste any time. In ballads twanged slightly country, and anthems skewed slightly grunge, Wiley’s musical project leads with their distinct voice, armed with the wit, candour, and energy of an artist with a striking perspective and a heart that demands to be heard. 2025 marks the release of So Brand New, Wiley’s debut full-length LP. Filled with stories of starting fresh, loss, gender, and how expensive it is to be alive, the record is a definitive new height for Wiley, with a sound ranging from nighttime campfire melancholy to anthemic ballads, just a few speakers shy of a stadium. It’s a down-and-dirty-roots-rock revelation that carves out a decisive path into and over the horizon — and they’re bringing you with them.
Maddee Ritter is a Juno Nominated Toronto-based singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for blending Soul, R&B, folk, and Indie genres. Their work explores themes of queerness, love, empowerment, and self-worth, creating a signature sound that’s both intimate and expansive. After debuting on Harrison’s 2016 Colours EP with tracks like "You're Light," Ritter’s dynamic style drew attention. They soon released their debut EP Red Mind, featuring Toronto talents Gray Rowan, Louie Short, and Danny Voicu, capturing praise from CBC, GAY TIMES, and Now Magazine. Ritter’s latest release, Songs of Love and Death, reflects on personal loss and love, developed in collaboration with executive producer David Plowman (July Talk, Young Clancy) and notable artists such as Felix Fox-Pappas (BadBadNotGood) and Jay Anderson (Marker Starling). The album has been lauded by peers, with U.S. Girls’ Meg Remy calling it “an instant classic” and and rapper Shad, highlighting its "gorgeous, lush sound." Having shared stages with Willow Smith and Lil' Yachty and performed at festivals like SXSW and Field Trip, Ritter has become a celebrated force in the Toronto music scene. With a singular voice and the commitment to make timeless music that speaks to their community, Maddee Ritter is sure to charm listeners for years to come.
Born and raised in Saskatoon, SK, first-generation Ethiopian Canadian, Elsa Gebremichael is a musician, songwriter, producer, performer, and director with a dynamic musical history. In her previous projects, Elsa has toured throughout Europe and North America, showcased at festivals around the world such as SXSW, NXNE, CMW, HPX, CMJ in NYC, BIME in Spain, and The Great Escape in Brighton, has opened for renowned artists such as Janelle Monae, Tegan and Sara, and Metric, performed at the second-ever Afropunk Music Festival in NYC, and was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award (Breakout West) for “Pop Recording of The Year”. All of these experiences have molded her into the artistic entrepreneur she is today, creating in her solo project, Wild Black. Wild Black is a multi-hyphenate creative making waves receiving acclaim from major outlets like AFROPUNK, The Fader, Indie88, Yohomo, Earmilk, The Toronto Star, and Analogue Trash, who dubbed her latest single ‘I Miss The High’ "Madonna and Blood Orange collaborating on a glittering pop bop”. CBC has featured Wild Black on radio shows “Q” and “The Block”, and featured her on CBC Music’s esteemed lists "Songs You Need To Hear” and “28 Canadian albums we can’t wait to hear in 2024”. Wild Black's music is synced to TV shows such as “Strays” on CBC Gem, “Querencia” on APTN's Lumi, and “The D Cut” on Crave Canada, and she’s a two-time recipient of the MVP project by RBCxMusic and Prism Prize, supporting the visuals for her singles "Moon Star Lover" and "Stay Dreamin’”. With some exciting festival and show announcements on the horizon, some of her favourite past performances include playing on main stages at Pop Montreal, Toronto Jazz Fest, Global Toronto Music Festival, Regina Folk Festival, PrideTO, Saskatoon Pride Festival, Winterruption, Venus Fest, and opening for Yukon Blonde at Long Day’s Night Festival. Playing with moods while blending / bending genres and vibes, Wild Black’s music brings a unique and refreshing sound to the Canadian scene as she effortlessly combines influences of disco, 80s/90s dance, pop, and rock into her genre-fluid alternative / indie dream pop sound. Her dynamic presence and captivating stage show combines live instrumentation with electronic elements to create an upbeat and infectious soundscape, luring your body straight to the dance floor. Last summer, Wild Black announced her signing to Toronto indie label Next Door Records and together are gearing up for the release of Wild Black’s debut album in 2025. Stay Close! PRESS QUOTES ”I Miss The High” is a bittersweet take on glossy 80s pop with a soul undercurrent in the vocals and lyrics. Wistful but allied to a sublime melody, think Madonna and Blood Orange collaborating on a glittering pop bop to get a feel what delight awaits you once you hit play” - ANALOGUE TRASH “Wild Black hits the sweet spot between dreamy melancholy and forward-looking desire on her dancey new single "Stay Dreamin" which channels the 80s-inflected spirit of Blood Orange and Carly Rae Jepsen" - TORONTO STAR "Wild Black embodies the qualities of the ultimate cool girl who moves through the world with balance and intention. Stay Dreamin’ tells a story of optimism, self-love and authenticity, and her smooth, self-assured vocals are set to a dance mix that you'll be humming for days. - CBC MUSIC "Now based in Toronto, it’s been super exciting to see her blossoming as Wild Black, bringing an emotionally poignant songwriting perspective to progressive, new-wave dance beats." - AFROPUNK "The funk-laden track is smooth, and its guitar-heavy production the perfect backdrop for Wild Black's airy vocals." - THE FADER "it's fresh and earnest, embodying the fairytale weightless nature of the night sky's landscape.. 'Moon, Star, Lover' is not just a tribute to the misrepresented and mistreated but it's a confidence-soaked reminder of how far you can come with acceptance in your heart." – EARMILK
STORRY is a two-time Juno-nominated singer- songwriter, visual artist, and advocate known for her genre-blending sound and powerful lyrics. With influences from R&B, hip-hop, and pop, she creates emotionally resonant tracks that explore themes of empowerment and resilience. Her dynamic performances transform audiences, making her a rising star in the music scene. Having collaborated with Stormzy and Burna Boy, she is now set to release CH II: Run, the prequel to her debut album, in 2025. This second concept album in her trilogy tells the inspiring story of a woman trying to leave the sex industry. STORRY's live performances are visceral experiences that must be seen to be believed—her voice doesn’t just touch you; it hits you in the face.
Housewife - 'Girl Of The Hour' EP bio Filled with curiosity and questions of identity, Toronto’s Brighid Fry (she/ they) makes the sort of indie-leaning, exploratory music that it’s taken several years of early success and subsequent growth to reach. First breaking through in her teens as one half of Moscow Apartment, the duo swiftly won a Canadian Folk Music award for their self-titled debut EP before changing their name and then becoming a solo project in 2022. As Brighid hit her twenties and stepped front and centre, the material that she was writing became increasingly more self-aware and personal, too. “In Moscow Apartment we were writing songs about like, ‘plants’ and ‘a dream I had about a canoe’,” Brighid laughs, “whereas now I’m writing stuff that deals with gender and sexuality. Housewife is a name that puts some people on edge, so it felt more fitting in that sense.” Still only 21, Brighid credits her liberal upbringing as helping to make this process of both artistic and self-discovery as seamless as possible. Having recently been diagnosed as autistic, she jokes that her neurodivergence was on display and understood from the first moments music entered her life as a child when, unlike most three-year-olds, she became obsessed with classical composers and begged her parents not just for a kid’s violin, but also a collection of busts of Bach, Beethoven and co. When the classical music fixation gave way to more contemporary tastes, she would join her family at the folk festivals they regularly attended, playing her first non-classical performance at a Greenpeace fundraiser. “I got really obsessed with Joni Mitchell and covered her song ‘Circle Game’,” she recalls of that formative moment. “My mum’s such a big folkie; my bio dad is very alternative and would get me into metal, and my stepdad has an old-school crust punk thing going on so I had these very different influences.” As well as offering Brighid an early introduction to the community that music can provide and the climate activism that would go on to become a big part of her life (in 2021, she helped to set up the Canadian branch of Music Declares Emergency), her family also provided a completely accepting place to explore her wider identity. As a “third generation queer”, she’s felt confident and comfortable with her own bisexuality since the age of 12. “My parents are bisexual; my grandma’s a lesbian; I grew up going to Pride so I never had a teary coming out,” she notes. In the two years since Housewife’s previous EP ‘You’ll Be Forgiven’, meanwhile, Brighid has spent time understanding that she is non-binary. “It took longer to figure that bit out, but I’ve never struggled with my identity,” she says. On new EP ‘Girl Of The Hour’, then, Housewife is addressing these facets more than ever - be that on the friend crush dilemma of first single ‘I Lied’ or the musings on social perceptions that run through ‘Life of the Party’. But although these six tracks of earworm grunge-pop are a real time document of an artist growing and changing - figuring out some vital parts of themself along the way - the predominant vibe is one that’s playful and inquisitive. “Sometimes your friends are hot and that can get more complicated when there are no hard lines on what you are,” Brighid suggests. “That’s how my queerness ends up coming out in my music.” ‘Wasn’t You’ laces fuzzy guitars with a relatable tale about fancying someone you wish you didn’t. “My problem with being bisexual isn’t about being attracted to women, it’s being attracted to men,” Brighid laughs - an idea intertwined with an acute awareness of the gender imbalance of prospective partners who “have been raised and socialised in a completely different way than me, and don’t have to deal with sexism and misogyny in the same way I do.” On the aforementioned ‘I Lied’, she addresses another hurdle of being bisexual over the sort of buoyant indie-pop that nods to fellow queer heroes MUNA. “I’m always interested in this idea that straight men and women can’t be friends, or that you can’t be friends with someone you could be attracted to,” Brighid notes, “because if you’re bi then well, shit! Can’t I have any friends?!” Meanwhile, for the melancholy heartbreak of ‘Divorce’, Brighid sought out fellow songwriter Hank Compton during a writing session in order to make “the most devastating shit” they could. Largely moving away from the lighter folk of her early output and leaning into the more alternative influences that have been part of her life since attending a formative Girls Rock camp aged eight, ‘Life of the Party’ fuses pop hooks with a grungey, cathartic musicality; a duality that fits the song perfectly. “People don’t pick up on the fact that I’m autistic automatically so they’ll think I'm this aloof, weird bitch,” Brighid says. “But then people also assume I’m this confident person who knows what they’re doing [because of my career]. I wanted to write a song about all these misconceptions about me and how hard it is to set people straight. People see me on stage and think that’s me, but it just never has been.” ‘Matilda’ is a song about losing her bike that’s also, of course, not just about losing her bike. “It’s about the aspect of needing to move on and dealing with loss that was informed by this other big loss in my life. But,” she notes, “I genuinely cried when I lost that bike.” Meanwhile ‘Work Song’ - written with regular collaborator and Juno award winner, Derek Hoffman - takes an upbeat, glass-half-full approach to self improvement, morphing dissatisfaction into a pop about getting better, both as a performer and a person. On ‘Girl Of The Hour’, Brighid is fully leaning into the fresh territory she’s opened up as Housewife - from the newly limitless genre scope she’s allowing herself to explore to the increasingly personal, nuanced and curious topics that permeate the lyrics within them. More than ever, Brighid Fry knows herself and the result is a project that’s getting more confident in the idiosyncrasies of its own skin by the day. “Some people say that this music is political or it has very strong messaging and I think that’s great,” she says, “but really for me, it’s just a way to process life.”
“If Shania Twain + Daft Punk met at an 80s aerobics class, sweatily hooked up and had a gay baby… she would be named ‘Cost of Love’,” shares Bec Sandridge on her latest single. Driven by shuffling drums and hooky guitars reminiscent of the late 70s and laden with Sandridge’s unmistakable voice,‘Cost Of Love’ is without question, a testament to Sandridge’s ability to write a sophisticated and unforgettable pop-banger. 2023 sees Sandridge independently release an EP of tracks titled Lost Dog featuring singles ‘Cost of Love’ and the synth driven single ‘The Jetty’ featuring Andy Bull. The EP saw Sandridge work with songwriter and producer Dave Jenkins Jr (Daniel Johns, Vera Blue), Lucy Taylor (Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding), Gab Strum (Japanese Wallpaper), Grammy-nominated engineer Geoff Swan (Charlie XCX, Haim) and Tony Buchen (Montaigne). This is the first release since her acclaimed debut album ‘TRY + SAVE ME’ in 2019 which saw Sandridge deep dive into topics of identity, anxiety, coming out, and takes a tongue in cheek look at her upbringing in a pentecostal Christian household. TRY + SAVE ME features singles ‘ANIMAL’ ,‘I’LL NEVER WANT A BF’, ‘EYES WIDE’ and ‘STRANGER’, all of which were added to Triple J (AU) & Flux FM (GERMANY) rotation and supported at community radio nationally. ‘STRANGER’ saw Sandridge team up with Tanzer to deliver a stunning accompanying video clip, speaking of the collaboration Sandridge said “Tanzer has this beautiful ability to create the most stressful sexy nightmare that you could possibly imagine”. A unique, angular and commanding stage presence Sandridge has toured the UK and Europe, lived in Scotland and toured across every state and territory of Australia, having played numerous festivals including Groovin’ The Moo, World Pride 2023, London Calling, Reeperbahn AUSSIE BBQ, The Plot, Festival of The Sun, BIGSOUND, The Hills Are Alive, Big Pineapple, Mountain Sounds and Falls festival. And has supported the likes of Kimbra, The Naked And Famous (NZ), Mitski (US), St Vincent, Tegan and Sara, Yungblud, Peaches, Missy Higgins, Highasakite, Cub Sport and Montaigne. 2024 has seen Sandridge tour across the UK and Europe including shows in London, Amsterdam, Glasgow and perform at Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. A keen eye might recognise Bec as the winner of Triple J Unearthed’s Yours And Owls Festival and saw her sign to Farmer & The Owl (BMG) and International Songwriting Competition finalist (Unsigned category) as judged by Dua Lipa, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Tom Waits. Other career accolades include performing on ABC TV show Q+A and having a recent placement of her song ‘Stranger’ on Showtime TV show The L Word: Generation Q. A multi faceted artist, Sandridge composed the 19 song soundtrack for theatre production Ishmael which premiered at Brisbane Festival at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Sydney Opera House.
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Pronouns: He/ Him /His
Biography:
Victor Perez-Amado is an Assistant Professor (tenure track) at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Urban and Regional Planning. Perez-Amado grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and lived in Miami and Boston before settling in Toronto. He is trained as an architect and urban designer, graduating from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the University of Florida.
His academic research centres on aging-in-place studies and multigenerational housing, including in 2SLGBTQI+ communities. These projects include Aging Together and Queering Home, a partnership with Egale-Canada. Before joining TMU, he worked on various masterplans and designs for independent and assisted living, focusing on seniors with dementia and autism in Boston. On another scale of engagement with the city, Perez-Amado is interested in activating public spaces by designing and building interactive and educational installations in the public realm. His methodology is based on theories of placemaking, where he explores prototyping, visualization, activation, and community engagement. These include installations along King Street West, Ontario Place, Winter Stations in the Beaches, and Toronto Climate Action public parks. His work has been exhibited at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park, and the Harvard GSD Grounded Visionaries, among others.
Biography:
Born in Mexico and a refugee in Canada, Viviana Santibañez is a strong community leader working with marginalized communities for over 12 years,
focusing on supporting and advocating for Latinxs living with HIV and 2SLGBTQ+ Latinos refugees. She is also the first Latina woman appointed to the board of directors of the Ontario HIV Treatment Network.
Viviana Santibanez is the founder and director of Vivi’r, a non-profit organization that helps and supports 2SLGBTQ+ immigrants, newcomers, and refugee Latinxs.Viviana connects with the community and refers people to social, legal, and health, running all these services with zero budget. She provides services for non-profit organizations such as Latinos Positivos Toronto, Toronto People Living with AIDS Foundation, Hispanic Canadian Heritage Council, Canada Trans Summit, and Ontario Cohort Studies. Viviana’s work incentivizing the LGBTQ+ community in Latino/Hispanic events has led to work with different communities, institutions, and organizations the support the integration of Latinx to Canada.
Viviana has a background in community health, nursing, community capacity building, and digital communications – She graduated as an Immigration
Consultant and assisted her community at no cost.
Multifaceted, she also represented Canada internationally, bringing the first-ever International Trans pageant title to Canada, where she competed in a trans-advocacy pageant that helped to inspire and empower trans women around the world. She is the first Latina awarded the Inspire LGBTQ Person of the Year in September 2022 by Inspire Awards. She has been recognized as among the 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians since 2022.
Biography:
I am a world majority, Brown, Carib-Indigenous , trini, Indo, Chinese, callaloo, differently-abled, Jurassic and Bionic DYKE, Rainbow Senior/Elder.
Currently: a co-chair of the board of Pride Toronto, the Toronto Senior Pride Network, the board of ODLAN (Ontario Digital Literacy Access Network), trainer with The 519, the Liaison Committee of the ministry of seniors and accessibility, the VHA (Visiting Homemaker’s Association) Pride Working Group, Sinai Health System “Pride is good for your health” committee, a co-facilitator of the Youth/Elders Program of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, a volunteer at Hennick Bridgepoint rehab hospital, a member of True Davidson Acres LTC GSA (gender sexuality alliance), the city of Toronto SSLTC Working Group – developed “Leading and Learning with Pride – A Tool Kit to Support 2SLGBTQI+ SENIORS” (launched June 24/2022) and a co-author of the 2SLGBTQI Best Practice Guidelines of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. Effective November 2023, a member of the Fabulous Stories Project for The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity – developing Queer Curriculum for high schools and a consultant for The Canada Senior Pride Network.
Humble and privileged recipient of the 2019 Inspire Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2021 Community One Foundation Steinert & Ferreiro Award and the 2023 Jill Andrew (NDP – MPP, Ontario) Community Hero Award.
Featured in the videos “Out At Home”, “The Journey of My Strong Brown Trini Carib Callaloo Dyke Body” – 2016. In 2023, feature length documentary “Supporting Our Selves” from The Community One Foundation.
Honoured DYKE Ambassador and Honoured Rainbow Senior Ambassador – PRIDE TORONTO – 2022
I am an educator, accessibility/accommodation consultant, story teller, sometime actor and a respectful troublemaker, disruptor, infiltrator and agitator 😈.
I live and work from an anti-oppression, anti-racism, Truth and Reconciliation, intergenerational and intersectional perspective. I advocate for Two Spirit, Indigenous, queer and transgender rainbow 🌈 seniors and youth of colour.
I enjoy doubles, dancing, dim sum, a cold beverage and a “trini lime “ anytime.
My EXISTENCE is my RESISTANCE!! Website – lezlieoutofthecloset.com
Biography:
Anmol Budhiraja, a 26-year-old resident of Toronto, ON, is a dynamic individual with a diverse background and a deep commitment to fostering inclusivity. Originally from Jalandhar, Punjab, India, Anmol embarked on a transformative journey to Canada in 2016, initially as a student and now as a settler on the turtle island, proudly calling Toronto home.
As a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Anmol actively contributes to community welfare as a Crisis Response Specialist at 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations. This role has provided them with a profound understanding of the challenges faced by the Two-Spirit, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+ community, driving their passion for addressing these issues.
Anmol’s professional journey includes impactful roles as an Executive Assistant, showcasing expertise in grant writing, fundraising, and policy advocacy. Having completed a Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences, Honours Health Studies at the University of Waterloo, Anmol’s dedication to community engagement is evident through their role as a Teaching Assistant.
Beyond their professional and educational pursuits, Anmol’s interests encompass cultural competency, leadership, and continuous learning. Proficient in various tools, from Microsoft Office to Google applications, they bring a tech-savvy approach to their endeavors. Anmol’s diverse background, coupled with a strong commitment to community, positions them as an advocate for positive change, actively contributing to fostering inclusive environments and advancing social causes.
