JUICE: Season 2 | An evening of Afro Music featuring OK Naledi, Jessie Simmons, and Taapz, plus DJ Del Pilar

With DJ Del Pilar

OK Naledi

This Afro House Queer performing music group features traditional sub-Saharan clean guitar lines, classic deep bass, deep groove acoustic drums and beats that drive that iconic Afro House tempo.

As a group of independent musicians who have been working on and releasing music as OK Naledi since February 2022 they have performed at Ottawa’s very own Bluesfest, Axé WorldFest, Capital Pride, HOPE SummerFest as well as being nominated for the 2022 Capital Music Awards new comer of the year award. In March 2023 they released their first full length album, BONES. They continue to group in the Afro House music genre where there is very little Queer-women artist representation and are eager to keep pushing forward with this music journey. You don’t want to miss this emerging group!

"The music I create and write speaks from my lived experiences as a Queer, Black non-binary person. But more importantly, I aim to put music and content out there that celebrates Queerness, Blackness and Queer Black love in an elevated and positive light. I want to showcase the ability to see Queer and Black lives as lovable, romantic and with joy. Mainstream media tends to focus on displaying our traumas and hardships without showing the pride, love and positivity that there is to being Queer and Black. There's nothing quite like being able to perform in a space that you feel you wholeheartedly belong in. Performing in Pride events and in Queer safe spaces allows us the opportunity to share our music and stories to a receptive audience who may have shared experiences and feel connected to the content."<

Taapz

You may have seen her at Live on Elgin and Afrofest. This Malawian born artist blends her culture and unique experiences to tell authentic stories through her music.

Taapz’sevolution into an artist has allowed her to introduce her audience to her expressive and creative side. Her single, “Moved On” released in June 2021 is a song about understanding one’s self worth and finding the straight within to choose one’s happiness and not settling for less than what you deserve.

Taapz continues to experiment with her sound. Her single, “The One” shows off her vocal versatility and artistic prowess. The sing has a unique fusion of Afrobeat, R&B and pop, embraces her African roots and drawing inspiration from an Afrobeat/Afropop sound. Her upbeat and vibrant lyrics bring joy and love to her audience.

Jessie Simmons

Her unique Afro-Caribbean style is a fusion between R&B  and her Haitian roots, making her one of the most sought-after Haitian artists in Canada. In 2014, Jessie released her debut single, Fly Away, highly inspired by her Haitian roots. She continued to release singles, including Always on My Mind (2017), Fantasy (2020),Wisdom (2020),Plus jamais seul (2022), For You (2023) and most recently her executively produced debut album AMONI (2023).

Jessie has also been greatly involved in the Haitian and Ottawa music community and  her goal is to showcase Haitian Culture to a wider audience by making music in French, English and Creole.

As a rising Star and has won many accolades for her music, including Artist of the Year (2010), Song of the Year with RNB CANADA (2021) and Emerging Artist of the Year with the Ottawa-Haitian Community (2022). With her years of experience as a professional musical artist, in 2023, she started a mentoring program to support younger black women aspiring to enter the music industry, sharing her love and passion for music.