Here’s why you should be listening to Canadian artist Emanuel

Canadian artist Emanuel considers himself to be a student and creator of R&B that makes his listeners shudder with passion, delight or pain. His main concern when creating is getting everyone else to experience the same transcendence that he gets throughout the entire production process. 

He recently released his debut album Alt Therapy, and his heart-touching vocals earned him a Juno Award nomination for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.

Top priority for Emanuel is "the idea of healing in my music." He says that if he was on stage just to have fun, he wouldn't take it as seriously. "It has to be deeper in order to take me further," Emanuel added.

Emanuel, who was born in London, Ontario to Ethiopian parents, had the idea for his debut album when he was working in a hospital, where he made a pact with himself that he wouldn't settle for anything but what he felt his purpose was.

Why is Emanuel the next big thing?

Emanuel was discovered by Canadian hip-hop icon Kardinal Offishall and Idris Elba was both a creative director for Emanuel's "Need You" video and executive producer on his album.

Elba turned to Emanuel's music while he was recovering from the coronavirus last year and putting together an inspirational collage of the one thing people need during the pandemic. 

"It was definitely a pinch-me moment. It was at the beginning of the pandemic and everything had just gone in lockdown for the first time. It was a really scary time so even to think about music, to even think about a rollout at that time was really something that was foreign and we were tempted to pivot," Emanuel explained to Etalk's Liz Trinnear.

He said that Elba heard his music through a friend and he reached out to him.

Emanuel continued: "He had ideas and he loved the music and he thought we were great and that was really jarring. He wanted to get on FaceTime and we got on FaceTime. He introduced himself and he's a really kind and humble individual.

"He was really taken by the music and he was offering ideas. He had ideas of how he would like to connect with people during a time like this and how the music kind of really took him to that place."

He said that they collaborated on the video for "Need You" and Elba was the creative director. After that, Elba hopped on his album in an executive role as an executive producer.

"It's moments like that. Just being able to meet really great individuals that you wouldn't expect and to also be in your corner and be supporting you," Emanuel added.

He's already received a Juno Award nom for his debut EP Alt Therapy Session 1: Disillusion, and if that's not enough to spark your interest, he also learned how to sing with no formal training at the age of nine.

The foundation for his learning came from Boyz II Men, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III and Bob Marley, but projects like Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly made him want to create music that can live through us long after the song ends.

Why should you be listening to him?

Emanuel is definitely someone you should be keeping on your radar. The Canadian R&B artist doesn't just want Canadians to relate to his music because he wants to make sure it's topical worldwide. He said that he wants people across the world to relate to it, understand the message and be uplifted by the energy of the music. 

"I really identify now with the reality within that because there are so many people around the world that are showing so much love. Just seeing the music have legs and seeing it grow is like watching a baby go off to college," Emanuel told Liz of his music.

Canadian singer Emanuel reveals he was discovered by Idris Elba

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If you're a fan of Miguel, Frank Ocean or Giveon, you'll definitely want to add Emanuel to your playlist because some of their music gives off the same vibe. 

Emanuel will take you on a journey because there are so many genres mixed into one and the cinematic element of the layered instruments is something you'll have to hear for yourself. His words are packed with meaning and Emanuel definitely has a sound of his own.

The "Thought It'd Be Easy" singer said that in the creation of the album, he knew there was a considerable amount of healing that he would have to undergo to be able to execute the vision they had for Alt Therapy. 

"I'm so thankful to God for just seeing everything come together and me just seeing the fruits of being disciplined and the fruits of continuing to move towards your vision and your goal even when it's the last thing you want to do," he added.

Emanuel sings about healing, romance, heartbreak but he also isn't afraid to discuss social unrest and racial equality. His song "Black Woman" was created to amplify and honour Black women. 

The singer has previously said that there's a lot of silence when it comes to Black women and the indignity they suffer at the hands of the world so he believes it's important to speak about those topics and not be silent. 

Here's where you should start

If you're looking for your next belt-it-out-loud song, you should start with Elba's favourite: "Need You." It's full of Emanuel's tender vocals, meaningful lyrics and mixed with smooth R&B sounds. That chorus is just *chef's kiss*.

If you're in the mood to listen to a song about moving on but you're getting pulled back in the opposite direction, "Thought It'd Be Easy" is the perfect song for that.

Emanuel sings, "I thought I'd leave and I'd become better but you made me better." The song is emotionally charged and filled with soulful vocals from beginning to end. There's also an a capella version that goes just as hard as the track backed with instruments. 

Emanuel's song "Worldwide" is full of positive vibes and it can act like soul therapy at times. He sings about travelling across the world but also getting closer to that special someone's mind while they visit Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Japan, Ethiopia and more.

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Emanuel joins Etalk for Etalk Open House, the series that features performances and exclusive interviews with incredible talent like The Killers, Jessie Reyez, Shaggy, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes and more. Catch Emanuel's Etalk Open House on Thursday night as part of Etalk’s regular broadcast at 7 p.m. ET on CTV  and 7:30 p.m. on CTV2.