Here’s why you should be listening to Canadian singer Savannah Ré

Toronto-based artist and songwriter Savannah Ré has become one of R&B’s brightest new voices by making music that turns her experiences into a vessel for revealing the intricacies of emotions.

She has created a path and sound that is authentically her own and she's not afraid of being vulnerable or sharing lessons that life has taught her through her music. 

Savannah released her debut EP Opia last November, which was written in Toronto and Los Angeles and produced by Boi-1da. The 25-minute EP takes listeners on a journey of self-reflection and scrutinizes fears of abandonment while also celebrating moments of satisfaction.

Savannah, who is from Scarborough, won the Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at this year's Juno Awards for her song "Solid." She was also nominated for Contemporary R&B/Soul Recording of the year for her song "Where You Are."

She told Etalk's Tyrone Edwards that she's feeling a whirlwind of emotions and she's over the moon about her accomplishments thus far.

Why is Savannah Ré the next big thing?

If you've heard Savannah's music, you already know she's the next big thing. She is an extremely talented singer and you can tell she has a passion for the craft.

She says that people connecting with her music is all she can ask for. "All the nominations, that's just the cherry on top," she told Tyrone.

But Savannah isn't just a singer, she's also a highly skilled songwriter and she was brought under the mentorship of Grammy Award-winning producer Boi-1da. She’s written with artists like Babyface, Normani, Daniel Caesar, and Wondagurl.

She has also opened for artists like TLC and Jessie Reyez on her “Being Human On Tour” 30-date North American tour.

Did we forget to mention that super-producer Timbaland is a big fan? Check out the Instagram video of him jamming out to Savannah's "Homies."

She told Tyrone that when she saw Timbaland post that to his Instagram Story she could barely process what was happening.

"It was literally like I was almost buffering. I was mid-sentence and I was just like... I couldn't even say what's just happened," Savannah explained, adding that Timbaland is singlehandedly responsible for the music that inspired her to create her own.

Why should you be listening to her?

Savannah is bringing a new sound to Toronto R&B. Her goal is validation and she wants to advocate for the value of untidy, collectively-held stories which ultimately become the ingredients of reclamation and resilience.

If you're a fan of Lauryn Hill, Snoh Aalegra or Jhené Aiko, you'll want to add some of Savannah's songs to your playlist. She has a voice that is smooth and silky and her lyrics will get you in your feels. 

Savannah performed a few songs as part of a performance series for Vevo and if those aren't the perfect example of why you need her music on your favourites list, we don't even know what to say.

She says she wanted the music to do the talking in those videos so she made sure that there wasn't a lot going on during the performance, stripped back the songs and put the focus on the vocals.

"We ended up doing like a performance series, if you will. We need a couple of songs from Opia and also '24hrs.' The director Sarah, we sort of were like, 'I kind of just want something that feels like light and... elegant, smooth, just like the song.' I didn't want a whole bunch going on," she said of her Vevo performances.

She's currently working on her next EP and she promises that she has a lot more music to come.

Here's where you should start

If you're looking for your new favourite song, you should start off with Savannah's, "Where You Are."

Savannah dropped the single ahead of the release of Opia, setting the tone for what was to come. The song is about taking charge of a romantic situation and navigating all the emotions that come with a long-distance relationship. 

Savannah's most recent single, "24hrs," was released in early June and she said it was the first song she made during the pandemic.

"A lot of my music is R&B, it's rhythm and blues. This song is was a bit different because I think a lot of us were sort of forced to go inward and work inward. You're stuck inside so you're spending a lot more time with a person than you normally would," she explained of the inspo for "24hrs."

She continued: "While there's been a lot of negative to that, it's been incredibly positive to me and I'm sure for so many people. So many proposals, so much love so '24hrs' is literally just like — '24hrs' is not enough of you. I'm loving what we got going on here."

Savannah said that with "24hrs" she wanted to embody that summer love energy.

If you're from Toronto and you're familiar with the Don Valley Parkway, you're going to want to throw on "DVP." The song is an ode to Toronto and she sings about swerving up the DVP to go get your boo.

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Savannah Ré 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 Savannah Ré'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.