BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition July 2019

MUSiC CONCERT PREVIEWS
HAVIAH
MIGHTY
k CONTINUED FROM PG. 13
are dexterous and her movements
are athletic. Though only a small
number of people were present at
the start of her show, her electric
performance turned passersby
into a captivated audience. And by
the time she played her last song, the crowd
stretched down Yonge Street for more than
half a block.
When Mighty jumps from the stage to greet
her fans after the show, she speaks with
the warmth and enthusiasm of an artist who
genuinely appreciates her audience. She says
one of the most consistent aspects of her live
shows is the “upbeat energy I’m getting back
from the audience, no matter where the show
happens or what the audience is like.”
Even when she plays to a large audience,
which she is doing more often, Mighty aims to
connect with individuals: “It’s important to connect
with people by looking at them, by being in
the same space as them, by sharing the experience
with them and creating less of a separation,”
she says backstage after her gig. This
HAVIAH MIGHTY
Saturday, July 27
Phillips Backyard
Weekender (Victoria)
sense of connection creates a “more rewarding”
experience for her audience and for her.
In conversation, Mighty is engaging and
self-assured. “I feel more confident in what I’m
saying,” she says, when she finally sits down to
relax. Her confidence is evident in the type of
music she included on 13th Floor. On “Blame”
Tix: $39.50,
backyardweekender.com
and “Fugazi,” Mighty’s swagger
and production quality rivals that
of some of hip hop’s biggest names.
Her growing acclaim has also
given her the platform to address
meaningful subjects. “Thirteen” is a
moving song about slavery in North
America and the ways it reverberates in the
present as systematic oppression of Black
people. She released the song now because
“the social climate was ready to hear it and I
was ready to say it,” she says. “I wasn’t going
to release an album with a bunch of songs that
were fun but not speak on something I feel
passionate about.”
Her passion is evident in her performance
of “In Women Colour,” which she hopes will
help her audience learn more about her and
understand her “very personal experiences”
as a Black woman in Canada.
“There are many young women just like
me who need to hear this,” she says. “I feel
triumphant that I have overcome the things
people have said. Had I let it change who I am
as a person, ‘In Women Colour’ and 13th Floor
wouldn’t exist.”
As Mighty’s star continues to rise, she says,
“I’m hoping that what I add to the industry
can continue to push hip-hop in the direction
of being more accepting so more people will
understand the music women are making and
enjoy it.” ,
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14 BEATROUTE JULY 2019