Get to know 2023 Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year Presented by CBC Music nominee, Adria Kain in our “7 Questions With” series where we speak with first-time JUNO Award nominees.
Soul-filled and honest, Adria Kain takes from her own lived experiences, both painful & joyful, to share stories of love, resilience, embracing her identity as a queer, masc-presenting Black woman, and more. In full command of her spectacular voice, Adria’s approach is restrained yet filled with a quiet confidence. The deeply felt collection of songs from When Flowers Bloom details her experience of reconnecting with nature to heal old wounds, grow into the most authentic version of herself, and just let go.
1. How does it feel to be nominated for a JUNO award?
I feel good! It’s a blessing, honestly. I know a lot of people are excited for me, but I’ve just been trying to take my time to process everything that lead up to this point so that I can really enjoy it for myself more than anything. A nomination for something like this is forever regardless if I win or not, so that’s something to be proud of.
2. Tell us a bit about your JUNO-nominated project.
It was a heavy body of work that I think I carried in many ways internally before it came to fruition, hence the concept surrounding personal growth. All that’s happening surrounding the release of it now is just a testament of where and who I am now. It helped me learn a lot about myself, as both an artist and a human.
3. What has been the craziest moment of your music career to date?
Probably being nominated for a Juno haha. There was a point in time when I genuinely believed I’d never see the day, so its pretty crazy. Also last year I ended up in Berlin for a music related opportunity that stemmed from the release of my album which was pretty insane for me. That had always been one of my top bucket list places to visit.
4. What’s your favourite lyric from this project, and why does it resonate with you so much?
“Blue sky, but my windows are covered.” It’s the very first thing I say at the top of the album to kind of open up the storyline and let people know where I was mentally and emotionally. It was a play on the idea that for me the future may seem bright, but I’m not seeing it that way and here’s why. Those lyrics are the most important to me because that is what literally propelled me into a space to even begin writing some of the songs for this album. Without me acknowledging that and digging deeper, it wouldn’t exist, and I probably wouldn’t be here.
5. Which Canadian artist would you like to collaborate with and why?
Fefe Dobson. I actually just met her recently, and I’ve been in this really cool space creatively that I think she would complement well. It would also be a dream come true for my childhood self.
6. What would you like music fans to know about you? How would you introduce your music to
new or soon-to-be fans?
Lately, I’ve been trying to get out of the mysterious online persona I’ve kind of unintentionally created and let out the best parts of my personality more. I think a great way to do that is to somehow find a way to really connect on a more personal level with my fans and give them music exclusively. Still figuring that out though.
7. What’s next for you?
So many great things, but I think the focus for me is to really bask in enjoyment more and spend less time thinking about the next move. Its a lot easier for me to go with the flow and let things happen naturally. So we’ll see what comes with that.
Tickets for The 2023 JUNO Awards are on sale now! Don’t miss out on an unforgettable night of Canadian music hosted by Simu Liu on March 13.
