TANIKA CHARLES

TANIKA CHARLES

Soul Run Tanika Charles is a vibrant soul, and her long-awaited album reflects that. A mainstay in the Toronto music scene, the R&B/soul singer-songwriter has had success providing support vocals for artists like Bedouin Soundclash and most recently Zaki Ibrahim. Her 2010 EP, What!What?What!?, hinted at the promise a full-length album might hold and now with Soul Run, that potential is fulfilled. It is an intensely personal project, the catalyst being a classic breakup tale: Alberta-raised Charles was living on a farm, stuck in an unrewarding relationship when she decided to up and leave, packing her stuff and stealing her soon-to-be ex’s vehicle en route east to Toronto. The album — originally due out more than two years ago — leans hard on a throwback Motown sound but isn’t constrained by it. A track like the Slakah the Beatchild-produced “Darkness and the Dawn” is modern-minded with a breezy old-school feeling. Charles’ Soul Run is a soul standout. It’s solid and sets the groundwork for future releases to follow — without such a long wait, fingers crossed. (tanikacharles.com)

THIS ALBUM WAS DUE OUT BACK IN 2014. WHAT WAS THE HOLD UP?

Do you want the long, salty version, or the shorter version? There were a lot of unforeseen circumstances. The end.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

It normally starts out for me by receiving the music first. If I can even come up with one idea or lyric out of the music that I’ve heard, I will take that and work with it. The feeling that comes up in me when I hear the beat — it’s all based on emotion. What it makes me feel, and then I can write.

WHAT ARE YOU FEELING NOW THAT THE PROJECT IS SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY?

I couldn’t hold on to it any longer. And I didn’t want to. I wanted to release everything, get it off my chest, and move on to a new project. It just felt like it was the right time. It consumed so much of my life. The album is a story of evolution of sense, of growth and discovering who I am without being dependent on someone. I wanted to rid myself of a lot of personal issues that I needed to release. And I really wanted to head out on tour with new fresh music. RYAN B. PATRICK