Black Orchid blooms in Toronto
GIVEN Toronto’s diverse population, singjay Black Orchid listened to multiple genres as a youth. She calls on her dancehall influences for Show Yuh and Return my Heart, her new songs, which she also produced.
Black Orchid told the Jamaica Observer that though she got her groove on to hip hop acts like Timbaland, Missy Elliott and the late neo-soul singer Aaliyah, the hard-core dancehall sounds of Super Cat and Bounty Killer were also on her personal playlist.
“I would describe my sound as R&B mixed with dancehall and reggae, but when I’m producing I would consider myself versatile,” she said. “I listen to a myriad of artistes.”
Among the artistes Black Orchid has worked with as a songwriter/producer is Canadian reggae singer Chelsea Stewart who, like her, has Jamaican heritage. She wrote songs for Stewart’s 2019 album Genesis which was nominated for a Juno Award for Reggae Recording of The Year.
Black Orchid prefers to write and produce her own songs, which is uncommon for women in hip hop and dancehall. Show Yuh and Return my Heart were recorded at her home studio in Toronto.
“It’s very important to me as a woman doing my thing for others to see that it is something they can do too,” she said.
Born in Toronto and raised in Brampton — a city in Ontario that has a massive Jamaican population going back to the 1970s — Black Orchid remembers soaking up the culture of her Jamaican parents. Their heritage included dancehall/reggae music which has been a feature of her sound since she began recording at age 14.
Early this year, Black Orchid was part of the BUSS Canada virtual show that highlighted leading acts in Canadian dancehall music.