Rep It
Toronto songstress Ebhoni is rolling out an R&B renaissance within the 6ix, stepping into a darker soundscape to pull herself from the shadows of heartbreak as she frames the dissolution of a relationship that never was in her evocative offering ‘Rep It’.
The young R&B star has garnering quite some achievements ever since releasing her debut EP across Soundcloud, like opening for Teyana Taylor, modelling for Rhianna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie line, hosting Pride Toronto and even receiving a shout out from Pitchfork stating she’s ‘reclaiming the Toronto R&B crown for women. It’s probably safe to say the eclectic songstress has come a long way from the days of uploading Beyoncé and Keyshia Cole covers on YouTube.
Ebhoni lays it all out for us on a production that’ll leave your hairs standing courtesy of FrancisGotHeat (he ain’t lying, he really does) who’s chopped it up with the likes of ‘Mr. Artist of the Decade’ himself Drake, producing ‘4422’ off his critically acclaimed ‘More Life’ album. Tenderly guided through a progression of skewed guitar chords, curating a slow build up of tension, Ebhoni creeps in with a string of sensually crushed vocals layered with distorted backings giving this soundscape more depth than you could possibly imagine - exhibiting little fear to step out her comfort zone as she brings a clouded shift from her renowned vibrant soundscape her audience are accustomed to.
Ebhoni then breaks off into her electrifying chorus highlighting how her ex shook up her world, leaving a mess but having to let it go in order to elevate the burden and move on - ‘okay, I get, I get it.’ The 21 year old continues to tap into her roots for this number as she incorporates stabs of patois within the chorus: ’mosh up di ting dem/mosh up di sound/mosh up yuh feelings’ keeping those island vibes alive reminiscent of previous tracks such as her ‘X’ EP lead ‘X-Ting’ and bashment inspired ‘TGM’. Following in the shadows of her magnetic chorus the instrumental transcends to a whole other dimension as an assortment of gothic lead and bass synthesisers ring out within the atmosphere - the combination of Ebhoni’s transcendent vocals and Francis’ stellar production cultivate a soundscape almost identical to a piece Travis Scott may have curated back in his defiant ‘Don’t Play’ days.
Throughout her career, Ebhoni’s made a point to partner specifically with black-owned businesses and to also support fellow female musicians in the industry:
“Female empowerment is huge for me because a lot of women in music feel as though they have to turn against each other/I feel all the energy is being pushed towards the males in the city/it’s something that definitely needs to be changed in order for something to happen.”
Women still don’t receive the representation they deserve in this industry and that’s simple - Wireless’ call to source only 6 female artists for their annual shellings this summer really says it all. Just like Ebhoni states herself ‘it’s something that definitely needs to be changed’ and with her unapologetic demeanour and undeniable talent - who’s to say this singer songwriter can’t be that driving force behind the push for representation in the industry!
So go take in her new number and keep this buzzing talent on your radar for the near future - word on the street is there’s some visuals dropping soon too.