Often people find their calling later in life after putting their dreams on the back burner for too long. However, for one Toronto artist, getting an early start was always part of the plan.
Liyah Katana, 20, has loved music since she was a child thanks to her parents, a Ugandan-Indian father and Guyanese-Asian mother, who played tasteful R&B and Hip Hop in and around the house.
Today, she is a talented singer in her own right and has amassed a dedicated group of supporters who enjoy her rustic yet delicate tone reminiscent of Muni Long and Layton Greene.
Katana dropped her first body of work this year titled 8.
“It felt like a big relief. We’ve been working on it for probably more than eight months. So, it felt really good to just finally put it out into the world and have everybody tell me what they think of each track and tell me their favourite song. So, I had a great time,” she told Now Toronto in an interview.
The number eight holds a deep significance to Katana and not just because she has eight songs on the EP.
“I’m born on the eighth, September 8 is my birthday,” she shared.
“But also aside from that, eight is my life path number. So, what that means to me is wisdom, inner strength, prosperity, balance. And that’s something that I had to really focus on while making this project. So, I feel like it all ties together.”
Her songs “Straight” and “Slide” really took off, and on YouTube they have around 1.3 million views combined, as of publication.
“I honestly came into this industry with no expectations. I didn’t want to really limit how I thought it would be what I think it should be. So far, I’ve just been learning a lot. And I think that’s going to be what I do going forward as an artist, I’m always going to be learning from everybody around me and the music that I make.”
For more information about Katana and any upcoming shows visit her website here.
