Denim Blù, an emerging Toronto-based singer-songwriter, is releasing his debut album Blue, Wednesday 11/10. His identity and music reflect the cultural mosaic that makes Toronto’s music scene so universally appealing. He’s a Chinese-born queer artist whose inspiration is born out of rebellion. The product of his music is pure pop fantasy with emotional intrigue, drawing from blues, dance, electronica, and R&B elements, all while being unapologetically queer. 

The album captures youthful love, volatile love, and queer love– it takes the listener on a journey from the exuberance and magic of falling in love (“Extraordinary Feel”), to deep and dark places of lament (“Blue,” “I’ll Die,” “I Miss You”), to coming to terms with love lost (“Young and Foolish,” “Burn,” “Again”). Listen to the album here.

Blue’s synthesis is a celebration of Toronto’s cultural diversity as the album, its collaborative artists, songwriting, and production are queer and ethnically diverse, adding to the international and progressive flare that makes Toronto one of the hottest scenes in the music industry today. The first three singles, “Burn,” “Extraordinary Feel,” and “I’ll Die,” have already given listeners a taste of Denim Blù’s range in style, production, and songwriting.

What’s your story as an artist? 

I am originally from China. Growing up in China, we are dissuaded from pursuing creativity. Being an artist is frowned upon. But there was no denying that pursuing music was the path for me. From the age of 3 I figured out how to put CDs into CD players, playing popular Chinese music, and my love affair with music never subsided. I quickly went from listening to music to having the desire to create my own. Being queer and Chinese, I feel that I have a unique voice. Despite the stigma of homosexuality, I feel compelled to be unapologetically queer in my music. My art is a reflection of my life and experiences, and I want it to be as authentic as possible so that it can resonate with others in my position.

What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?

Love – youthful love, volatile love, queer love, and my love for music. The concept for the album is centered around a relationship. It takes the listener on a journey from the exuberance and magic of falling in love (“Extraordinary Feel”), to deep and dark places of lament (“Blue”, “I’ll Die”, “I Miss You”), to coming to terms with love lost (“Young and Foolish”, “Burn”, “Again”). The album is the physical manifestation of my love for music. The whole process of making the album, from song-writing to producing, recording, mixing, and mastering, is me expressing my love for music. The sound of every sound, every foreshadowing, every push, every climax, and every reveal, is about my love of music.

Any funny anecdotes from the time you were recording or writing this?

I think the funniest story is my perception of my melody writing skills. I can easily come up with catchy melodies but sometimes I think my melodies are too catchy for the sound I am trying to create for my brand. One funny story is that when I finished writing the melody for my lead single “Burn”, I hated it so much at the beginning that I thought it was too pop for my taste. I sent the melody to my lyricist and said “I hate this so much so feel free to do whatever you want”. But the moment he heard the song, he loved it so much, and it turned out to be my debut single for my music career!

What’s your favorite place or environment to write?

I love sitting in front of my keyboard at night with dimmed lights – because I am also a music producer, I have almost every sound in my workstation at my disposal. I would usually start with a piano or a Rhodes – that might explain why my music tends to sound like jazz. I also love to look out of the window and watch the lights from other buildings – I love the feel of the city at night, and it always brings me calm and inspires me to create. 

What’s a record that shaped your creativity?

I listen to a lot of records across genres and each of them brings me different inspirations. The one record I would say inspires me the most is Stripped by Christina Aguilera. She is my biggest idol and she has always been a pioneer in this industry. I wouldn’t say this record shaped me sonically, but it inspired me to follow my heart, to be myself, and to speak out my truth. It’s like what she said in the lyrics: no hype, no glass, no pretense, just me, stripped.

Who is an artist or band you look up to today?

Jolin Tsai is an artist I look up to. She is from Taiwan and I have been listening to her since I was a kid in China. She inspires me with her hard work. She has always been innovative in her music and pushing herself to break the boundaries. I witnessed her from being a pop star in China as a kid to collaborating with international artists and releasing the best music over the past years. She is a true inspiration for me. 

Any future projects?

A lot! I almost finished writing my second album during the pandemic, and I am planning to finish the production of the album in 2022 and hopefully, I can release it during summer 2023! Besides the studio album, I am also getting into the live performance scene, so hopefully, I can find an opportunity to perform this album in front of a large audience and record an alternative live version of my album “Blue”. Also, several remixes of the songs from “Blue” are coming next year!

What is your view on genres and music styles since you mix a lot of them in your music?

To me, music genres are fluid – they are connected and inspire each other. For example, hip-hop started from sampling old jazz and blues records, and it evolved with the development of the technology (from analog to digital), and now you can hear country music with 808/trap beat (Lil Nas X), and even Elton John’s new record is a fusion of traditional piano-based melodic ballad and new school hip-hop. My debut album “Blue” is a multi-genre album, as you can hear influence from jazz, blues, hip-hop, R&B, rock, gospel, dance, electronica, alternative, and cinematic music in it. This album is an experiment for me as well, as I was trying to find the sound for Denim Blù – I will try to be more consistent in my next album, but it will be really hard for me, as I always want to include more diversity in my sound. 

What do music and art mean to you?

I think music is my destiny and I was born to do this. It is something I am passionate about and it is my source of happiness and pride – it is the meaning of my life. 

How would you describe your act in one word?

Unapologetic – I am unapologetic about my identity and my sound, and I am unapologetic about the choices I made and the path I am taking. I know it is hard to make it in the music industry but I will keep on pushing until the day I see the light.