Charmaine has been selected as the only Canadian artist among nine global acts for 2021’s First On SoundCloud, which you can view here. The campaign spotlights groundbreaking artists from across SoundCloud’s global community for a year-long investment is making them the next generation of global music stars. Spanning hip hop, electronic and pop, these artists represent the more than 10 million creators heard on SoundCloud every month.
To kick-off her First On SoundCloud journey, Charmaine taps influential artist Rico Nasty who is set to join her on Instagram Live tonight at 5:00PM EDT to announce the campaign with fans. Together, Charmaine and Rico Nasty will discuss their careers, motherhood and their individual artistry.
“I’m so humbled and grateful, it feels surreal,” Charmaine says of being the only Canadian selected. “Being a new artist is hard because you have to prove to the world that you are capable. For SoundCloud to see me, what I’m doing and decide that I am worth this spot is mind blowing. I’m ready to show the world who I am and I’m here to stay!”
Other artists selected for the campaign are Ela Minus, Kid Quill, Lourdiz, Otis Kane, Pa Salieu, Payday, Sofia Mills, and SoFaygo.
Charmaine may have started with nothing, but with her debut EP Hood Avant Garde, it’s clear that she’s coming for everything. Born in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, Charmaine relocated to the United States at the age of five, bouncing around the Midwest with her family at first before eventually settling in Nashville for a large chunk of her childhood. Living in the American South was an eye-opening experience but by the time high school rolled around, Charmaine was already on the way to her next culture shock, this time heading north of the border to Toronto, where life would soon take a dark turn. “After we moved to Toronto, my dad got laid off,” says Charmaine, “and pretty quickly after that, we lost our house. We went to a shelter and then ended up living in a motel, all six of us in this tiny little room with just a hot plate for a kitchen.” Throughout her family’s frequent moves and financial struggles, Charmaine had always turned to music as a source of comfort and stability, something she could rely on for emotional support no matter how difficult things got. Now, sitting on the motel floor with a notebook in hand, she turned to music as a life preserver, penning her own songs and scouring the internet for performance opportunities in the hopes of writing herself a ticket to a brighter future.
Coming off her first two hit tracks “BOLD” and “WOO!”, Charmaine is emerging as one of the top rappers coming out of Canada. “While the industry at large sees a female rap renaissance, Charmaine is helping to get Canada caught up,” Complex writes.
Charmaine inspires her growing fanbase to own who they are and to do so unapologetically. She exudes confidence and a swagger like no other through braggadocious bars that will be heard on her debut EP, Hood Avant Garde arriving April 2nd.
