“Tell me” is a song birthed out of frustration. Frustration of this ongoing situation with being black. All the racism, systemic, micro aggresions etc. I have been seeing messages from folks I am connected to the last few months that disturb me. So I wanted to speak to that. “Tell me you know that everything’s different when you’re living black” Is the chorus of the song and I want that to ring home.
Duane Forrest is a singer-songwriter and multimedia artist from Toronto, Canada. His unique sound blending jazz, reggae, bossa nova, soul and smooth vocals draws on his experiences traveling the world, falling in love, and finding wonder in the joys and sorrows of a common human experience.
He first gained attention in 2017, when he debuted his first musical theatre production, Climb, a live album experience based on his concept album of the same name. Toronto Fringe Festival founder Gregory Nixon described Duane’s show as “an engaging, multilayered work of song, storytelling and movement” and “one of the highlights of this year’s Fringe.” His forthcoming double jazz and fusion album builds on themes of love, heartbreak, BLM, and self-discovery, reflecting musically Duane’s growth as an artist and a human being.
Aside from his innate drive to create beautiful things, Duane also has a passion for arts education. In 2011 he founded Genesis Community of the Arts, a registered Canadian charity offering music and arts education to marginalized children and youth in Toronto and Central America.
