Toronto Alt-Pop Musician Lisa Humber Shares New Single THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
Photo by Jen Squires
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Toronto alt-pop musician Lisa Humber shares her empowering new single 'The Devil's Advocate' out now on all digital streaming platforms. Listen here.
'The Devil's Advocate' was written in collaboration with producer/guitarist Justin Abedin, whom Lisa met backstage whilst working on Come From Away in Toronto. He also played a significant role in her debut EP, The Space Between, released in 2022, helping to infuse beauty into her work and shape her lyrics and melodies. The release of this new single launches a quadriptych of new music to be released from Lisa in 2024.
"'The Devil's Advocate' delves into introspection on love, mistakes, and self-discovery," says Lisa. "It's a song about facing the fallout of ignoring warning signs, playing games, and owning up to my part in the chaos. We've all been on that rollercoaster of growth, and this tune encapsulates the essence of breaking away from past choices while asserting newfound empowerment."
Embracing her "Empowered Epoch," Lisa aimed to showcase it both on and off-camera with the music video for 'The Devil’s Advocate'. Assembling the band for the shoot was a breeze: Jessica Stuart (JESSA,) on guitar, drummer Allyson MacIvor, and Melissa Mather on bass—each exceptional in their own right. The video was co-directed by her longtime friend and collaborator Steffi Didomenicantonio,and the multi-talented pop princess Rafa Weyman (Ralph) serving as the behind-the-scenes set photographer. Queer icons Lauren Wotherspoon (cinematographer) and Jaimee Q. Vicente-Hall (associate producer) complete this stellar team.
'The Devil's Advocate' is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit lisahumber.com.
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Wednesday 03.06.24
THE SPACE BETWEEN
AVAILABLE NOW!
Toronto Singer-Songwriter Lisa Humber Releases “The Space Between”
Sometimes great things happen when you least expect it.
Singer-songwriter Lisa Humber knows this, as inspiration for her latest single, “The Space Between”, came about just as she and her collaborators were beginning to wind down the recording sessions for her debut EP of the same name.
The song’s lyrics reflect in some ways on her musical journey. The words that came to her speak to the struggle between one’s aspirations and one’s reality, capturing the pressure felt in making all of those tiny decisions that shape and shift who we become.
Humber sings of being at a crossroads: “I’ve been searching all the time/For this fragile heart of mine/To fill in the space between/Your aloofness and my dreams.”
Co-writer, guitarist and producer Justin Abedin crafted an uptempo accompaniment on acoustic guitar and a beat that captures the frenzied feeling of falling “between the cracks”, in the “space between her hell and back.”
It’s the perfect centerpiece to her debut record.
Originally from Sudbury, Humber has worked behind the scenes in the theatre world for 20 years as a stage manager on most of the commercial musicals that have played in Toronto.
It was the sudden, unexpected pandemic cancellation of everything in the arts in 2020 that prompted Humber to finally climb out from behind the scenes and pursue her love of music, working towards releasing the album she’s always envisioned.“When it felt like everything else had been taken away,” says Lisa, “music and the stories I wanted to share through my own creations was the only thing that made sense.”
She and Abedin, whom she met while working backstage on the musical Come From Away, assembled a group of skilled musicians - Richard Evans and Scott Galloway on piano and keyboards, bassist Drew Birston, Kevin Fox on cello, and Lyle Molzan and Davide Di Renzo on drums - and hit Toronto’s Toast + Jam Studios to lay down tracks.
The result is a collection of eight moving and personal songs, all written by Humber and Abedin, that run the gamut from indie pop to adult alternative. They include the hopeful melancholy of “Not Worth Losing”, the doomed relationship of “Lucky 13”, and the frustration of watching someone pretend to be someone else in “Skin”.
Together, the collection highlights life in the space between the good, the bad and the messy.
Though it was the last song written by Lisa and Justin, “The Space Between” deftly ties it all together, documenting as it does Humber’s discovery of the blue sky behind the dark clouds. It just had to end up being the title song of the EP.
“I really hope ‘The Space Between’ inspires others to move towards the blue skies version of their lives,” Lisa adds.
“The Space Between” single and EP is out now on all streaming services.
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Canadian Alt-Pop Singer/Songwriter Lisa Humber Urges Critical Thinking & Human Connection on New Single, “Shades of Grey” – Available Now!
One of the most frustrating elements of the pandemic has been the lack of clear information and the inability of everyone to collectively get on the same page. Canadian alt-pop songstress Lisa Humber addresses these frustrations in her piano-driven ballad “Shades of Grey” — available now.
Featuring bold piano and moody, dramatic strings, “Shades of Grey” can be taken as both a challenge to think critically as well as a song about the tumultuous end of a relationship. The lyrics are passionate, and also open to interpretation. “I’m so sick of talking/ And you taking offense/ As you pontificate/ While sitting on the fence,” Humber sings.
The one thing she knows for certain, however, is she can’t succumb to wishy-washiness, or to rigid thinking. The longing for a deeper connection is visceral and palpable: “Engage in conversation/ Meaningful and true/ It never hurts to listen/ To another point of view.”
“‘Shades of Grey’ is an anthem for the times,” the Toronto-based artist says. “Born in the midst of misinformation and fake news, this song is a rallying cry urging listeners to ask questions.”
The song is one of eight on Humber’s new EP, The Space Between — slated for a late-August release. The project represents the renewed commitment Humber made during the pandemic to her own music; up until then, she had always worked behind the scenes as a stage manager on most of the commercial musicals that have played in Toronto. “I love that job,” Humber says. “I thrive on the fast-paced exciting world of 'backstage' life. Music has always existed in the space between my professional ambitions and the blue skies version of my life.
“I don’t want to call this a ‘pandemic record,’” she continues, “but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that in March of 2020, Covid-19 not only changed life as we know it on a global scale, but it also had a significant impact on a micro individual level.
“When it felt like everything else had been taken away, music and the stories I wanted to share through my own creations were the only thing that made sense.”
Blending dreamy alt-pop, melancholic rhymes, hopeful optimism, and elements of adult alternative to create a unique sound that rises from the ashes of the pandemic, The Space Between highlights life in the space between the good, the bad, and the messy. For it, Humber collaborated with producer and guitar master Justin Abedin, who she met while working backstage on the musical, Come From Away. “Justin has this incredible ability to breathe beauty into everything he does and knows exactly how to frame and shape my lyrics and melodies into something that feels authentically me,” Humber shares. “Without him, I don’t think these ideas and songs would exist outside of my own heart and mind.”