Where were you at in your music career when you had your first child? Was there much discussion about how that life choice would affect your career within the music/entertainment industry?

I had found out I was pregnant with twins when I was 21 years old not long after I released “401 West” my first single that got in multiple major playlists and the video was doing well on YouTube. I had also recently dropped a song with Canadian legend Kiesza and was doing really well. I wasn’t sure how it was going to impact my music. But music has always been an outlet for me and I knew I wasn’t going to stop making music. I did briefly consider quitting my music career. But instead I wrote a song about wanting to be a good mom for my boys and I released it not long after I had my babies.

As a working parent in the music industry, what are some of the biggest challenges you face or have faced?

Some of the biggest challenges I faced was feeling left out because I was unable to attend a lot of events and still miss events because I’m home with my boys. But also I had a major identity crisis. I felt myself disassociating with a lot of aspects of of my previous identity but at the same time I was also trying my best to be the old version of myself because I thought that’s what people wanted to see and I thought I should do what people wanted me to do. And in a way be who people expected me to be.

What is one change (big or small) within the industry that could make a positive impact for working parents?

I wish there were specific grants for moms or parents in music. That would be really great. Because as a mom in music you have less budget because a lot of your income goes towards you kids (in my case at least).

How do you find support and community with other working parents in or out of the music industry?

I always find that I bond with other moms in music right away because we can relate to each other in ways that childless adults simply can’t understand.

What’s one specific example of an organization/venue/company doing something great to help support working parents?

I can’t honestly think of any organization specifically helping parents in music. But I do know my studio / my managers the owners of Abstract learning are always very understanding when it comes to parents bringing their kids to sessions. My kids have been to the studio many times. And they’ve even hosted kids parties where little ones record their own song.

What could a music event (festival, conference, etc.), do or provide to make it easier for you to participate?

One thing that would be great is companion passes & travel support so that moms could bring someone along with them who can help with the kids. A lot of times I would love to go to different events out of the city but I’m a full time hands on mom and I get major mom guilt even just thinking about leaving my little ones behind.

Can you shout out another music mama doing great things?

Another music mom from Toronto that I really admire is Blue Will. She recently had her second child and I think she’s great. I love her energy and her unique style. Blue is always very sweet and I couldn’t think of a bad thing to say about her. Another music mom is Melissa Wagar my manager. She’s a mom of 3 and despite having a very busy home life she also with her amazing husband Anté O’Connor run the best studio in Toronto and a production house and now the abstract foundation.