Nora Toutain Shares The Story Behind Her New Video For “Women”
Moroccan-born, Montreal-based R&B singer/songwriter Nora Toutain found her footing in the Canadian music scene during her time at McGill University where she joined Kalmunity, the largest music improve collective in Canada and learned the art of songwriting. From there, she was introduced to her team of collaborators, including Busty & the Bass’ Chris Vincent who would help produce a number of tracks on her upcoming debut Ground Place Vol. 1 & 2.
From the upcoming collection Toutain has shared her new single and video “Women”, which is a celebration of the spirited female figures in her life, lifted by the soulful blend of jazz, R&B, and soul. Filmed during her most recent visit home to Morocco, the music video captures a traditional celebration, which is an important part of the singer’s culture and heritage, inviting viewers along to the intimate gathering.
We spoke to Nora Toutain about the inspiration behind the music video and her upcoming release this fall:
What inspired “Women”?
NT: I grew up surrounded by fierce, proud and beautiful women — true warrior queens ready to conquer the world with weapons of love. I just wanted to pay tribute to these forces of nature, and sing to them a powerful and celebratory anthem!
The footage for the video is great; what was the occasion for filming and the costumes/dresses?
NT: Last summer my mom organized a huge gathering at home in Morocco, just to celebrate life and reunite the whole family and close friends, since we’re spread out all over the world. She wanted this party to honour her parents and celebrate our Moroccan culture, and pay tribute to my grandfather’s Indigenous ancestry, hence the traditional clothes like the Kaftan and the traditional Berber dancers.
Did you originally plan on using the footage for something artistic in the future?
NT: At that time, I knew I wanted to do a video for “Women”, but I didn’t know what, until it just hit me: At this party, all the women that inspired the lyrics for my song would be there. So I decided to make them the main characters of my video! We hired a family friend and filmmaker Amine Oulmaki to film all the women together getting ready, which is part of the tradition, and of course the party itself.
With your family farther away than most, how has the pandemic been for you & them?
NT: It’s been hard to live this away from home, particularly as we got closer to the summer. I usually go back to Morocco every year around this time, but with the borders closed I had to accept this new reality. I miss them a lot, and working on this video was a way for me to still feel close to them.
Honouring them and my culture, and sharing this intimate aspect with my Canadian audience turned out to be a beautiful place of consolation, in the midst of separation.
As an artist, how have you been adapting to the change in the industry during COVID?
NT: I took advantage of the fact that I had a lot of time on my hands to write again, and learn new skills.
For “Women”, I gave myself the challenge to edit the video on my own. It was daunting at first, because there was so much archived footage of the party, and it was a little overwhelming. I took it one day at a time, and it made me relive the awesome celebration, feeling close to home. So I actually ended up loving the process.
Tell me about your upcoming album & your decision to push the release date.
NT: I am releasing the first volume of “Grounding Place”, my debut album, this fall. It was supposed to come out May 14th, with a launch in Montreal, but obviously that got cancelled. Sonically, it’s very earthy and has a strong influence to Africa which will contrast with Vol. 2 which is more urban, and airy. Both explore identity, culture, and self-discovery.
I remember being at BANFF for a songwriting residency when the lockdown was announced, and I was tapping into an amazing flow of creativity. This made me want to postpone scheduling the release, and just focus on writing new songs and then I got inspired to start working on this music video.
