FEATURE: Montreal R&B Artist Wayne Tennant Shares First Chapter Of New Live Performance Series With “Sun & Moon”

Montreal-based R&B/soul artist Wayne Tennant delivered his energizing EP Curfew Flowers back in the fall of 2021. Inspired by the funk and go-go music of the late ’70s, and artists such as Prince and Stevie Wonder, Tennant brings together the bold elements of his retro influences with a modern spirit and glow.

Written during some of the darkest moments of the lockdown in Montreal, Curfew Flowers was an outlet and escape that proved to be an aptly named record as Wayne planted seeds of creativity while the city was under strict curfews. To celebrate the increasing freedoms of each passing day and the urgency to bring back live music, Wayne has teamed up with POP Montreal and Behave music to produce an intimate performance of songs from the album at the legendary Planet Studios filmed by the team at The Crescent Inc.

Kicking off the three-part series is “Sun & Moon”, the closing track on the record which recounts the sense of hope and excitement toward the world re-opening after lockdown. Its reflection on the changing of normality and surrendering control is transposed into groovy funk melodies and vibrant energy. Opening with the line “We’re still here, I’m still here”, Wayne instantly acknowledges the collective experience of the pandemic, a theme that is prominent throughout the record.

Bringing the celebration and positivity to the masses, Tennant’s live performance highlights his dedication to stage and bringing his music to life. “I’ve been wanting to bring this record to the stage so the audience can experience and feel the record even more fully beyond the recording“, he explains. “It’s a way to show my audience that I’m not just a studio artist and that I’m a live performer first and foremost”.

Watch “Sun & Moon” here, and read more about Wayne and his musical journey in the latest feature interview just past:

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Now that Curfew Flowers has been out for a few months, how do you feel about it? 

I feel extremely proud that it was an album that came from a deep and honest place. I wrote this record along with my collaborators during the darkest moments of the pandemic during Montreal’s curfew. I could have easily frozen myself from any kind of creativity but instead I challenged myself to draw from what was happening around me. It was my own form of therapy. I amazed myself in that respect, with what was able to bloom from the process.

What can audiences expect from the upcoming series? 

In terms of what to expect from this series, you’ll be seeing some closeup and intimate performances of songs from Curfew Flowers in collaboration with POP Montreal and behave music at Planet Studios. I’ve been wanting to bring this record to the stage so the audience can experience and feel the record even more fully beyond the recording.

What does doing this video series mean to you? 

It’s really exciting. It’s also a way to show my audience that I’m not just a studio artist and that I’m a live performer first and foremost. A lot of artists hide behind production and when it comes to their live performances they are not able to transcend their recordings to the stage but the making of this album had the stage in mind from the beginning. It means a lot to create this type of content and I had a lot of fun with the team putting it together.

What is Sun & Moon about? 

Sun and Moon is about my initial experience and reaction to being in lockdown. There is a line where I wrote “ I thought I had everything under control / planned it out visualized it / then everything just got put on hold.” The isolation forced me to sit back and look at my life. It made me realize that the world was just going too fast in every aspect prior to the pandemic and that society was just lost. I became really aware of that when everything came to a standstill. The song is also about questioning whether I should continue my career in music. At that point I was questioning everything. But then as the song progresses, it’s about my mindset later on, celebrating how I made it through that time. That I, just like many of us, survived, and that those who survived should be humbled by their prospects. It’s also about honouring those that didn’t make it. I personified the Sun and Moon and used them as us who are the ones that are able to live another day despite the ongoing reality of COVID. It’s a song about hope and perseverance.

Like many, trying to make plans felt almost futile in 2021; what was a challenge you faced that didn’t go as planned for the EP? 

The challenge with this album I along with so many artists faced was trying to put things together with my team and then having them be cancelled, moved or rescheduled due to the constraints. In the short term it was frustrating but when you have a solid piece of art that was made with the intention of being timeless, there really isn’t a rush. I remind myself that there is time for everyone to hear the record. I’m old school, I don’t believe in putting out new music every month but putting more time and intention into everything I do.

What was something that kept you feeling optimistic about the future? 

My friends keep me optimistic about the future. 

Also, I’m fully aware that music has endured wars, changes in technology and the list goes on and this situation isn’t any different. I’m always hopeful about where we’re headed.

What has been your favourite part of the live video series?

My favourite part was dressing up and playing this energy filled character of sorts with my collaborators beside me in this controlled studio environment in front of my peers and fans. It was exhilarating to say the least. I live for moments like that!